An article on how laminated wooden floors have

Our home is the most special place in our lives. More than 50% of our lives are spent living in the confines of our homes. Every one wants their homes to be aesthetically pleasing and have a pleasant interior. Now with indigenous materials available and more and more imitations of natural products, we can build our homes with aesthetically pleasing yet cost effective materials. The material we would be looking at closely in this article is wooden flooring, especially laminated wooden flooring.

In earlier times solid or hardwood floorings were an extremely popular choice amongst homeowners. The natural charm and warmth of wood floors, gave the space a sense of depth and class. Solid planks of wood would be fixed to the floors and then stained and polished to give an incredible look. But as is with most natural materials, the scarcity of wood has made it an expensive option in today's times and not every one can afford it. Construction material manufacturers world over started developing unique materials that could replace traditional wooden floors, yet give a similar look and feel as the original counterpart. This led to the invention of laminated wooden flooring by a company known as Perstorp from Sweden in 1977. The company sold its laminated flooring under the brand name Pergo.

Laminating a fiberboard material with a photographic layer resembling wood and then a clear coat layer for protection makes laminated flooring. It is very easy to install and can be done so even by amateurs at home. Today most laminated flooring comes as interlocking tiles that clamp onto each other giving a seamless look. A sheet of plastic and foam is placed under the wooden tiles to give the floor some elasticity and flexibility.

Builders in residential construction are using various different shades today. Shades such as mahogany, wenge, ipe, beach, maple, teak, thansau and zebrano are very popular amongst homeowners and always in demand. Usually a lighter shade is easier to maintain, as dust is less visible on lighter surfaces. Darker shades require regular mopping, though they are a personal favorite.

There are different qualities available depending on durability. AC1 and AC2 are recommended for light domestic use, for spaces such as bedrooms. AC3 is recommended for heavy domestic use for areas such as living rooms or foyers, where movement is usually high. AC4 and AC5 are recommended for commercial use, mainly in offices or commercial areas such as shops due to extremely high movement and footfall.

Laminated wood floors should be kept free of dust and as clean as possible as the surface can be scratched of dust particles are scraped over it. Secondly care should be taken not use wet mops on the surface as that can tend to moisture being absorbed and you may see the floor rise in certain areas. The main downfall of laminated flooring compared to traditional hardwood flooring is durability. While traditional hard wood floors have a life of many years, laminated flooring has a life span of 2-10 years in most cases. All that being said laminated floors are a great product and have opened up the option of getting a wood feel to many homeowners on a budget. The easy application, low cost, modular capability, variety of shades and finishes and different qualities make it an ideal choice.