Both laminate and vinyl floors have product quality standards that range from basic to high-end, which determines the variety of the offer in terms of design, resistance, durability, installation systems and price range. . The land use class indicates whether it can be placed in a residential area, in a commercial site or an industrial area.
Suppose you are looking for cheap and easy flooring. In some cases, it is recommended to install an acoustic blanket under the laminate so that the neighbours downstairs are not disturbed by the sound of footsteps. Still, even so, the sound reverberation in the room ends up not being attenuated at all.
Laminates are already composed of wood-derived materials, such as high-density wood fibre panels, paper and melamine. Vinyl floors are made of resin-based plastic covered with a layer of rubber, textured and coloured to recreate various designs ranging from floral prints to geometric patterns, imitation marble, stone, wood, majolica and tiles. The installation is floating, that is, it is not fixed by means of adhesives, nails or screws to the pre-existing floor. This difference in composition makes laminate a rigid material and vinyl a flexible product.
To install a laminate floor you need a hard, smooth and level surface, as in the case of a vinyl floor. However, the possibilities in this regard are superior today with laminate flooring, realism, and overall design quality. In short, if you opt for a vinyl floor, you will have a wider range of designs at your disposal than that offered by laminate flooring. Another of the most common varieties of floating flooring is natural lacquered wood, but this time we are referring to melamine, also called laminate.
Some examples are vinyl flooring and high-resolution wood laminate flooring, which often even has a synchronized relief decoration that visually and tactilely blends the planks with the natural material. A vinyl floor for the house floor ensures a suitable floor with the qualities of ceramics but with superior installation and comfort. In addition, there are different densities (the thicker the plates, the more resistant the floor). In the case of vinyl floors, you also have many options that imitate wood made of PVC, with a pretty realistic result, which even mimics the texture of the natural wood grain (in the image, you have an example of imitation wood vinyl flooring ).
In general, a laminate floor can be mopped with a well-wrung mop so that it does not support moisture (it dries quickly), although it is preferable to use a mop for regular cleaning.
How is laminate flooring made?
Laminate flooring is made from pressed wood fibres, either MDF or HDF, a high-density compacted wood. This wood difference makes laminate flooring available for residential use and heavy traffic.
From the most intimate room, such as the bedroom, to the busiest and most common area, such as the corridor, you can enjoy a wooden floor with the same fullness, of course, as long as the maintenance and care are identical. In addition to the above inconvenience, the care that must be given to laminate flooring has to be delicate, any sudden action can leave marks that cannot be eradicated, or even hidden.
The act of laying a laminate floor means that the entire floor is prepared in advance to be an ideal surface to receive it; the inconvenience comes when it is necessary to change a piece since the act of removing and placing another can damage the ones that are next door and become a bigger problem. Laminate flooring can be defined as pieces designed to cover the floor, similar in appreciation to wood but cheaper, easier to install and with a greater variety of colours and designs. The composition of laminate flooring is determined by the number of layers, by materials derived from wood and a final layer of synthetic materials that come from high-pressure melamine resins. Lastly, referring to the communal and unpleasant experience of feeling light knocks when in frequent contact with laminate flooring, especially barefoot or with socks, is necessary.
The plates that make up the laminate floor are made up of multiple layers, highlighting the top layer that becomes the surface of the floor once installed, and that must have a high resistance to use and, above all, to wear. How these floors are manufactured makes them a good alternative if we want durability and different design options to decorate our space. As laminate flooring is no exception, so much innovation is sometimes counterproductive because the years will inevitably pass and perhaps when a piece of laminate flooring needs to be replaced, it will no longer be possible to find an identical design, or at least it will not be an easy task. . Although laminate floors are not new to the market, their origin dates back to the 70s of the 20th century, many of the advantages and disadvantages they have and must contribute to the interior of a home are still unknown.
The resins used to give our floor a shine, and its finish can be glossy or matt, which does not affect its durability, performance and resistance. Unfortunately, this is one of the main disadvantages of laminate flooring, and we are referring to its low tolerance for sliding furniture. In addition to this, it must be taken into account that its texture prevents the accumulation of dust, skin scales that are naturally shed from our body and the hairs that are periodically shed from the scalp, so for homes with allergic people, it is a suitable floor, as well as for those homes where the rush and speed of cleaning are a constant. So let’s first know the pros, and then the cons, the question is to have a complete vision of what a laminate floor offers.
The only area that is not yet suitable for laminate flooring is outdoors. That is, it is not a floor designed for all the inclement weather that may occur.