Laminate choice: what to look for?
Laminate is often used in the repair of apartments and offices, but not everyone knows that to be guided by its choice you need not only the external beauty, but also the durability of the material.
If the choice of the laminate occurred spontaneously, then do not be surprised that then you will have to quickly change it. For an apartment, it is better to choose a laminate of the same color, but of different strengths. So for the hallway and living room you will need a laminate more durable than for the bedroom. The packaging is usually marked with a product strength class. For the bedroom you can choose with the numbers 21, but for the hallway it is better to prefer 23 rooms.
Which laminate is better to choose for repair
- marking with 21-23 number is suitable for apartments;
- number 31 is great for offices;
- number 32 looks great in a cafe, a small shop;
- marking 33 is used in cinema, schools and supermarkets
- Laminate with a marking 34 is most often used in commercial premises with heavy load.
The cheapest laminate used for apartments, and the guarantee is 6-8 years for it, however, if you take number 32 for the hallway, then the guarantee is eternal.
Laminate quality as the most important factor
To clarify the quality of the laminate, professionals usually use a special test, which indicates how firmly its external coating is. The surface of the laminate is checked for strength by a grinding wheel. The most durable of them is a laminate according to the test with a digital code of 11,000. Often the best material is material from Sweden. It is difficult to choose a laminate for the kitchen, because there it is not recommended to put it at all. If you still decide to take such a risky step, then you need to buy a waterproof option there. However, as practice shows for the bathroom kitchen and toilet, there is nothing stronger and more convenient than tile.
The choice is also difficult with the color of the product. Someone wants a light laminate, and someone considers the best dark. But, if you do not want to see every speck of dust under your feet, then feel free to take a light drawing, because everything is visible on the dark color of the laminate. When buying, you can ask yourself the question: "Which laminate is better to choose: with a lock connection or put it on glue? It all depends on whether you will change your place of residence and whether you want to take the laminate with you. With the lock connection of the laminate, you can quickly disassemble the flooring. With an adhesive laminate this will not work. If you want to change one damaged part to another, you will also have to change the entire coating. For more information about the types of laminate, read here.
The quality of the laminate is also in its environmental friendliness, so if this indicator is important to you, then choose products with the designation E1. You can read about other flooring here.