How to Select Good Quality Laminate Flooring?

Laminate flooring has been around in the flooring industry for more than 30 years. It has been introduced as an cost effective substitute to traditional flooring such as parquet, giving the home a myriad of designs and colors. There is a lot of good quality as well as low quality laminate flooring brands appearing today; so the question is, how do we choose a good quality laminate floor?

According to a report by Global Industry Analyst Inc (GIA), a renowned market research company, laminate flooring is set to reach 1.4 billion square metre by the year 2015. This has shown that laminate flooring has been beginning widely accepted by the mass public. However, due to the increased worldwide demand, many new manufacturers beginning to mass produce low quality floorboards that is cheaper and faster to produce. In looking at a long term prospective, such floorboards may not be easy to maintain and will not be long lasting. A good quality laminate flooring can last for a very long period of time; furthermore it is also healthy to live with and very easy to maintain.

Here are some aspects to see if the laminate flooring is of good quality

Health rating

Laminate flooring, like some finished building products, are processed materials; for some, when react with the surrounding temperature and climate, can emit harmful gases such as formaldehyde. Hence when buying laminate flooring, always look for the formaldehyde emission rating, best is always E1 or E0. Moreover, it is also good to ask for the valid test reports regards to this because some laminate flooring brands may indicate untrue formaldehyde emission rating on their products literature and packaging. Look for responsible flooring contractors in your region, who supply and install healthy laminate flooring.

Abrasion Class (AC) 

The AC class is a set of tests to measure the strength and scratch resistance of the laminate flooring board. It ranges to a maximum of 5 levels. (AC1 to AC5). Good quality laminate flooring recommended for residential and commercial projects should be AC3 and above rating. However, the buyer will need to look further. He or she should look at AC rating based on the European (EN) Standard. Some laminate flooring brands may have their own set of AC classes or performance classes that does not go according to the EN standard. For example, the buyer may get an AC4 floorboard which in fact is classified as AC2 rating based on EN standard. Therefore, the buyer must always be on the alert.

Reputable Flooring Brands

The laminate flooring buyers should always do their due dilligence before they decided on the flooring for their home. Always look for reputable flooring brands distributed by credible flooring contractors in your region. Some good brands will usually comes with a period of 15 to 25 years of product warranty. Look for good responsible flooring contractors who has a large installation and backup team in your region; this is because says if you need someone to do touch up works for your laminate flooring, the contractor will be able to send their operations to rectify your flooring issue immediately. Some companies who promised lifetime warranty on flooring installation may be a one man show company or they not have a large operations team to handle your job should problems arise. Hence, the buyers need to look out for companies who promises lifetime warranty on installation and whether they have a large operations team to backup what they promised to their clients.

Good quality laminate flooring can last you for many years ahead as it is easy to maintain. On top of that it can improve your living lifestyle, providing you with a healthy & conducive environment.