'Flooring plays a major role in creating the perfect look for your dwelling, but there are so many options to choose from'! 

 

Standard Laminate Flooring 

This is the most popular option, this is mainly due to the affordable price and the reasonable feel and quality. Obviously the cheaper the laminate is,  the lower the quality you will get.

A reasonable laminate to buy is 'Beveled Edge Laminate'. This has a small chamfer/Bevel around the edges of each board, to hide the nasty look of the joint once clicked together.

 

Engineered Laminate Flooring

Engineered Laminate is the next step in quality, but will cost more than standard Laminate. Each board has a thin layer of real timber to give it a more expensive and realistic feel.

The down side is that it's more prone to damage from high heels and chairs legs etc,  as the real timber face is softer than the face of 'standard laminate'.

Moisture Resistant Laminate Flooring 

This laminate is a must when laying laminate in a Bathroom, Kitchen or a place where it may get damp or wet.

The main material in this laminate is 'green moisture resistant Mdf', standard laminate uses standard Mdf.

 

Solid Timber Flooring

Solid Timber Flooring is the most expensive and luxurious flooring.

They come in all timber varieties, with the most popular being Oak.

This flooring is laid differently to laminate flooring, reason being is that they do not click together like laminate flooring.

 

There are a few techniques to lay solid flooring:

-Glueing the flooring down using a special glue.

-Nailing the flooring down through the tongue of each board, into ply underneath.

-Nailing each board to joists.

Solid Timber is also more susceptible to damaging by high heels + chair legs etc.

 

Underlay 

Always remember to use underlay for all flooring.  It is used to keep heat in the room, protect the floor from any rubble that works its way underneath and also to sound proof you and your neighbours downstairs!

There are 2 types of underlay:

3mm Thin foam on a roll

8-10mm green square tiles, made from composite recycled materials. Opt for these if you can afford it.