Why would you choose a laminate floor over a solid wood floor ? Budget constraints are usually paramount here but other factors can impact on your decision such as the portability and ability to reuse a laminate, the range of colours and finishes, the available height or not wishing to remove an existing floor covering such as ceramic tiles.

Laminate floors come in many different widths and lengths as well as finish and décor design. Today the more expensive laminates are looking more and more like solid wood floors and it is sometimes very difficult to see the difference.

Approximately 60% of the world’s laminate floors are manufactured in Europe and their quality is standardized and governed by suitable EU regulations, namely EN 13329 as the principal one. By subjecting each laminate floor manufacturer’s products to a series of standard tests, it is easy to determine the durability of that particular floor.

Laminate floors are thus rated by EU standards to be suitable for domestic or commercial applications and further rated to moderate, general or heavy duty. The upper wear layer of laminate floors is extremely durable as it is resistant to most chemicals, stains and even cigarette burns, thus making it easy to clean.

Laminate floors can be water resistant but they are NOT water proof and care must be taken to keep them away from excess moisture – do not instal them in bathrooms or other damp areas.

Installation of laminate floors is generally done today by means of various click systems which snap the boards together without using any glue. They are laid on top of a moisture barrier and underlay which covers the substrate floor. The moisture barrier is critical in order to ensure that no damp rises through the floor slab into the base of the floorboards whilst the underlay acts as an insulator of sound and heat as well as accommodating some of the minor bumps or undulations in the floor. It is critical that the substrate floor is checked for flatness prior to commencement of your floor installation – manufacturers standards require no more than 2-3 mm height variance per metre of floor in all directions and any deviations from this should be ground off if too high or hollows must be filled with a self leveling screed or a very dry, fine sand material. Laminate floors can be installed over other floor surfaces such as wood, tiles, linoleum or vinyl surfaces but not carpet, taking consideration of the manufacturers requirement of the sub-strate tolerance for flatness.

Once installed, laminate floors provide a much healthier and cleaner environment when compared to other floor finishes such as carpet and people with allergies find the reduced dust, household mites, reduced staining and generally cleaner floor to be highly advantageous.

All of Rhoms Timberworld’s laminate floors carry a manufacturer’s warranty, the length of time varying from floor to floor. Check out the terms and conditions of this carefully LINK- Warranties

Large quantities of laminate floors are held at the Rhoms stores, colours and suppliers can change from time to time. Rhoms Timberworld is the sole distributor for Classen floors. Click below links to choose your floor: