How much does laminate flooring cost?
Whether you are refurbishing or building from scratch, choosing the right flooring is essential – find out why you might want to choose laminate flooring and how much it costs here.
Laminate flooring is suitable
for all homes
Laminate is cost-effective, practical and due to major advances in design, it can look amazing too. When selecting new flooring you must consider the décor of the individual room as well as the style of the overall house. Too many different flooring materials can clutter a house, as well as prove quite costly. When considering rooms with ‘high traffic’ (i.e. lots of people walking through it) you will want to opt for something durable and long-lasting. So, whilst carpet may be the obvious choice for most rooms within the house, it is easily worn down over time, especially if you go for the thinner, cheaper options. These ‘high traffic’ rooms, such as hallways and kitchens are often more susceptible to stains and scuff marks, which means either going for a low-cost option that you can replace every so often, or something very durable that will last for longer. Or, a combination of the both such as laminate.
What exactly is laminate flooring?
When the term laminate flooring gets used, generally people envisage laminate wood flooring. However, this is something different all together. Laminate wood flooring is created from actual wood elements put together in a way that classic slat-wood flooring is. Laminate flooring uses other elements such as plastic or a particle board as the core, which is then covered with a print layer to make it look however desired.
What types of laminate flooring are available?
There are two main types of laminate flooring, which are defined by the way they are created. The first is a high pressure laminate; this is considered the most effective and more durable type of laminate flooring. The core layers are glued together and then the outer layers (including paper and print layers) are glued together and fused. This two-step process tends to last longer than the direct pressure laminate method. The other process is called direct pressure laminate and simply means that all the layers are bonded together in one process, which results in a less durable flooring. The high pressure method is understandably more expensive as it costs more to manufacture and generally speaking is higher quality flooring.
What styles of laminate flooring are available?
How long is a piece of string? An annoying saying maybe, but apt in this instance! Because of the durability and ease of cleaning, there have been many advances in design and you can get laminate flooring in just about any colour and pattern you can imagine. The most popular types of laminate flooring include natural wood, natural stone and a great variety of ceramics. The top layer of the laminate flooring can now be pressed to look like they have grains you would find in real wood flooring, or the texture of ceramic and stone tiles.
Why choose laminate flooring?
It depends on the décor of your home; the laminate flooring must flow with the rest of your home. For example, if you have a marble hallway that leads on to your lounge which you have chosen to cover in laminate, the result could be disastrous. Of course next to real marble the laminate flooring will pale (aesthetically at least)! Laminate flooring is also very hygienic and easy to clean, so it’s perfect for bathrooms and kitchens. It is highly durable and can withstand a lot of traffic.
How much does laminate flooring cost?
The cost depends on the quality of laminate flooring you opt for and how much you will require. It can vary hugely; costs can be less than £1sq/m to over £20sq/m, depending on the design and quality.
