Acquiring moisture-resistant laminate in the kitchen, we get the opportunity to implement a variety of design projects in a complex space, despite the presence of water, grease and dirt in the work area. The owners who plan to repair or completely replace the flooring, you need to be able to understand the classification and types of this material.
Laminate in the kitchen - the pros and cons
The standard moisture resistant laminate is made from resin impregnated fibreboard and paper with decorative patterns. This material is cheaper than many standard flooring, little inferior to them in physical characteristics. Whether it is possible to lay a laminate in the kitchen, depends on the technology of its manufacture, class of strength, resistance to erasure and water resistance.
Advantages of using a moisture resistant laminate in the kitchen:
- This material is warm to the touch and less noise when walking.
- On the quality coating does not remain traces of heels and furniture.
- Install moisture-resistant laminate in the kitchen can be without the involvement of specialists.
- At a cost, this floor covering is available for most families.
Disadvantages of using moisture-resistant laminate in the kitchen:
- The low-grade material does not withstand water and temperature fluctuations.
- If you mount incorrectly without using a substrate, you can hear footsteps.
- Installing even the best moisture-resistant laminate in the kitchen, you need to remember that he loses the aesthetic and physical characteristics of a real stone or tile.
What grade is the best laminate for the kitchen?
Having decided to purchase a water-resistant laminate for the kitchen, check out which product class is represented in your market. Although many directories recommend class 21-22 products for household use, experience has shown that it does not last long even in a relatively quiet and dry environment. It is advisable to buy a floor covering of at least 32 class, which can normally serve in domestic conditions for more than two decades.
What laminate to put in the kitchen?
When considering which laminate to choose for the kitchen, people confuse waterproof and moisture resistant material. The waterproof fibreboard is treated with protective compounds and covered with a strong film with a pattern. They are able to withstand moisture for a certain time without swelling the top layer and loss of decorative qualities, but prolonged contact with water can not stand.
Vulnerable to all HDF plates - side surfaces and locks, these elements must necessarily be impregnated with greases based on silicone or wax. When buying a moisture-resistant imported product, always look for the word "aqua" on the marking, pictures with an umbrella and drops that confirm the resistance to moisture. A quality waterproof laminate that does not absorb water at all, is made exclusively on PVC-based.
Vinyl laminate in the kitchen
A beautiful waterproof floor with good strength characteristics - vinyl laminate for the kitchen. This synthetic material has good decorative qualities, it imitates ceramics, wood, various types of stone and even the skin quite well. PVC laminate has two main layers - a protective topcoat based on polyurethane or aluminum oxide, and a vinyl bottom layer with a thickness of 0.5 mm.
Types of waterproof laminate:
- Laminate lock - has a click-lock, working on the method of latches. This element allows you to quickly assemble or repair the desired panel without using glue.
- Self-adhesive coating - a laminate in the form of square or rectangular elements of different sizes, has an adhesive layer on the back side, protected by a transport film. Plates simply and quickly stick to any clean base.
- The roll moisture resistant laminate to the kitchen is a flexible coating with excellent strength and waterproof characteristics, gluing which is carried out throughout the floor plane. The disadvantage of this material is its complicated installation, it is required to buy glue separately, it is difficult to replace the damaged area.
Cork laminate for kitchen
Considering popular options, which laminate to lay in the kitchen, you can find information about a rare earlier cork coating with interesting characteristics. When striking about this floor, the dishes do not often beat, it is warm, noiseless, pleasant to the touch. The lack of natural cork is a high cost, but the producers managed to partly compensate for this minus by the invention of a cork laminate .
This kind of laminate has a multi-layer structure, inside it consists of a pressed cork, pasted on MDF or chipboard. On top there is a natural wood veneer covered with a vinyl or varnished protective layer. The presence of a lock connection makes installation and repair of this floor in the kitchen a relatively simple and quick occupation, and its thermal insulation and soundproofing properties far exceed competitors.
Lack of cork laminate:
- Cork oak veneer is expensive.
- Floor on the basis of MDF and chipboard can not be made completely water resistant.
Bright laminate in the kitchen
Moisture-resistant floors in the room can look imperceptible on the general background or turn into the main exhibit of the interior depending on the chosen design. Milky, light brown, light beige or white laminate in the kitchen - an excellent solution for the style of minimalism, high-tech, loft, country. It will make the room visually more spacious, well contrasted with the furniture facades, improve the level of illumination.
Disadvantages of light laminate in the kitchen:
- Excess of light tones can create a sense of excess coolness.
- The fall on the white floor of direct sunlight often causes glare and a sense of yellowness.
- In a bright kitchen, you will have to spend more time cleaning.
