Laminate Flooring
Real wooden floors can bring warmth and comfort to a room, turning ordinary dwellings into cozy cottages, gray office quarters into lounge-like spaces, and a house into a home. But with the current shortage of trees, and with forests disappearing all over the world, hardwoods will be harder and harder to come by.
There is a substitute, however, for hardwood floors. Laminates are sold as planks or panels, and are fashioned to look like wood, stone, or tile. These planks are made of thick, water-resistant material, and are shaped so that they fit together like snug, interlocking pieces. They are fitted through the floating installation method, where they rest on top of a subfloor, which may be made of plywood, concrete, or existing flooring.
Laminates can be made to look exactly like your hardwood of choice, be it mahogany, oak, or cherry. Because they arent made of real wood, they can withstand extreme impact, scratching, cigarette burns, and exposure to sunlight, all without fading or being heavily damaged. Not much is needed to maintain a laminate floor: all that laminates need are regular vacuuming, or a wipe-down with a damp mop or rag,...