Manufacturers

Columbia     |     Kaindl     |     Lamett

Types of Laminate Flooring

One of the biggest benefits of laminate flooring is it creates such huge variety of styles and looks to choose from, and they are a lot cheaper than other options. For example, if you like hardwood flooring but not the expense, you can find a laminate that looks like any hardwood at the fraction of the price.

Laminate Hardwood

With the new digital printing technologies laminate flooring can strike an amazing resemblance to most other flooring types. Hardwood laminate flooring can imitate anything from traditional American oaks to exotic Brazilian cherry hardwood flooring. You can even find laminate that feels like hardwood underfoot.

Laminate Stone/Ceramic

Laminate also has the ability to replicate the appearance of stone or ceramic flooring materials. Your home can have the appearance slate or marble with the low cost of laminate.

Laminate Tile

All the unique textures of tile can be reproduced using tile laminate flooring. Your floor can have a very convincing look and feel of tile while using laminate flooring.

Surface Types of Laminate Flooring

The versatility of laminate flooring allows it to have many different surface options. These surfaces are what give laminate the realistic feel along with the realistic looks it’s able to create. The five surface types of laminate flooring are:

1. Smooth
2. Patina
3. Distressed
4. Embossed
5. Wood-grain

Smooth is the most common surface of laminate flooring. This is a great one to create the smooth look of stone or marble flooring. Embossed is a raised surface that allows for more complicated designs like you would find it tile. Patina is created using an embossed surface. A thin layer of paint is added to the raised embossed surface then wiped clean. This leaves paint in the areas of the laminate that are not raised. Wood-grain is laminate that is designed to have the look and feel of real hardwood flooring. It gives it the texture of wood allowing it to take after the classic hand-scraped and aged wood looks.

Lamett employs some of the best designers to create the most appealing flooring products on the market today. They set the standard for quality in every flooring option they have available. If you are looking for a wide range of quality options at affordable prices, Lamett is an option you should absolutely consider.

Lamett is known throughout the industry as a trendsetter in laminate as well as wood flooring. They are a leader in fashion and innovation in their industry and are constantly striving to produce higher quality and more fashionable flooring options.

Lamett Laminate Flooring

Lamett creates replications of traditional flooring materials using high quality laminate and advanced printing technologies. They have a wide variety of laminates that look and feel like hardwood, ceramic, stone and many more.

You can get all the beauty of these flooring options without the high cost and maintenance hassles. With the selection of laminate flooring options offered by Lamett, you will be sure to find something to fit your style and needs.

Columbia Laminate Floors

Columbia offers both laminate wood floors and laminate tile floors. You can get the beauty and detail of Columbia’s hand-crafted hardwoods with the ease and low price of laminate wood flooring. Columbia’s proprietary blend of high style and design elements gives you a many Specialty Designs to choose from.

Columbia tile flooring gives you the beauty of stone, slate and ceramic without the hassle of messy installation. They create a realistic appearance and feel that will give your home a contemporary high class look for a lot less

Manufacturers

Kaindel     |     WE Cork     |     Wicanders Cork

Types of Cork Flooring

There are a lot of different choices you have to make before making that final purchase. This guide will help you understand the many different options you have and equip you with the knowledge you need to make the best decision. There is a huge variety of color options because of cork’s versatility, but there are only 3 different coloring methods.

• Stain: You can apply a coat of stain on your cork flooring to give it your desired color. You can get most color options pre-stained.

• Paint: This method gives your flooring limitless color options. Find a unique look by buying painted cork flooring.

• Natural: You can always leave the cork as is for a nice light shade. The natural color of cork is a great choice for those looking to brighten up a room, while still creating warmth.

Cork Flooring Shapes

There are only two options when it comes to the actual shape of the floor. You will either get plank or tile. The shape you buy impacts how they can be installed.

• Plank: The lengths of the planks can vary, but they are installed the same. The edges click and lock together and create a floating floor. They sit above your subfloor or existing floor.

• Tile: The other option is tile, which can be glued to some wood substrates and concrete. They can be carved to create unique designs.

Cork Textures

The texture of the cork is a large part of the overall appearance. Depending on the manufacturer, you may see different names for the textures than you see here. To define the different textures we will use the most commonly used terminology.

• Peeled: Strips of cork are laid together, revealing the cork’s organic beauty.

• Small Granules: Cork is finely ground to create the traditional cork look you are most likely familiar with.

• Medium Granules: Cork is ground and mixed with medium-sized pieces of unground cork. This gives your floor a varied texture.

• Large Granules: Cork is ground and mixed with large cork pieces. This gives your floors a highly textured appearance.

• Burled Cork: Cork is ground up and mixed with cork chunks of varying sizes. This will give your floors a distinct wavy look.

Cork Compositions

There are three different composition types, and each is better installed on different surfaces.

• Mosaic Cork Tiles: This is usually constructed with a recycled wine corks. The cork tiles are glued to a paper backing. They are installed using mortar and grout that waterproofs the flooring, making it a good fit for wet spaces like bathrooms.

• Solid Cork Flooring: Cork planks are constructed using ground cork mix. These are best when glued to either concrete or plywood subfloors.

• Engineered Cork Flooring: Compressed cork is bonded to fiberboard, which gets bonded to uncompressed cork. This creates a floating floor. The fiberboard can come in medium to high density. This is best installed over damaged floors you don’t want to bother removing

Cork trees produce wide varieties of cork in regards to quality, making the buying process fairly difficult. WE Cork makes painstaking efforts to select only the highest quality cork to produce flooring you can be proud to display in your home.

WE Cork floating floors use a system of cork panels to make the installations a very simple process. They can be installed virtually anywhere in the house due to corks incredible resistance to moisture.

We Cork has been in the cork industry for over 100 years and continues to passionately innovate their products to produce the best possible cork flooring products for your home’s needs.

WE Cork Sustainability

Cork itself is an incredible natural resource because of its amazing ability to regenerate itself. WE Cork has dedicated themselves to working with only cork to allow themselves to stay as earth friendly as possible. They have been utilizing sustainable practices since their start in 1868, while other have just now started to process of going green and reducing their carbon foot print.

Cork grows a unique protective, inner-bark that allows it to survive and regenerate after its outer-bark is removed. WE Cork utilizes a special hatched that is designed to leave the cork tree’s inner bark completely undamaged during the stripping process.

Wicanders is a world leader in the production and distribution of floor and wall covering. They produce elegant and durable flooring products using one of the best naturally found materials on earth – cork. Cork is great for the environment, because there is no reason to scientifically engineer it, because it is already so functional.

Since 1868, they’ve produced the highest quality cork flooring, inspired by the purest values of nature combined with strict standards of style.

Wicanders cork flooring is easy to install and requires no messy glue applications. They utilize a unique corkloc tongue and groove system that allows you to quickly and easily install your cork flooring products.

Wicanders uses advanced technology to create flooring that combines elements of wood, laminate, and vinyl with elements of cork to give the you the variety and beauty of every floor type and also the many benefits and comforts of cork.

Wicanders Sustainability

The cork harvesting process by Wicanders never damages the tree it’s taken from. They utilize a cyclical extraction process designed to maximize the harvest and protect the environment.

Along with Wicanders constant efforts to reduce their strain on the environment, cork itself is a great material for the earth. Cork has a natural property that that actually retains CO2 helping to reduce the release of harmful emissions into the environment.

Bamboo flooring is one of the best ways to get a combination of beauty and durability. It is most known for its strength and stability, making it a great choice for flooring that lasts for many years. Although bamboo is actually a type of grass, it can be harder than oak, giving you a long lasting material.