Bamboo flooring is made from glued strips of bamboo (a grass) while laminate flooring is made from fusing plastic (synthetic) to simulate wooden flooring. This article consolidates the differences between these types of flooring. 1. Price Laminate Flooring is much cheaper when considering initial cost. Bamboo flooring is relativley more expensive but increases the value of the house. This is especially useful for property developers who are looking to resell or get tenants. 2. Durability Bamboo is hard, and its production results in a product that is extremely difficult to puncture or dent. It is, however, not very resistant to being scratched. For that reason, it is suggested that furniture not be dragged across it, and in areas (such as under a dining table) where chairs would be pulled across the floor, an area rug should be used. It is also easily faded by strong sunlight, so curtains or other covers over windows are recommended to filter the light. Laminate flooring is resistant to scratches, and is often used in high traffic areas. It is also fade resistant. Although it is difficult to puncture or dent, it is not as hard as bamboo, meaning that high heeled shoes, for example, are more of a danger to laminate floors than to bamboo, but they are not recommended for either. If badly damaged, bamboo can be repaired because it is a solid material. If the top appliquéd portion of a laminate floor is damaged, it cannot be repaired, but must be removed. 3. Chemical composition Bamboo Flooring is mainly made up of glued bamboo planks, while the support material of Laminate Flooring consists of glued wooden fiber. The content of formaldehyde in laminate flooring(LF) is higher than that in bamboo and is emitted throughout the life of the floor. However, as long as it meets the standard of formaldehyde release, Laminate flooring is considered safe. 4. Appearance Colors available in Laminate flooring include cherry, teak, walnut , oak and ceramic tile (can be more). Bamboo flooring is available in natural color (Looks just like wood) solid teak, carbonized color, cherry, coffee brown and several other colors. 5. Noise Bamboo is generally less noisy. On the other hand, laminate flooring produces more noise in general due to the fact that they are ‘floated’. Proper underlays may reduce the noise. 6. Installation Laminate floors are floating floors and install over flooring underlay. It’s called a “floating floor” because the floor itself isn’t attached to the subfloor. Only the planks are attached to each other using a click locking mechanism. When made well, these floors are very easy to install and it’s why they are the choice for many do-it-yourself flooring projects. Bamboo floors can also be ‘floated’. This variety are referred to as the ‘click’ bamboo floors . These are called click engineered HDF core bamboo floors and they’re becoming very popular as an alternative to laminate floors. They install exactly the same way as laminate flooring and some even have an attached underlay. Bamboo Click
Posted on: Sat, 20 Jul 2013 10:44:45 +0000
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