What’s the Best Laminate Flooring? Top 6 Revealed

What Is Laminate Flooring?

Laminate flooring is an inexpensive type of flooring material that is composed of a mixture of wood pulp and resin. Essentially, it’s a low-cost alternative to more expensive flooring options like hardwood, stone, and ceramic tiles, and can be cheaper than even carpeting and vinyl.

Laminate flooring can mimic almost any hardwood style. From traditional hardwoods like maple and cherry to more contemporary woods such as oak, pine, and maple, the best laminate flooring can create a similar effect. Laminate flooring can even resemble reclaimed wood from old barns or sheds.

Wood isn’t the only material that laminate flooring can mimic either. Other materials such as stone or ceramic tile can be mimicked by laminate flooring. Options for laminate floors that resemble flagstone, slate, granite, or many other materials also exist.

This means you have a nearly limitless number of choices when choosing a new floor for some or all of your home.

Laminate flooring is generally a composite made from several materials. The base of the flooring is usually a medium density fiberboard or MDF for short. MDF, as mentioned above, is wood pulp that is mixed with adhesive before being compressed and fashioned into a board. A ‘photo layer’ is then applied to the MDF, which replicates the appearance of a given hardwood material.

This photo layer can be a simple vinyl print or a thin slice of hardwood, depending on factors ranging from the brand of flooring to its price. After the photo layer comes the surface layer which is a thick coating of resin that is applied to the laminate flooring to finish the product.

Practically all laminate floor brands come in pre-cut and pre-shaped board segments. Laminate flooring is usually designed so that individual segments can be quickly and easily snapped into place or fitted together, easing the overall process of installing the floor.

The best laminate flooring is designed with floating-floor installation in mind, but in some specific cases, it can be glueddown depending on the circumstance.

One thing to keep in mind is that unlike hardwood flooring, laminate flooring cannot be refinished. If the floor is damaged, either from wear and tear, exposure to water and moisture, or other forms of damage, it will have to be replaced entirely.

Fortunately, laminate flooring is both tough and resistant to surface moisture and stains, thanks to a layer of impermeable resin on its surface. However, the joints between floor pieces and the seams where the floor meets the wall are weak points that can be vulnerable to moisture, and even the best laminate flooring can swell and chip if the core layer becomes exposed to water.

Why Choose Laminate Flooring over Traditional Wood Flooring?

There is a variety of reasons to consider choosing a laminate floor over other flooring options such as hardwood, ceramic tile, and carpeting. One of laminate flooring’s biggest advantages is it is usually much cheaper when compared to many other flooring options available.

Hardwood, stone, tile, carpet, and ceramic tile are all often comparatively more expensive than laminate. Even options such as vinyl are often more expensive per square foot than laminate. Because of this, going with laminate floors can be a budget-conscious decision when making a choice.

The best laminate flooring options are also easy to clean and maintain. You can take care of a laminate floor with just regular sweeping and mopping and with a cleaning agent as simple as vinegar mixed with water.

Compare this to ceramic tile and stone which often require special care to keep them looking pristine and unblemished and are a challenge to keep clean.

Laminate in this respect also has a major advantage over carpeting, which can require anything from a vacuum cleaner to even a steam cleaner to clean and maintain, depending on the situation. Laminate flooring also wins out over tile and vinyl, which are often more prone to damage and wear than laminate.

Is Installation Difficult with Laminate Flooring?

Compared to other flooring options, laminate flooring is easy to assemble and install, even by homeowners and laborers. As mentioned previously, the best laminate flooring options are often the brands available in pre-cut and pre-fabricated lengths.

These segments can be quickly and easily snapped together at the job or construction site, by even unskilled laborers. In this regard, laminate flooring is the easiest of the different options in terms of installation.

In most cases, laminate flooring is meant to be installed on a ‘floating floor’ basis. What this means is that the flooring in question is not actually attached or adhered to the substrate, unlike most other forms of flooring. Hence the usage of the term ‘float.’