Dark laminate in the kitchen
Dark cover is traditionally used in classic design, oriental styles. The floors of the laminate in the kitchen under the dark wood make the situation respectable, they are a beautiful background for the suite with light facades. Dark laminate is undesirable to apply in a small room, in the neighborhood with bright furniture or wallpaper. To not make the interior gloomy, you can use mats or paths of light color. Curtains try to find a tone in a saturated coloring of the flooring.
Laminate in the kitchen with a picture
Floors with a noble parquet pattern are placed mainly in rooms with a special status - living rooms or ceremonial halls. With the necessary funds, expensive material can be used in other living rooms, creating an aristocratic or modern design. Thinking about which laminate to choose for the kitchen, you can consider the option of purchasing material with a texture for a stylish tile, for parallel or diagonal styling. The cover with inscriptions or abstract drawings is suitable for youth interiors, spacious studio apartments.
Combined laminate in the kitchen
Practical owners are trying to solve the problem of equipping durable floors, considering all the traditional and original options. An interesting solution to this problem is laying the laminate in the kitchen in combination with tiles. These materials look great together with a successful selection of texture and color. Pottery will last longer in a humid area where frequent contact with grease and dirt is possible.
Advantages of combining laminate with tiles:
- The laminate will be protected as much as possible from contact with an aggressive environment.
- This solution is advisable from the point of view of hygiene.
- Ceramics are easier to clean.
- Tile absorbs odors worse.
- Ceramic inserts are easy to change in case of repair.
- Ability to create non-standard interior compositions.
- Installation of combined floors can be done independently.
Laminate in the form of tiles in the kitchen
Ceramics has a lot of advantages, but many people do not like it as a floor covering because of some drawbacks - it is fragile, cold, slippery, has low sound insulation. Tiled laminate for a waterproof class kitchen - a good alternative solution for private apartments. There are several varieties of panels for tiles:
- Small panels with four-sided chamfers, which look realistic on the floor, as a separate tile.
- Wide panels without chamfers, accurately simulating a fragment of the floor from several identical or differently sized tiles, separated by relief seams.
Finishing the kitchen with laminate
In the interior, different types of laminate for the kitchen are used, but it is advisable to take into account the microclimate in each section of the living space before purchasing, and to purchase the material with the necessary physical characteristics. If the apron is under increased influence of negative factors, then in the dry dry area the walls are less affected by harmful fumes and high temperatures. Fragmentary decoration of walls can be done by strips left after laying floors, but it is necessary to take into account the coloring of facades, walls and countertops.
Finishing the kitchen floor with laminate
Having decided on the question of which laminate is best to choose for the kitchen, you need to study the process of laying it on the floor. First, a well-cleaned and leveled concrete floor is lapped with a lining up to 20 cm of a waterproofing substrate, and a layer of expanded polyethylene on top. The process of mounting moisture-resistant laminate in the kitchen should be started from the side of the window openings. A material having its own sound-insulating substrate does not need additional layer of polyethylene.
The lamellas are inserted into the lock under a slight slope, if the whole strip is not enough, then fill the space of the floor with pieces. The remaining piece with a size of at least 30 cm begins to stack the next row. In the case where you need to make an effort when locking the lock, we put a wooden block under the hammer's impact to the end part of the laminate. Diagonal laying requires an increased consumption of lamellas, but this method can get the effect of increasing the space of the kitchen.
Laminate on the wall in the kitchen
Moisture-resistant laminate for wall finishing in the kitchen is used relatively rarely. It is more expensive and heavier than standard panels, it requires a reliable method of fixation, it does not tolerate high humidity and temperature changes. Because of this, it is not possible to use all varieties of this material on the walls. Try to study well the question, how to choose a laminate for the kitchen, in the design of wet areas, try to apply a waterproof coating of good quality.
Advantages of using a moisture-resistant laminate for walls in the kitchen:
- Moisture-resistant laminate has a great strength in comparison with MDF and chipboard.
- Waterproof laminate varieties in the kitchen do not absorb moisture.
- This material is well cleaned with household products.
- The magnificent decorative properties of the laminate are allowed in the kitchen to perfectly simulate the decoration of the walls with wood.
Apron made of laminate for kitchen
Studying the question, whether the laminate is practical in the kitchen, the designers came to the conclusion about the advisability of using this coating for the design of aprons. It has an affordable price and is available to the masses, while observing the rules of operation it can serve for many years. For this purpose, it is necessary to purchase exclusively moisture resistant laminate in the kitchen from 31-32 class. Well fit panels under the tree or under the tile, depending on the overall design of the room and the facade of the headset.
The material is mounted on an aligned wall with an installed crate, fixing is done with screws, dowels and screws. Joints of moisture-resistant laminate in the kitchen should be treated with a sealant, and the end parts should be closed with a plastic corner, which can be reliably secured at home using liquid nails.