Caring for Laminate Flooring

The Make-Up and Maintenance of an Attractive, Affordable Floor

Sep 2, 2007
Kelly Smith

Typical Laminate Floor - Armstrong

Laminate flooring is an economical, low maintenance alternative to traditional hardwood floors. Here's a look at its composition and care.

Caring for Laminate Flooring

Laminate flooring sales have been overtaking traditional hardwood flooring sales in the past few years. Many factors contribute to this but the main ones are price (as the cost of quality hardwoods rise), ease of installation, low maintenance, and variety. Variety is important because a plank of laminate pine costs the manufacturer the same price to produce as a plank of a truly exotic wood such as laminate ebony. Thus, the homeowner can get a much more expensive looking floor for a reasonable price. Fortunately, caring for laminate flooring is easier than caring for a hardwood floor.

Laminate Flooring Composition

In order to understand why proper care is important for laminate floors, it is helpful to understand just what laminate is and what it is made of. The exact makeup of a laminate flooring plank varies slightly by manufacturer but they are all relatively similar. The plank consists of a number of layers of different materials and this is where the term laminate comes from. Following is a generic breakdown.

The bottom material layer is a material such as Melamine. This is a molded plastic material using Melamine resin. One advantage of it is its heat resistant properties. For this reason, Melamine is also used as a component of Formica, suits that firemen use, and even in some dishware.

The next layer up is the core layer, typically made of of a form of fiber board. This layer serves two purposes: it gives the plank its strength and rigidity, and it includes the interlocking mechanism. This is a variation of a tongue-and-groove joint.

Proceeding up one more layer is the design layer. This is the layer that is visible; it is actually a graphic representation of the wood grain and color.

Finally, the top layer is the protective layer. This layer is transparent and protects against moisture, scuffs and scrapes.

Care and Maintenance of Laminate Flooring

Caring for and maintenance of laminate flooring is fairly straightforward. The most important thing to do is sweep on a regular basis. This will minimize any scratching by abrasive particles such as sand or dirt brought in by pedestrian traffic.

Laminate planks should never be wet mopped, just damp mopped. Although the top layer affords excellent protection and the core layer is very water resistant, it is not waterproof. This is why laminate flooring should not be installed in a bathroom.

Due to the strength and gloss level of the protective layer, waxes and other polish products are not needed. In fact, most laminate manufacturers recommend against their use.

Unlike traditional hardwood floors, laminate floors do not require periodic sanding and refinishing. The top protective layer is all that's needed. A properly cared for laminate floor will maintain its beauty and durability for many years.

Kelly Smith, Dad, Husband, Freelance Writer, Kelly Smith

Kelly Smith - Kelly has over 30 years experience as a journeyman carpenter and 20 as a freelance writer and photographer.

Comments

Oct 9, 2008 10:44 AM

Guest :

This has been very helpful. I was considering buying a steam mop to clean my laminate floors, but after reading this... I definitely wont.

Feb 22, 2009 10:24 AM

Guest :

I have laminate bamboo flooring and it seems to have a dull shean over it and all I use it water a nd a damp cloth mop on it. WHen it dries you can see footprints and anything else that walks accross it. I hate it!

Feb 26, 2009 8:30 AM

Guest :

I bought laminate flooring and a drip of water bubbles it. I have blubbles everywhere after my dogs drink their water in the kitchen and drip it from their chin onto the floor. I am soooooo highly disappointed in it. Yes, it is easy to install but still a lot of hard work and my husband can't stand seeing it bubbling up. The protective layer is not protective at all. A damp mop does work okay for cleaning it, but if you have kids and animals there will be spills on it which will bubble up in SECONDS.

Mar 4, 2009 7:51 PM

Guest :

I have had laminate flooring in my kitchen for over five years now and I love it. I also have it in the front entry way. Both have high traffic and a lot of water spills. I soak up the water spills as soon as I see them, sometimes it might be an hour or so before I see it,especially the front entry when my dogs wet paws or guest come in with wet shoes from the rain or snow, and I have not had a problem with it warping or bubbling yet. I am now planning on putting it in my bedroom next weekend. Eventually my whole house minus the bathrooms and wash room.

