The Floor Room guide to choosing laminate flooring
If you love the look of sleek laminate flooring but need a little help sorting through your options, we’re here to help. As well as giving you even more reasons to choose laminate, The Floor Room laminate flooring buying guide can point you to the perfect laminate style, design and colour for any room in your home.
Need help understanding laminate flooring extras? Our underlay and flooring accessories buying guide is for you.
Thinking about other types of flooring? Take a look at all our flooring buying guides.
Why choose laminate flooring?
Laminate is the original innovative flooring choice for style, durability and affordability.
Composed of layers, it has a high-density fibreboard core that serves as a barrier to drafts, sound and moisture, while its protective top layer will bear the brunt of even your busiest rooms. The surface is printed with a photo-realistic image so you can have the look you want, from expensive-looking oak floorboards to textured travertine tiles.
8 reasons to love laminate flooring
- Laminate flooring replicates the look of all sorts of stylish hardwood and tiled flooring.
- Laminate flooring is very durable – it’s scratch-resistant, dent-resistant and stain-resistant.
- Laminate flooring can act as a barrier against drafts, sound and moisture.
- Laminate flooring is typically quick and easy to install so fitting costs tend to be lower.
- Laminate flooring can be an eco-friendly choice as it’s often made from renewable, recycled or recyclable materials.
- Laminate flooring is easy to keep clean.
- Laminate flooring doesn’t need waxing, polishing or sealing.
- Laminate flooring can be surprisingly affordable.
Choosing laminate flooring by look
Beautiful oak floors? Stunning marble tiles? Our wide selection of laminate flooring makes it easy to find the floor finish you’ve always wanted.
Oak-effect laminate flooring
Solid oak floors look fabulous but can be difficult to maintain and costly too. An oak-look laminate gives you the high-end feel for a lot less.
Stone-effect laminate flooring
Love the look of natural stone but not sure if the real thing is in your budget? Laminate can be printed to replicate all kinds of stone and it also feels warmer underfoot.
Slate-effect laminate flooring
Get the textured, rustic look of natural slate floor in your home with easy-clean and affordable laminate flooring.
Choosing laminate flooring by room
Laminate is one of the most versatile flooring options around, with a range of practical features that make it a great choice for almost every room in the home.
Laminate flooring in bathrooms
Laminate flooring is a good option for your bathroom as long as you select one that’s both slip-proof and water-resistant.
Laminate flooring in kitchens
Get that tiled kitchen floor you love – fast. With laminate flooring, no grouting is required so that’ll save time on installation and on upkeep. A glossy finish can make cleaning up even easier.
Laminate flooring in living rooms
Laminate flooring lends itself to all kinds of living room looks. You’ll find everything from dark wood-effect flooring for a cosy contemporary feel to pale Scandi-style washes that’ll keep your space light and bright.
Laminate flooring in hallways
Sleek, hard-wearing and easy to sweep clean, laminate flooring is more than up to the job of creating a stylish entrance and dealing with everything that treks in and out of your home.
Laminate flooring in dining rooms
Laminate is a great choice for a dining room. It handles spills in seconds and is tough enough to cope with the scrape of chair legs without leaving a mark.
Laminate flooring in bedrooms
If you suffer from allergies, you might sleep better in a bedroom with a laminate floor as laminate makes it easy to sweep away dust and pet hair.
Laminate flooring finishes
The edging, surface style and details of your laminate flooring can entirely change the look of your new floor. Here are a few things to consider.
Laminate plank edging
Available in a choice of styles, laminate plank edging helps you achieve a finished look that looks incredibly close to a natural wood or tile floor. It comes in several different styles.
No-groove plank edging
No-groove plank edging ensures that laminate planks meet squarely for an unbroken, smooth and sleek finish.
V-groove plank edging
V-groove plank edging has bevelled edges with a small V-shaped indentation on the long edge of each plank. This adds definition between each plank for a natural finish.
4V-groove plank edging
4V-groove plan edging is bevelled on all sides for a truly authentic wood floorboard look. On stone-effect laminate flooring, a more rounded groove gives the look of grouting.
Laminate surface finishes
For an even more characterful and authentic floor look, opt for laminate flooring with a surface finish.
Embossed finish
Embossed laminate has a texture pressed into its surface to mimic the look and feel of real wood. It won’t match up exactly with the pattern of woodgrain printed on the laminate, though.
Registered embossed finish
Registered embossed laminate also has a pattern pressed into its surface, but it precisely matches the grain printed below so in terms of look and feel it’s virtually indistinguishable from real wood.
Hand scraped finish
Hand-scraped laminate is pressed to look distressed giving you a softly worn-in look and feel that works really well in more rustic or organic spaces.
Your laminate flooring questions
You’ll find answers to some common laminate questions over on our FAQs page.
You can also visit one of our stores and talk to a flooring expert about laminate flooring in your home. They’ll take you through the benefits and you can browse samples in store. If you prefer, you can set up a free in-home consultation which also includes room measuring and a cost estimate.
And don’t forget – you can request up to four free samples of your favourite laminate flooring, delivered to your home.
Your next steps to fabulous flooring