Glueless laminate flooring.
No mess, glueless installation makes these floors quick and easy-to-install.
They come in a variety of ceramic and wood designs and colorations, as well as some
manufacturers offer a real, hardwood veneer instead of a printed layer. It looks
amazingly hardwood-like.
These floors come in both planks and squares. A thin, plastic underlayment is needed
to seal out moisture from below. (Remember, moisture is the enemy of your flooring.)
In fact, most laminate floors require a plastic underlay sheet (4 mil poly) be installed
directly underneath the laminate planks or tiles.
This helps the floor float freely over the subfloor. Another option is to add a
vapor barrier or noise reduction underlay before installing the laminate flooring.
Laminate flooring with attached underlay.
These floors come with several different types of tongue and grooved locking systems
and an attached underlayment to reduce noise levels. That’s good to know.
Glued laminate flooring.
These are the original laminate floors that do require a special formulated glue
to be applied to the tongue and grooved areas for each plank.
Once the glue is dried the planks are almost impossible to pull apart. These floors
are offered in both planks and squares.
Pre-glued laminate flooring.
No mess, because the glue is already applied to the tongue and grooves which makes
these floors quick and easy-to-install.
A thin, plastic underlayment is needed to seal out moisture and prevent the glue
from sticking to the substrate.
Moldings are the finishing touch.
Laminate moldings also affect the overall style and give your room a beautiful finished
look.
Moldings are important because they cover the space that is allowed for the flooring
to expand and move naturally on top of the subfloor, and they help with the transition
to an adjacent floor.
Most manufacturers offer coordinating moldings for all styles and colors for any
laminate flooring you choose.
However, be aware that moldings for laminates are slightly larger than their wood
or ceramic tile counterparts.
Here, to familiarize you with various standard moldings, are some styles and definitions.
The Step Down Stairnose is a coordinating piece providing the proper transition
for all the steps in your home.
A Reducer Strip is the transitional piece the installers use to connect
the laminate with another type of floor covering such as vinyl, thin ceramic tile,
or low-pile carpeting.
An End Molding or Carpet Reducer is used as a transition from
laminate floors to different flooring surfaces when the reducer does not allow enough
height, such as on high-pile carpet or thick ceramic tile.
T-Molding is commonly used in doorways to join two laminate floors in adjoining
rooms. It's also recommended when making transitions from a laminate floor to another
floor that is approximately the same height.
Finally, a Quarter Round may be installed wherever the laminate floor meets
the wall or baseboard.
We recommend that you work closely with us to become familiar with the moldings
and transition pieces.
Ask to see samples if possible, so there are no surprises come installation time.
With a lot of knowledge, hopefully from the above, and a little imagination (that’s
your department), you will find a laminate flooring that is just right for you and
your home.