WHY LAMINATE FLOORING?

Choosing a new floor isn't easy. The supply is virtually infinite these days, and every type of flooring has its own pros and cons. Increasingly, people are choosing laminate flooring, which combines the authentic look of a natural floor with many practical advantages AND a great price.

There are many key benefits to laminate flooring. These include:

• Manufactured to be highly durable
• Easier and cheaper installation
• Scratch and water resistant
• Hygienic, easy cleanable surface.
• Realistic design

Laminate consists of a photo image enclosed by a series of protective and high density layers. These are bonded together to create a highly durable floor.

With an in-built click system, laminates are easy to install and therefore cheaper to install – one board simply clicks into the other! Its simple system means that for those DIYers out there, you could even fit your laminate flooring yourself.

What Rooms Can I Use Laminate?

Laminate floors can be used in every room. Even for kitchens and bathrooms there are waterproof floors with extra protection. The anti-static surface and the seamless click system prevent dust and dirt from collecting on or between the planks, which is an ideal feature for childrens' rooms. You can even cover a complete staircase using laminate.

With the correct subfloor, you can even place laminate on under floor heating without hassle. And the robust core panels of Quick-Step laminate floors provide a solid, pleasant sound which means they are also ideal for apartments or houses with several floors.

How Durable Is Laminate?

Laminate is perfect for those with families or whose home hosts an abundance of guests. Manufacturers ensure its top layer is highly resistant to scratches and water. This means it can cope with the pressures of day-to-day life with ease.

However, although laminate is scratch resistant, we still recommend the use of furniture pads beneath furniture legs to help avoid any scratching, and placing mats in heavy use areas such as entrance ways and in the kitchen.

Being water-resistant also enables laminate flooring to easily be laid in a kitchen, W.C, and conservatory where spillages and humidity fluctuations are frequent – solid wood should be avoided in these rooms due to its sensitivity to water and humidity. Some laminates can now even be laid in a bathroom where water spillages and humidity fluctuations are more extreme – remember to check with the laminate manufacturer first to see if your chosen laminate is suitable for this room.

Plus, with the backing layers of laminate also being resistant to moisture, it is unlikely that your laminate will warp or distort due to moisture from the ground below.

Modern laminate floors are so hardwearing that these days they are increasingly fitted in public places with high footfall, such as shops and airports.

You also don't need to worry about spilling water or other liquids: simply mop up the fluid as quickly as possible and it won't have time to penetrate into the planks. Worried about moving your furniture because you are afraid of discoloration? Even that is unnecessary: the protective layer means that Quick-Step floors keep their original colour year after year even when exposed to sunlight.

Easy Maintenance

Thanks to the protective top layer, laminate floors are very easy to keep clean. Dirt cannot penetrate the wood and a regular clean with a dry or lightly dampened fibre cloth will suffice to keep your floor in perfect condition for decades. You don't need to sand, scrub or oil laminate floors. Black marks or stubborn stains can easily be removed with Quick-Step clean.

In addition, all Quick-Step floors have an anti-static surface. That means they attract a lot less dust than other floors AND they are suitable for people with allergies.

Quick and Easy To Install

In comparison with other floors, laminate is extremely easy to install. Thanks to the handy click system all the planks fit together like a jigsaw puzzle. You don't need glue, stabilized sand or mortar to lay a perfectly level and stable floor.

Of course you can call in an expert, but with a minimum of DIY skills you can lay a completely new floor yourself in less than a day, without any problems. Even better: a laminate floor can also be taken up quickly and even moved. If somehow it should happen that a plank does get damaged over the years, then you can simply replace it.

Lifelike

Thanks to the newest techniques, a laminate floor is indistinguishable from a real timber floor. Even the texture of real timber, such as the knots, cracks and flaws, can be perfectly simulated. You have the choice of virtually every type of timber, in nearly every possible shade and in various plank dimensions.

You can even select laminate that has the appearance of natural stone or concrete. The only difference with a real stone floor? Laminate is much warmer to the touch, is less trouble to maintain and easier to install.

If you require any help when choosing your laminate flooring, speak with our team at IBT who will be happy to help.