Need to Replace a Floor? Laminate Flooring is a Great Choice

Recently we moved back into a home that we have owned for some time. What we found, after having rented the house for several years, is that most folks just won't take care of your stuff like you would.

So, after countless hours of re-remodeling, we are finally making some headway.

The absolute worst thing we found though was the kitchen floor. Originally a low pile carpet had been installed in the kitchen. In the time that we had lived there one of the tenants had taken it upon themselves to "redo" the floor by installing the 12" self adhesive floor tiles in the kitchen. It was a nice pattern and would have looked great except for one small thing; They installed it on top of the carpet!

After I counted to 10, approx. 400 times, I realized I had to change this and fast.

I am a huge fan of flooring. I love hardwood floors, ceramic tile, nice carpet etc. I was struggling to decide what type of flooring to put in the kitchen until I took a good look at laminate flooring. Instantly I was convinced!

Laminate flooring is "a multi-layer synthetic flooring, fused together with a lamination process." Essentially it is the same surface that you will find on many kitchen cabinets. It's very strong and durable and was much easier to install than I anticipated.

After I tore out the carpet/tile travesty, floor prep was a matter of simply cleaning up with a sweeper. With laminate flooring I only had to lay down a foam underlayment and fill in some rough spots.

Laminate flooring has a locking system along the sides and the end of each piece. Installation is, literally, a snap! This provides smooth and almost invisible seams.

You will need a power mitre saw, a jig saw for those pesky angles, a square and a tape measure to install. No nails and no glue as it is a "floating" floor!

Laminate flooring comes in many different patterns so you are sure to find one you like. It is also one of the most effective fixes for a flooring problem. My total investment was around $400.00 and time invested was around 6 hours for an 11 x 13 kitchen.

Obviously true hardwood is beautiful but also pricey. Tile can be a pain to install yourself if you aren't experienced. Laminate flooring however was a beautiful and quick way to improve our home.

Good luck!