Since the lamination process simply is the fusing together of two or more types of materials, and sealing them, the world of laminate flooring is full of choices.
Here’s one way to think about laminates– to divide them into different types and to try and settle on which type of laminate floor will work best for your project.
Any type of grain and color of wood or layout of stone or tile can be captured, laminated and split into easily-assembled planks from which you can create a floor. The sky is the limit, sometimes making it difficult for consumers to settle on one choice.
Installation
Glueless-Click. All of today’s laminates fall under this easy-to-install, glueless click-lock category.
Surface Types
Smooth. A plain finish just like a layer of varnish you would associate with hardwood. Sometimes you can choose between high, medium and low gloss finishes.
Embossed and/or Textured. Some laminates come with a textured finish. Regular embossing isn’t an exact match up with the grooves of the printed grain but does fool the eye into seeing a surface grain.
You might want to pick your floor simply based on what the surface will look like. As we’ve said before, laminates are always evolving. Where there once was one basic surface to choose from, now there are many.
Distressed/Hand scraped
Hand scraped laminate flooring is now available– a process that up until recently was reserved only for engineered or solid hardwood floors. This process adds an antiqued look to your laminate floor.
Embossed in Registration
This type of embossing matches the grain of the wood exactly for the most authentic embossed look
Keep an eye out for new laminate innovations, they’re happening all the time.
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