Tips for choosing laminate: how to avoid mistakes when buying.

Laminate quality criteria

This floor covering is a multilayer material with a base made of chipboard or fiberboard. The layers are impregnated with synthetic resins, and the top layer consists of paper on which any image can be printed. Most often, laminate imitates natural wood.

During production, the layers are pressed at high temperatures, resulting in a durable, easy-to-care-for floor covering for the home. Its characteristics differ in several indicators that need to be taken into account in order to choose laminate without error:

• Thickness.
• Wear resistance class.
• Impact resistance.
• Moisture resistance.
• With or without a chamfer.
• Type of connection.
• Environmental friendliness.
• Color range.
• Cost.

The photo shows a bedroom in a modern style. One of the advantages of laminate is that it can be used to cover not only the floor, but also the walls.

Thickness

Panels 9–10 mm thick are more resistant to long-term loads (meaning heavy furniture, which constantly impacts the laminate). The thickness of the base layer determines the level of sound insulation and the temperature of the floor: the thinner the coating, the better the neighbors hear the sounds of footsteps, and the colder the floor.

The most budget option is a material with a thickness of 6 mm, but if there is heavy furniture or equipment in the kitchen or room, it is better to give preference to more expensive laminate with a thick base layer.

Wear resistance class

The higher the class, the longer the service life of the laminated coating. This criterion significantly affects the price of the product, so it is better to choose a different material for each room. Cheap goods are not suitable for the hallway or kitchen, since the floor experiences the highest loads in these areas of the apartment.

The table below clearly shows which laminate to choose for a particular room:

Russian buyers are used to choosing durable laminate, so products of class 23–32 are especially popular. In terms of price-quality ratio, class 31 wins, but class 32 is more suitable for a kitchen and hallway with high traffic. Class 33 flooring is suitable for a bathroom, as well as for an apartment with pets.

Impact resistance

This parameter shows how well the coating resists impact. It is determined by the results of a test in which a metal ball is thrown onto the surface of the laminated panel, simulating the fall of heavy objects or the pressure of heels. The strength criterion is the integrity of the surface.

The intermediate layer is responsible for impact resistance – kraft cardboard with impregnations (damper). Impact resistance is designated by the index IC. Laminate class 31 withstands an impact force of 10N/800 mm, which corresponds to the coefficient IC1, class 32 withstands 15N/1000 mm (IC2), and class 33 – 20N/1200 mm (IC3). The last two coatings are resistant to scratches and abrasion from the wheels of an office chair.

The photo shows a hallway with high-quality, impact-resistant class 32 laminate, which is the optimal coating for a high-traffic area.

Moisture resistance

Water exposure is one of the weakest points of laminate. If it gets between the boards, the material swells and the decorative surface peels off. The service life of such a floor is significantly reduced. Taking these shortcomings into account, manufacturers produce special types of laminate that are resistant to moisture.

The photo shows an example of a moisture-resistant coating that is protected by an upper laminated layer. Despite the resistance to water, the floor cannot be kept wet for a long time.

Moisture-resistant laminate can withstand exposure to moisture only for a certain period of time. The material is based on a durable wood fiber board treated with special compounds. It is not afraid of wet cleaning, dirt and mold, but if a large amount of water penetrates the joint, the floor will swell and unevenness will appear. This type of flooring is suitable for the kitchen and hallway, but you will have to choose a different material for the loggia and bathroom.

Waterproof laminate is resistant to long-term exposure to moisture, since treating the joints with warm paraffin reliably protects the flooring from deformation. Temperature changes are also not a problem for it. This is an excellent option for a balcony and bathroom, which are characterized by high humidity.

With or without a chamfer

A chamfer is a beveled edge that makes laminated panels visually similar to parquet boards. With it, the coating looks more natural and more expensive. Using a press, chamfers are applied on two or four sides, preserving the protective layer. After installation, the joints are covered with wax.

Laminate with a chamfer has several significant advantages: it is more resistant to mechanical damage, and if cracks form between the panels after exposure to high temperatures, they will not be so noticeable.

Compared to regular laminate, products with a chamfer last 5-6 years longer, even if they were slightly damaged during installation.

The photo shows laminate flooring, similar in length and texture to wooden boards, but it is the chamfers that give it a special resemblance to natural material.

This type of flooring has its own drawback: it requires special care. To remove dust, it is recommended to use a vacuum cleaner, and remove dirt with a mop with a soft attachment or a fiber cloth.

