Compared to other types of flooring, laminate definitely stands out as being quite durable. There are, though, a few ways in which laminate floors will warp, and a few reasons why. Let’s examine the type of warping that is called peaking. Laminate floors which are peaking look as if they are rising, like there is something coming up from underneath the floor. The resultant effect is a bit disturbing. Some people immediately think there is something wrong with the foundation in their home, or that, somehow, water has gotten under the laminate floor, but this is unlikely.

The Major Causes Of This Phenomenon

Your laminate floor might be peaking for a few reasons. If you want it fixed right the first time, you’ll make knowing exactly what’s happening your top priority. Many people assume that whatever affected their friend’s laminate floors is also affecting theirs, but this is a dangerous and costly line of thinking. Assuming this can cost you not only money, but a ton of time.

Lack Of Expansion Space Is A Top Cause Of Peaking

Everything expands and contracts, and laminate flooring is certainly no exception. This is why laminated floors are supposed to be installed with space between their edges and the molding. If this space is not available to expand into, the planks will push against each other. Once the pressure is sufficient, the floor will go the only direction that it can: up. If ignored for long enough, the floor will end up with a sort of hump in it, almost like a permanent wave.

Fixed Moldings Will Cause Peaking

Your laminated flooring will still be trapped, even if there is room to expand, if the molding are immobile. Finding only a few pieces of secured molding can be a real nightmare. The solid point could be any place that’s connected to the issue since laminate flooring is designed to not be attached to anything, moldings or sub-floor, something referred to as floating. Many times amateur installers fasten moldings down, either out of ignorance or because they’re trying to get the flooring to stay put while they work.

Peaking Can Be Caused By Boards Which Are Longer Than Specified By The Manufacturer

This one only pertains to some manufacturers of laminate flooring, and generally happens the least. When you have one board that is longer than it should be, the effect can be similar to when there is not room enough for expansion. This is an easily avoidable issue, and won’t happen as long as no single plank is longer than the manufacturer recommends. If you didn’t install the floor yourself, though, you may have difficulty finding the name of the manufacturer. Luckily, since this is usually only an issue when there are areas that are 40 feet long or longer, most people can consider this a non-issue unless they have a very big home, or are experiencing peaking in a hallway. But, if you just can’t find where the laminate floor has been fixed to anything, then you might be left with pulling up planks to find manufacturer markings.

Check out Laminate Floor Facts for more information on everything about laminate floors.

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So, be honest: how often do you walk in to someone’s home that just got a laminate floor installed, stop, and say “Oh my god what is that!?”. Okay, so no one does that, but I bet you’re wondering now! Not many people think about flooring and laminate floors aren’t exactly new, so most really don’t give a lot of thought as to what they’re made of. However, there are always those of us that are curious so, if you are one of them, keep reading.

What’s The Difference Between Laminate Floor And Pergo?

Let’s get this out of the way: Pergo and laminate flooring is the same thing. You have to respect a brand that is a household name in an industry so competitive as laminate flooring, but Pergo really is nothing more than a laminate floor brand. People tend to start calling things by their brand name, since that’s what’s mostly advertised, but calling laminate floors Pergo is akin to calling all sodas Coke or Pepsi. So, when someone says they have Pergo, you know that what they are really saying is laminate flooring, but I wouldn’t point that out since some people will just argue the matter.

Laminate Floors Are Not Wood

Yet they sort of are. No, laminate floors are not hard wood, that much is obvious, even though with some of the higher quality brands you do have to get down on your hands and knees to really tell the difference. To be fair, there is some real wood in the mix, as the base of most laminate flooring is a wood-chip composite, but that’s not really telling the whole story. If you’re finding it really hard to tell the difference between real wood floors and a laminate floor, try knocking on it. Laminate floors will usually generate a sound more like a plastic “tick” and less like a wooden “thud”.

Laminate Floors Are Designed To Mimic Wood

In essence, a laminate floor is a picture of a hardwood floor, only pasted on to a much more hardy material. Laminated flooring excels at surviving the same conditions that make owners of hardwood floor hiss through their teeth in consternation. Scrapes, scratches, and scuffs are still possible, but much less likely, and a lot easier to repair if needed. In homes where there is a lot of kid or pet traffic, real wood floors are really becoming outdated and cumbersome by comparison.

Laminate Floors And Traditional Lamination

Yes, they are both derivatives of the same process, called lamination. Most people think that lamination is basically the act of putting some paper in some plastic, but that’s a very watered down definition. If you were to put plastic around your cell phone and either glue the plastic or seal it with heat, you would have laminated your cell phone, which would be either ridiculous or hilarious, depending on the circumstances. In the case of laminate floors, the plastic surrounds and protects a photograph of wood which then sits, amusingly enough, on a base of wood chips. The result is almost all of the benefits of hard wood floors with few of the drawbacks.

To get more information about laminate floors, visit Laminate Floor Facts.

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