An Alternative to Laminate Flooring

For some, laminate flooring is a god send, for others, it's one of the most over-rated flooring innovations of the last 100 years. Everybody loves the look of parquet flooring and possibly the popularity of laminate flooring is due to it being considered a more affordable alternative to proper parquet flooring. However flooring is nothing of the sort. It is no close second nor is it a distant cousin... it's an abomination!  It may look like wood, but it's not wood. It's a photocopy of wood, sandwiched between a clear thin slither of plastic, some bonded wood dust (so they can call it 'wood' of sorts), a bit of glue and a bit of resin.

Not all laminate flooring is this poor, as some do have real wood on the top, about a millimetres' worth. But the cost of this 'real' laminate flooring as far more than the stuff most people are currently buying. What annoys me most about flooring is its inability to cope with moisture. It's a thirsty product and when used on the kitchen or bathroom you'll soon find areas where it's swelling and even peeling apart.

When people buy this product it's as if they've forgotten the true purpose of a kitchen or bathroom floor covering. That being its resilience to water and moisture. Old fashioned linoleum would have been better as at least it creates a barrier. If you're hell bent on spending money then why not go the whole hog and buy marble tiles instead of laminate flooring?  At least you know they wont be swelling or peeling after a few years and in some cases, a few months!

What annoys me most about laminate floors is the owners seem to think they've got all the class of a hardwood floor but without the cost. When I walk into a room with a laminate floor I think it's got all the class of a stick of Blackpool rock yet costs a damn site more than 5p.  If you want class then you're going to have to dig deep and buy it. If you want to out class your neighbours then choosing cappuccino marble tiles or dark emporador marble tiles instead of cheap and tacky laminates is a good way to go.   Marble tiles are far superior to flooring, lino, carpet tiles and even ceramic floor tiles as they're naturally hard wearing, naturally beautiful, naturally water resistant and will outlast probably the rest of your house, unlike the laminates which are lucky to last you a year.