Installing hardwood flooring, Slate Flooring, Walnut Flooring and other high end flooring, is one of the easiest ways to update your home while also increasing its value, but if you can’t afford solid wood floors, you can get the look of wood without the expense or constant upkeep of wood with cheap laminate wood flooring.
Cheap laminate flooring is made from resin and fiberboard topped with a layer of photographic applique that gives it a wood look and then coated with a protective layer. It has the look and feel of wood, but require less maintenance and resists chipping, staining, and fading far better than solid wood flooring.
Cheap wood laminate floors can be made to look like almost any kind of solid wood floor from common domestic varieties to exotic hardwoods. The type of wood laminate you choose should depend on the style of your home, your furniture, and your particular tastes. If your furniture tends toward the modern, you might want to choose an ash laminate rather than a darker mahogany.
Cheap laminate floors are relatively inexpensive as flooring goes, starting at less than a dollar per square foot if you find one of the cheaper varieties on sale. More expensive varieties can go as high as five dollars per square foot, but you can almost always find them on sale for a much lower price. Most of the large home improvement retailers sell laminate wood floors, but you may find a better price at the myriad stores that specialize in flooring, and laminates in particular.
A major decision you have to make is whether you want to install the laminate wood flooring yourself or have it installed professionally. While hiring a professional ensures a quality job, the price of installation, which can be as high as five dollars per square foot, may actually be higher than the price of your flooring materials.
To save money, you should consider installing the flooring yourself. Most laminate floors are relatively easy to install, as the planks fit together like pieces of a puzzle. First a foam or film underlayment is put down to prevent moisture buildup and act as a sound barrier, and then the laminate flooring is installed to float above the underlayment. Alternatively, some laminate wood floors are actually glued together. Be certain of which kind of laminate wood flooring you are buying, because glueless laminate wood floors are considered much easier for do-it-yourselfers to install on their own.
If you decide to install your laminate wood flooring on your own, you should be able to pick up instructions at any hardware, home improvement, or flooring store.
Remember, you don’t have to tell anyone it’s not wood, and complimenting it will be easy. You can purchase a wool rug or maybe a few round rugs to add a warm feeling to any room.