I was having a twitter chat yesterday about laminate flooring and I felt the conversation needed a further rant…er…blog.
The Curse Of Laminate Flooring
Personally I hate laminate flooring and I curse the day it was ever invented. I blame “Changing Rooms” too, for showing a whole bunch of DIYers that they can make a tremendous mess of a home in a few easy steps! I see more of that stuff down the local tip than almost any other material. In particular, I have a real problem with it when its used in older style properties – the type I spend my life renovating.It just does not suit the surroundings, and that horrible beading around the edge when its fitted after skirting boards- YUK!
Laminate is prone to moisture intake which often makes it warp and twist-no matter what the manufacturers want you to believe.
To me when I see laminate flooring in a home for sale the first thing I always think is; ‘Cheap flooring, I’ll need to cost in new flooring.’ The second thing I think is; ‘What else have they skimped on?’
A Thousand Laminate Bodge Jobs
In fact what it makes me do is look a lot more closely at any work which has been done, because laminate often means “DIY” – which loosely translated means “bodge job” and generally speaking, bodge jobs can cause more problems and cost more to put right in my experience. People always say ” it’s easy to keep clean.” OK, yes it is, but have you seen what it looks like when it starts to chip, or when bleach or other cleaning chemicals get to it? And no matter what they say it is NOT water resistant. If you want something to look like wood. Buy wood. Not a picture of wood glued to a bit of MDF with a plastic layer on top.
So What’s The Alternative?
Have you thought about using cork instead?
Now I know you are probably thinking of those old 70′s cork tiles which were put on ceilings floors and anywhere else back in the day.
But cork has moved on considerably. It comes in a huge range of colours, styles and sizes, you can even get it in mosaic form now, and, it has some other great benefits.
The Advantages Of Cork
- easy to fit and can be cut with a stanley knife
- comes from sustainable sources and is eco friendly
- quiet & warm underfoot
- very durable and non slip
- can be stained and varnished
- has acoustic and high insulation properties
- things don’t smash or break when they land on it
- can be used on floors,ceilings and walls
- can be used in any room if sealed properly
- cork is nontoxic, non-allergenic, does not retain odours
So if you are thinking of putting down laminate flooring, why not break from the norm and try something different? Be a little individual and use two colours of cork in a pattern, or as a border or a centre piece, or even as visual ‘zone’ dividers for those who favour open plan living.
The possibilities are endless. If you want some flooring inspiration about how fantastic a cork floor can look, check out this web site here. And as one final thought for the designers in you…..you can now get cork material too! Now there’s a thought…..
