Wood laminate Information

Technology has advanced significantly over the last few decades making laminate a viable option for most areas of the home. Although there are water resistant options out there, it is still not recommended to install wood laminates in high moisture areas, such as bathrooms and basements. Many brands now offer a spill protection coating on there wood laminate allowing it to resist the water that gets spilled from the dog dish, or your kids glass of juice that got knocked off the kitchen table. The topical coating prevents the liquids from penetrating down into the planks and causing damage to the floor.

Wood laminate is a very durable flooring option. It provides excellent scratch resistance, dent resistance and the strong wear layer helps protect the floor from stains and wear. As far as durability goes, wood laminate is a great option for homes with kids and pets or where excessive wear is a concern.

Low-Maintenance: Wood laminate is very low maintenance. Sweep and mop as needed. Typically a steam mop is NOT recommended though. 

OK for radiant heat: Most laminates are rated for radiant floor heating systems. No more cold feet is always an enticing option.

Affordable: Wood laminate is a much more cost effective product when it come to flooring. Significantly cheaper then hardwood and typically cheaper then luxury vinyl, wood laminate offers a relatively low cost option for flooring. 

As great of an option as wood laminate is, there are some concerns to take into consideration. 

Low water resistance: While technology has really improved the construction of wood laminates and made them more resistant to water, they still remain susceptible to water damage. Unlike vinyl, wood laminate is not 100% water proof. Wood laminates water resistance works only works to to bottom. If moisture gets beneath the wood laminate, then damage is likely to occur.

Cold: Wood laminate has a high heat transfer resistance. This means that even if you keep your house at 80 degrees, your floor may still feel cold on your feet, especially during winter. A radiant floor heating system is a good fix to this, but is not always a viable option. 

Noise: Wood laminate is a hard surface floor. Replacing carpet with this type of flooring may cause the acoustics of your home to change dramatically. 

You may think that a thicker wood laminate is a good thing, but that is not always the case. Thicker laminate needs more clearance at doorways, something that is not always available during a remodel. 

Another important thing to be on the look for is the laminates AC Rating. The AC rating represents the durability and recommended usage of each laminate. The AC ratings range through AC1 through AC5. AC1 being for low usage rooms with low traffic, such as bedrooms.AC3 is  rated for all areas and can easily handle heavy traffic. Foyers, living  and dining rooms are good examples of areas where AC3 is best suited. AC5 is for Commercial heavy traffic. AC5 can still be installed in residential areas without any real negative connotations. If a laminate lacks an AC rating, be wary of its quality.