Installing Laminate Flooring

Laminate is designed to replicate and texture and grains of hardwood floor but is not real. It is a synthetic 
product so you will not find the natural individuality occurring of the hardwood floor and because the boards 
might come in different shape and size making the pattern very distinctive.

The way hardwood floors are installed is using interlocking parts that are wider than the hardwood floor 
planks. The grain of laminate floor lacks of individuality because it is created artificially. Since there are only few many patterns printed on a determined amount of laminate flooring boards you will find that the grains repeat themselves over and over again.

If you don't agree with the artificial nature of the laminate floor, try getting a high end material. The higher the quality of the material the more care the manufacturing company puts into the design and try to make it look more like a hardwood flooring, and not just the look also the feeling of it. It is amazing what manufacturers can do nowadays.

Four percent is the swelling rate of most laminate flooring. The planks could actually expand into bigger pieces if too much water or vapour enters through the supports of the laminate floor. Very bad quality laminate floors are very easy to damage with just a little bit of water that penetrates its supports.

So the points below should be cared:

1- Do not install laminate floors in places like the kitchen or the bathroom since there is too much water around.
2- Wipe off any liquid that has been spilled on the floor right away so that way it will not penetrate through the edges.
3- Wax the joins in order to create a locking system that prevents any leaks in the joins. Using a wax especially designed for this purposed can create a moisture resistant layer that protects the laminate.
4- Use thicker under lay in very damp areas. It is better if you can actually double sides the under lay in these sections with a film called PE.