The purpose of this is to allow the floor to respond more easily to changes in a room’s temperature or humidity. By allowing the floor to expand and contract freely, the possibility of the floor damaging itself because of thermal expansion is negated.

While laminate flooring can be glued to the substrate, it is almost never needed and is often not a good idea. The best laminate flooring doesn’t have to be attached in the first place.

What Kinds of Style Options Do You Have with Laminate Flooring?

Because laminate flooring can mimic virtually every type of hardwood imaginable and comes in multiple shapes and styles, you have an endless degree of choice in choosing a new floor. Whether you want a simple wood board look or something unique and outrageous, it’s possible with laminate flooring.

Because of the modular nature of the prefabricated flooring segments, the flooring can be arranged or rearranged into a wide variety of repeating patterns. For example, one popular pattern of floor is the herringbone pattern. As the name implies, the herringbone pattern is a series of rectangles arranged to resemble the bones of a fish.

In terms of materials, there are many options. The best laminate flooring comes in many wood styles, with some brands offering a greater variety of colors and styles to choose from than others. 

For example, looks are available in unfinished, prefinished, and finished. Hardwood styles include oak, pine, applewood, maple, reclaimed wood, and countless others.

And if you want to forego wood styles altogether, there are many more options still. For example, laminate flooring can mimic stone or even brick floors, dramatically increasing the options available for you. Are you looking for a rustic and weathered cabin floor for your study? Or a sleek and stylish flagstone floor for your master bathroom? In practically any situation you can think of, you’re covered.

Is Laminate Flooring Durable?

Despite what its price would imply, laminate flooring is very durable for its low price. It might surprise you to know that in many cases, laminate is more durable than traditional hardwood.

This heightened durability is due primarily to laminate flooring’s composite material and to its thick and tough surface layer of resin. The best laminate flooring choices are as close to an indestructible floor as you can get.

Laminate flooring is also resistant to not just surface wear and foot traffic, but also the elements. The surface resin layer is impervious to both moisture and water, which makes cleaning a laminate floor a breeze.

Laminate flooring is also more resistant to sunlight fading than other flooring options and will still look good even years after you’ve installed it.

Many manufacturers frequently offer guarantees for as long as twenty-five years on their laminate flooring products, making this a good comparison point when comparing different brands and manufacturers.

Is Laminate Flooring Good for Households with Pets and Children?

You could argue that laminate floors laugh at dog claws. Because the resin surface of a laminate floor is so resistant to wear and tear of all kinds, It can be a good flooring choice if you have cats, dogs, or any other household pet.

A laminate floor will not stain or discolor like carpet can from any messy accidents your pets might cause while you are trying to housebreak them or to teach them how to use the litter box. 

Nor will it become scratched or marred like vinyl can from claws. Laminate will also hold up against splashes and messes caused by your pets eating and drinking from their food and water bowls.

One caveat of laminate flooring regarding pets is that some pets’ feet might not grip the surface well. For example, dogs or cats with long claws might slip and slide across the floor in question, as their claws can prevent them from getting a good solid grip on the floor.

Another caveat can be the sound, so to speak. The tippity-tappity of your pets’ footfalls and claws can be noisy and distracting in what could be an otherwise quiet room or home.

Despite these factors, laminate flooring can be one of the best flooring options available for pet owners who want a tough but good looking floor that won’t be damaged by their pets.

How Long Will Laminate Flooring Look Nice in My Home?

As mentioned above, laminate flooring is tough and very durable and can last for many years so long as you work to clean and maintain it. Since the resin surface layer can resist practically all forms of damage to it with relative ease, the underlying layers of the floor will last a very long time.

Most manufacturers often advertise and measure their guarantees in the form of years. A guarantee of twenty-five years is not unheard of in this regard. The best laminate flooring options are those that have long guarantees and prove it by example.

