During renovation and interior design planning, much attention is paid to the choice of flooring. The material from which it will be made should not only harmonize with the overall style of the room, but also be reliable and practical. After all, a chest of drawers or even a closet, if their quality fails, we can easily change to something new, but to rearrange the floor – a process costly both in money and time.
Nowadays, you can easily find flooring that will satisfy all your needs. The minus is that stores offer such a wide range that the buyer can get confused and choose not what suits him. Therefore, it is necessary to consider in more detail the advantages and disadvantages of each individual floor covering.
Laminate as the most popular type of floor covering
For several years, laminate can be safely called the most popular floor covering. Manufacturers try to offer such a variety that, in addition to the classic version made under wood, you can find a laminate board made under stone or even under metal.
The most important advantages of laminate over other types of flooring are the following:
- high durability – the boards are of higher grades and can withstand even the heaviest loads;
- wear resistance – a good laminate is almost impossible to damage, it is resistant to both chemical and mechanical influences;
- a wide range of assortment, which has already been mentioned above;
- safety – since the material does not ignite, the probability of fire from the fact that a match or cigarette butt fell on the laminate floor is reduced to zero;
- easy to maintain – in order to refresh the laminate flooring, it is enough to simply wipe the surface with a damp cloth;
- moisture resistance (applies only to some classes);
- price – laminate flooring is considered to be one of the most budget-friendly floor coverings;
- ease of installation – some systems of fastening the boards to each other are so advanced that you can cope with the installation of the floor yourself.
Chamfered laminate in the kitchen
Modern technologies for manufacturing laminate flooring allow you to get a high-quality and durable flooring as a result. For its production, they use wood grinded into dust, which is brought to a crystalline state during the manufacturing process. Each individual board consists of four elements that perform separate functions:
- A special water-resistant layer, which includes a film to protect against liquid penetration inside the board.
- The board itself, which consists of wood.
- Decorative layer, on which a drawing or pattern is applied.
- Laminating film, which adds to the surface resistance to heavy loads and various kinds of damage.
Initially, laminate was conceived as a cheaper analog of parquet, which will be discussed below. However, over the years, the quality of flooring has increased significantly, and the range has multiplied several times. In addition, the price-quality ratio will please everyone – because for a relatively small cost you will get a durable and stylish floor.
Natural parquet: advantages and disadvantages
Externally, parquet can often be confused with laminate, but there are quite a lot of differences between them. To begin with, it is worth clarifying that parquet is made of natural wood and is one of the oldest options for covering the floor. Most often oak, pine or ash are used for this purpose. Because of these materials, such a coating is warmer and more durable. In addition, it has a high degree of sound insulation, thanks to which it does not let in extraneous noises.