Imagine a beautiful wood-look floor that can be quickly installed, is durable enough to stand up to everyday life, and can be maintained with just a damp cloth. It may sound too good to be true, but today's laminate flooring offers all of this and more, and is fast becoming one of the hottest home improvement projects among do-it-yourselfers.
'For homeowners who want the look of wood without the maintenance headaches, laminate flooring is ideal,' said Don Cybalski, U.S. design manager for Pergo, the leading brand of laminate flooring. 'It won't wear through, stain or fade, and won't ever need waxing, polishing or refinishing. And the designs are so realistic that many people mistake it for the real thing."
Introduced by Pergo to the United States in 1994, laminate flooring is made of wood byproducts compressed under extreme pressure to form super-hard layers that are sandwiched together and finished with a surface second only to diamonds in hardness. The resulting product offers durability and ease of maintenance far superior to any other flooring option.
Substance and Style
The beauty of laminate flooring doesn't just lie beneath its surface. The variety of designs available today is virtually limitless with colors and textures that are more realistic than ever. In fact, consumers routinely mistake laminates for higher priced wood, ceramic or stone alternatives. Beyond the popular oak, maple and pine varieties, laminates are available in exotic wood looks like mahogany, walnut and cherry, as well as in classic tile designs including granite, marble and ivory.
Quick and Easy Installation
Ease and speed of installation add to the appeal of laminate flooring. Where installation of real wood is typically left to professionals because of the time-consuming process to glue or nail planks, laminates can often be installed over a weekend and put directly on top of any existing floor (except carpet).
Most laminates simply click together, making them ideal for do-it-yourselfers. 'Click' laminate floors feature tongue-and-groove edges that snap-together easily and tightly without the need for glue. Durable and hassle-free, click floors can be used confidently in any room of the homeeven moisture-prone areas like kitchens and bathrooms, thanks to new dual-locking joint technologies.
Top-grade laminates, like those from Pergo, are attractively priced around $2 to $4 per square foot (uninstalled), compared with $4 to $6 for solid wood. But the real savings is in the installation. Because laminate floors are so easy to install, many consumers can do it themselves saving both money and time. |