Apr 14, 2009 9:05 AM

Guest :

Thank you, I found this to be very helpful and informative. This is my first experience with laminate flooring, it is going to be laid this weekend. I have been skeptical of it and hope that I'm not disappointed. Like any floor, there are a wide variety of durability out there. I did not go with the cheapest as I can tell by looking at them, that they will buckle with water or even fade with the sun, but I am hopeful that the product I bought will withstand the dogs, the kids and the water drips here and there. Guess I'll find out soon!

May 25, 2009 4:56 AM

Guest :

I am not a real fan of laminate flooring, I just dont like the feel, the sound or look of the stuff, I have looked many types most are either a flat smooth dull looking finish these ones seem to show smudges but tend to hide most scratches and other day to day ware, the other type is a glossier type look but has a rugher txture, this type shines looks very nice & closest to a real hardwood floor but is really garbage, every smudge & watter drop causes the floor to go dull & loose its shine in those areas, you notice every bit of dirt & smear from walking & it sounds and feels like you are walking on an arbourite even with the best under pad, the only reason I did it over hardwood was because of my big dog,the labour involved in installing laminate is about 3 time that of doing a pre finnished hardwood floor, most of the time is spent in getting the laminate to lock up properly on long runs of say 16 feet or more,I had to work the seam from one end to the other about 3 time on each row

Dec 23, 2009 1:18 PM

Guest :

I have just put down new laminate warranteed fpr 50 years- good quality. A wet cloth was left on the floor over night my a workman. there is a strip of bubble about 5" long and about 1/4"wide. I have weighted it down to no avail. Is there some glue I can inject with a needle and weigh down to repair this small damage?

Dec 24, 2009 2:32 AM

Kelly Smith :

I'm not aware of a successful repair to a situation like this. It's best to replace the plank if possible.

Jan 17, 2010 12:08 PM

Guest :

I just had laminate installed in my kitchen - I cannot get any smudges up _ i have used a damp mop wiht water/vinegar and nothing - all it does is dry and streak worse
i think I can truly say laminate is AWFUL

Feb 12, 2010 1:04 PM

Guest :

We installed our laminate this past November after a flooding accident. I loved it at first, but it shows every water drip, smudge etc. That's why I found this website--looking for a solution to clear up this mess. I've been using the Swifter spray mop and solution. NOT the right thing to use. I have streaks everywhere and try to scoot around in my socks to get rid of them---HELP!

Apr 1, 2010 6:50 AM

Guest :

I've had a laminate floor in my kitchen for over 2 years and am happy with it. Target and Walmart sell a laminate floor cleaner in a spray bottle for spot clean up and once in a while I use my steam mop on it. Any sticky things can be scraped up with the edge of a knife or a credit card. I like it much better than the tile that used to be on the floor.

Apr 3, 2010 5:43 AM

Kelly Smith :

Ow. It's never a good idea to use steam on a laminate floor. They don't like water to begin with; steam just forces it into the joints.

Apr 6, 2010 8:17 AM

Guest :

we just bought a home with new laminate flooring and I hate it.
I do not like the limited normal cleaning methods (mop) and feel like the floor is dirty all the time.
That said. Can I install a padded carpet on top on of the laminate flooring or must we spend the money to tear this junk out???

Apr 6, 2010 10:06 AM

Kelly Smith :

Sure, carpet can go over it if the height differential is no problem. But since it's a floating floor (in most cases), you'll need to remove an inch or so around the perimeter so you can nail the tack strip down and still give the laminate room for expansion and contraction.

Mar 26, 2012 12:01 AM

Guest :

I just had a flood throughout my kitchen and living room from my water dispenser hose on the refridgerator. The laminate flooring is bubbling in quite a few places. My question is, is water able to penetrate down to the underpad and cause mold issues? The floor is manning floating.

15 Comments