Which laminate is better?

Which laminate is better to choose for finishing the floor in a particular room, is solved depending on several factors: what kind of room is the passageway, what furniture will it need to be put in, whether the floor covering will be exposed to moisture or high temperatures.

The best laminate for an apartment

How to choose a good laminate? It should be based on several indicators: the brand, the price of laminate, the richness of the pattern, wear resistance, moisture resistance and resistance to scratching.

Brand . The most popular and trusted customers are laminates produced in Europe. Although now many Russian brands are not inferior in quality to imports. The lowest performance is provided by flooring from China. When choosing a quality European laminate, pay attention to the labeling: it should be the name of the producing country, for example, made in France, not made in EU.

The price . A very important indicator. We all strive to save as much as possible on repairs, but it is worthwhile to know that high-quality laminate simply can not cost less than 350 rubles / m & sup2, and the price of the best quality coatings can reach up to 1500 rubles / m & sup2 and above.

Wealth of drawing . Determines the winning appearance of the laminate. Many prefer to purchase a floor covering on which the picture is stylized as a tree . And on real wood, as we know, it is impossible to find two completely identical sites. Firms that produce quality coatings try to diversify the spectrum of drawings as much as possible. In any case, it should not be less than 1: 6 (that is, the figure should not be repeated more often than through 6 parts), and the highest-quality laminates have the indicators of 1:30 and even 1:60.

Wear resistance . All laminates, depending on their durability, are divided into classes. The most durable - 33 and 34 classes - are designed for finishing premises with a high load on the floor, for example, in shopping centers, offices, banks. 32 class is quite suitable for an ordinary apartment.

The moisture resistance of the laminate for the finishing of living spaces should not be higher than 15-18%. Information on this indicator can be found on the package.

Scratch resistance is an important indicator that should also be reflected on the packaging of the laminate.

Best Laminate for Kitchen

Separately it is worth considering the choice of laminate for such a premise in the house as a kitchen. This is important because the floor here must withstand heavy loads: frequent washing and sweeping, and should also be as much as possible opaque. When choosing a laminate in the kitchen, you should stop on a wear-resistant laminate of grade 33 or 32, which is assembled mechanically, that is, parts of the cover are snapped together rather than glued together. After assembly, the seams can be further processed with compounds that will not allow moisture to enter between the floor parts. Laminate for the kitchen should be waterproof or water resistant. Do not confuse them: the best moisture-resistant laminate will not lose its beautiful appearance even with frequent washing of the floor, while the water resistant is designed for heavy loads and will withstand even the deluge. Laminate for the kitchen is better to choose with increased resistance to scratches. Well, since such a floor has improved characteristics in many areas, it is not worth waiting for the low price from such a laminate. However, it is better to invest first in a quality floor than to return to repair in a short time because the cheap laminate has lost its appearance.