There are a couple of ways to extend the life of your laminate floor. First, you can extend your floor’s life by minimizing wear and tear. One good idea is to place things like throw rugs or carpets over the most high-traffic parts of the floor.

A good carpet can also bring out and accent the best parts of your floor if properly color coordinated. Another thing you can do that will greatly extend your floor’s life is to keep it swept and mopped, as explained below in the next section.

How Do You Care for Laminate Flooring?

Thankfully, the best laminate floors are very easy to clean, requiring just a broom and a mop. When you have a laminate floor, you will want to make a habit out of regularly sweeping the floor at least daily to prevent the buildup of dust and dirt. Be sure to use a broom that has soft bristles as the hard, stiff bristles of some brooms can damage or scratch the floor surface, thereby defeating the purpose.

Although laminate floors are about as scratch resistant as a floor can get, even the best laminate flooring can be scratched or damaged if excessive amounts of dirt, hair, dust, and other detritus are allowed to build up over time. Therefore, regularly sweeping your laminate floor prevents the possibility of such scratches altogether. Keeping your floor swept can also keep it looking good as dirt and dust can be very noticeable on a laminate floor.

You will also want to mop your floor periodically. Fortunately, a laminate floor lends itself well to being mopped thanks to its smooth and easy-to-clean surface. While a regular mop can work fine, a Hoover-style mop can be better to use most times.

Be sure to use mild soaps as some cleaning agents can be harsh on the resin surface of the floor and might damage it. Vinegar in water is a cleaning solution you can safely use as it’s both non-toxic to pets and children and gentle on the surface of the floor. Always be sure to dry the floor afterward.

If you have any small or minor spills of liquids, you will want to wipe them up immediately with a mop or a rag to prevent any liquid or moisture from pooling on the surface of the floor.

If moisture manages to seep into the cracks or seams between the boards, it could spell disaster down the line in the form of warped and swelling flooring. Therefore, minimizing the amount of moisture that comes into contact with your laminate floor is a must.

What Are the Best Rooms for Laminate Flooring?

You can install laminate flooring almost anywhere in the average American home. Whether it’s the living room, dining room, kitchen, bathroom, bedroom. or any other room, laminate flooring can go well with the decor. However, there are exceptions one should consider because of the nature of laminate floors.

For starters, you should refrain from installing laminate flooring in any room that is subjected regularly to high levels of humidity—for example, a bathroom that becomes hot and steamy after you take that long shower and fog up the mirrors.

If you have an enclosed shower, this might not be a problem, but humidity, and therefore moisture, over time can and will damage the core of the laminate floor and cause it to warp and deform as a result.

Another potential exception is rooms or areas of your home that are regularly exposed to the elements. Mudrooms and foyers are good examples as wind-blown rain and moisture from tracked-in mud can damage the laminate flooring in the way described above.

While the best laminate flooring can resist moisture for a time, you should as a general rule-of-thumb refrain from installing laminate flooring in humid rooms and areas, or parts of your home that are regularly exposed to moisture.

With the places you shouldn’t install laminate flooring out of the way, we can talk about the places where you can. In most rooms, laminate can be a good choice especially if you have kids or pets, thanks to the ease of cleaning and maintaining it. It’s resistant to spills or messes that both pets and children can cause.

Laminate flooring can be a great addition to the common areas and hallways of your home because of its inherently tough nature. Good accessories to have that can enhance and accent your floor are throw rugs and carpets.

However, two of the best places for laminate floors are the living room and dining room. For starters, your living room is a place that sees a lot of foot traffic and therefore will need a flooring material that is both very durable and looks good regardless of decor. Laminate floors fill this niche quite well and can handle a lot of abuse.

The dining room is another popular choice for laminate floors. As they are often just as frequently used in the living room, the need for a durable floor that can handle foot traffic is just as clear. No matter where you put your floor, odds are it’ll look good.