Laminate Wooden Flooring

4 Practical Reasons You Should Use Laminate Wooden Flooring

Let me begin by clarifying that laminate wooden flooring are NOT made from wood pieces nor wood composites. Laminate flooring are manufactured from layers of man-made materials overlaid and compressed to form a sheet of flooring. Hence the name, ‘laminate‘.

They usually come in rectangular shapes for the ease of installation and packaging. More importantly are the materials used to create the laminate because different materials have different properties. This can seriously affect the overall product quality and performance. Note: This article references the Quick-Step Laminate brand flooring only; laminate flooring of other brands may vary in quality and product effectiveness.

Here are 8 practical ways how laminate flooring can save you and your family time, money and headaches:

1. Easy to Maintain

   In comparison to traditional wooden flooring, laminate flooring are much easier to maintain both in the short and long term. Unlike wooden surfaces, laminate flooring do not require additional coating of finish protection.

   Each wooden flooring finish usually targets a specific outcome, e.g. higher stain resistance, visually clear or tinted finish, better scratch protection etc. Examples of wooden flooring finish include acid-cured finish, aluminium oxide, water-based/oil-based polyurethane (2-4 hours for water-based to dry and 8-10 hours for oil-based to dry; multiple coating required plus sanding time after each coating has dried), moisture-cured urethane, oil sealer, shellac, wax, etc. To keep wooden flooring looking new and attractive, you also need to apply refinish every so often depending on your previous finish, level of use, wear and tear etc.

   With laminate wooden flooring:

   • No finish coating required.
   • No smelly odor from coating fumes.
   • No wait time on multiple coatings to dry.
   • No money spent on the initial finish coating nor future refinish.
   • Greener for the environment and safer for your family.

    

   Quick-Step Laminate is highly resistant to everyday wear and tear which makes it easy and quick to maintain. They are also 100% resistant to water. You usually only need to sweep / vacuum, mop and dry the laminate surface, and you are done.

   Slightly damaged planks can be quickly and easily repaired by wax pieces in the Quick-Step repair kit matching all available product surface colours.



 

2. Easy to Install
   Since laminate wooden flooring are man-made, they pretty much come in exactly the same size. Hence, it is easier to work with if you were looking at DIY installation and is faster if you were hiring professionals to do the installation. Another thing many people often overlook is that wooden planks will expand in the heat and shrink in cooler temperatures. Although the difference may not be individually noticeable, it can be quite significant when installed in an larger area especially if you live in Queensland where the temperature has a big range between daytime and night time.

   Quick-Step Laminate’s patented ‘Uniclic Click System’ allows you to easily and effortlessly connect each laminate flooring panel. This patented system is not only simple to apply but it works like magic for awkward corners and when you need to install the last rows of flooring panels.

 

3. Measurable Performance

   The quality of traditional wooden flooring can vary significantly depending on the type of wood used and how they were treated (affecting their durability and resistant to insect and elements) amongst other variables. Laminate flooring on the other hand are designed, tested and manufactured in a controlled environment. Although different laminate batches still vary in quality, the difference is less noticeable and quality controls are applied to ensure the each batch of products perform as they are expected to.

   Quick-Step Laminate are designed and strictly tested on the following properties:

   • Wear resistance (tested using a taber abrasion machine)
   • Fire ratings (smoke developed, spread of flame, heat evolved or ignitablity indices etc)
   • Slip resistance (tested using a wet pendulum machine)
   • Acoustics (measured in accordance to the impact isolation class)
   • VOC emissions / Green star ratings
   • Thermal resistance (“R” rating)
   • Cigarette burn resistance (Visual examination between ratings 1-5)
   • Impact resistance

   Quick-Step Laminate continues to improve its product quality to ensure you and your family enjoy high quality and safer laminate flooring.

 

4. Easier on Your Pocket
   There is no doubt about that traditional wooden flooring are unique since each piece of wooden plank is different. However, it can come with a hefty price tag depending on your selection of wood. The more premium and higher quality the wooden flooring, the more expensive it is. Laminate flooring are manufactured in mass production but it doesn’t mean every piece looks identical and therefore automatically assumed “boring”.

   The modern day laminate flooring usually offer a number of different patterns within a particular design theme. For example, the Quick-Step Colonial Plus range simulates Australian hardwoods and a selection of designs (wood grain, colour, structure etc) allowing you to mix and match flooring planks to your heart’s content.

   Hence, you can have beautiful premium wooden floor look alike (and the textures feel amazing too!) without needing to pay for the an arm and a leg for it.

 

Installing new floor for your home has never been easier! For more information on laminate flooring or Quick-Step Laminate, talk to one of our friendly OzTop flooring consultants today. Don’t forget to ask them about the Quick-Step Laminate’s worry-free warranty that extends up to 25 years after your original purchase and other benefits of laminate flooring.