Laminate flooring and engineered flooring, both are quite popular in the flooring world nowadays. Both have their own merits and demerits. It is quite obvious to get confused between these two if you don’t know the features of these.
Why should you choose laminate flooring?
Thicker laminate has better swelling and shrinkage behavior and guarantees greater profile stability. Particularly advantageous is laminate if you have floor heating. If the heating is off, the feet can freeze. Reason: In contrast to wood floors, laminate conducts heat or cold particularly well. If the floor under the panels is cool, they also feel cold. When heated underneath, laminate reacts quickly and warms up. Those who like to warm their feet, but do not want to install underfloor heating are more likely to invest in a wooden floor
Coating technicians now also shape structures in the laminate panels, for example, a wood grain or stone structures. It reinforces the impression that the floor is made of natural material – although the upper layer is made of plastic. Especially the bare footers will appreciate such effects.
For a good floorboard appearance, some panels get a lighter color on the joints- experts are talking about optical V-joints. Other manufacturers provide their laminate floors with real cuts on the edges of the panel. This results in joints during laying, and the floor effect is very realistic.
What does the strength say about the quality of the laminate?
In general, the rule is- the thicker, the better the quality of the laminate. Thicker laminate has better swelling and shrinkage behavior and guarantees greater profile stability. Inexpensive laminate already exists in a thickness of six millimeters. This flat structure is sufficient for rooms that are hardly used, but not designed for normal use. Also weakens the connection here- The spring is thinner and thus more unstable. For normal household use are usually seven millimeters thick panels.
Laminate or engineered wood flooring- where are the differences?
What is engineered hardwood vs laminate flooring?
Both floors are easy to lay and glueless; both are available with integrated footfall sound insulation. While the laminates merely look like wood, engineered flooring has a wear layer of about four millimeters thick, made of genuine wood sealed with lacquer.
Engineered wood insulates well and feels warm to the feet – in contrast to the laminate. Hardly electrostatically charges wood, laminate already- from three kilovolts, discharges are noticeable, many people with nine to ten kilovolts feel uncomfortable. Sensitive devices, such as computers can be damaged by static electricity. Some laminate manufacturers equip their products with a technique that reduces electrostatic charges.