Lock for connection

Laminate is laid by connecting profiled edges, but there are two main installation methods:

Environmental friendliness

Laminate consists of only 80-90% wood. The rest is binding components: varnishes and resins. The greatest danger is posed by the varnish, which releases substances that can cause allergies and disorders of the nervous system. The floor covering also contains melamine, which is used to increase the wear resistance and density of the material. The more of it, the worse it is for human health, since melamine releases harmful formaldehyde when heated.

But how can you protect yourself and your loved ones? Experts advise against buying cheap, low-quality products – unscrupulous companies add excessive amounts of toxic substances to them.

Safe coating is a product with the E1 marking, which indicates the minimum level of formaldehyde concentration. There is no negative impact on the body. Laminate classes E2 and E3 are prohibited from being produced and sold on the territory of the Russian Federation.

The most environmentally friendly material is laminate without formaldehyde. It is marked E0 and is much more expensive. Laminate E1 and E0 can be laid in a child’s room.

The photo shows a child’s room, the flooring of which is safe and environmentally friendly, and also provides protection for the child from the cold.

Color of laminate

When choosing laminate for an apartment, most people first of all pay attention to its design. This is one of the important criteria for creating an aesthetically attractive interior. In order for the rooms to look harmonious, all furniture and decoration should be combined with each other.

Before buying a flooring, you should choose and install the entrance and interior doors, since the range of doors is much smaller than the types of laminate. Skirting boards are increasingly chosen not to match the color of the floor, but to contrast it – this way the interior looks much more impressive. If the floor is light, the skirting board should match the door and its trims.

The photo shows a living room in warm tones, where the color of the floor echoes the color of the walls and harmonizes with white skirting boards and trims.

The main task of laminate is a high-quality imitation of parquet board, solid wood or parquet board. The noblest and most expensive is the “solid wood”.

If the walls are decorated in neutral tones, the floor can be saturated, and vice versa: with bright decoration, it is better to choose a muted color of the laminate. Universal options are coatings with imitation of pine, oak and birch, but this approach requires additional bright accents in the form of furniture or decor.

The photo shows a discreet living room interior in black and gray tones. Laminate with an unobtrusive pattern was used as the flooring.

Light wood species fit perfectly into a laconic interior, giving it lightness and airiness. This is especially important in a small room. But dark wenge laminate makes the decor heavier, so it is only suitable for spacious rooms.

The most practical solution is a floor covering in shades of gray: dust is almost invisible on it.

Modern technologies allow imitating not only a wooden surface, but also ceramic tiles and stone. The appearance of such products is not much different from the original. The size and shape of the planks are maintained in accordance with the natural material: the panels can be square or have an aspect ratio of 1:3 or 1:4.

There are also collections with drawings, patterns and inscriptions on the surface, but such eccentric solutions require a well-thought-out design project so that the decor does not look tasteless.

The photo shows a bright dining room with multi-colored laminate, giving the decor a playful mood.

Cost

The price of laminated flooring is influenced by several factors, and these are not only the above characteristics, but also the reputation of the manufacturer. Naturally, the higher the class of laminate, the higher its cost. The average price for 1 square meter of quality flooring is about 1000 rubles.

The photo shows a room with expensive flooring that imitates parquet.

Good laminate for an apartment cannot be too cheap, but some manufacturers attract buyers with a low price. When manufacturing, they save on the quality of the base or protective layer, which negatively affects the service life of the floor.

How to choose high-quality laminate: advice from experts

To give a general idea of the intricacies of choosing a floor covering, we have collected several important and useful recommendations.

• If you plan to lay a warm floor under the laminate, you need to buy only those products that are suitable for an electric or water floor according to the manufacturer’s recommendations.
• It is best to choose a high-quality coating from well-known brands, since trusted manufacturers provide a guarantee for their products.
• The surface of the panels can be matte, glossy or brushed, that is, with an artificial aging effect. The choice of texture depends on the design ideas, but a smooth floor is less practical.
• A good laminate for an apartment should not have a pronounced chemical smell.
• An important stage in laying the floor covering is the preparation of the base. If the floor surface is uneven, the slabs will begin to move away from each other and creak.
• If water gets on the floor, you should wipe it off immediately, regardless of the type of laminate: this way it will last much longer.

The photo shows an electric heated floor, which is laid under a special laminate.

This video tells in detail how to choose laminate yourself and determine the best option for yourself:

We hope that this article was informative and helped you decide on the choice of laminate for your apartment.