Worried about your laminate flooring lifespan?
With the global laminate flooring industry worth billions, the flooring’s quality and durability are better. It’s why you need not worry about its longevity. However, to ease your mind, we’re going to tell you the exact numerical range.
Read on and learn how long your durable flooring lasts. We’ll also discuss some tips to make your flooring last even longer.
Average Laminate Flooring Lifespan
Laminate flooring has at least four layers. It includes a wear layer protecting the floor. At the same time, this makes it more durable.
If you use proper maintenance techniques, your wear layer remains. It makes the laminate flooring more durable. With this, you'll unlikely to replace it until after 25 years.
Most homeowners won't have the luxury to maintain their floors all the time. It's why the average lifespan for this type of flooring is anywhere between 15 and 25 years. However, it can wear out as early as 10 years or as late as 30 years.
The life expectancy variance depends on various factors. Some of them include:
- Flooring quality
- Proper installation
- Amount of traffic
- Regular maintenance
Improper maintenance often contributes to the shortening of its longevity. For example, using harsh cleaners or neglecting spills will make it look worn out.
Laminate flooring won't have the same longevity as its hardwood counterpart. The caveat is that the latter needs more maintenance. To keep its appearance consistent, you must sand and refinish it once in a while.
After the laminate floors' top layer wears away, it's time to replace it. It’s easy to find a good floor installation expert nowadays. After all, hundreds of thousands of these businesses exist across the country.
How to Maintain Your Laminate Flooring
One of the laminate flooring basics is maintenance. It’s the most important task to protect your monetary investment. It might sound like a challenge, but it need not be if you know what you’re doing.
Here are some tips to help:
1. Keep the Floor Cool and Dry
It’s an accepted fact that laminate and water have a negative relationship. In recent years, newer technology gave laminate floors water resistance. This feature might be too much for your wallet, so it’s not always an option.
The reason for this water vulnerability is the material. Laminate flooring uses layers of composite wood. It can sustain irreversible damage when exposed to high levels of moisture.
The damage can range from warping and swelling to mold and mildew growth. To prevent it from happening, clean any spills as soon as possible. The size of the spill won’t matter.
On humid days, ensure that your dehumidifier or air conditioner is running. The ideal temperature for rooms with laminate flooring is between 55F and 85F.
Damp-mop your floors whenever possible. While cleaning, avoid saturating the laminate. Never let cleaning products sit on the floor for prolonged periods.
Do you have kids? Infants often contribute to most floor spills. To prevent this, get spill-proof cups and let them use them.
2. Prevention Is Necessary
As the adage goes, “An ounce of prevention is equivalent to a pound of cure.” It applies when you’re caring for your laminate flooring. With the right protective products, your floor will have an extra layer of protection.
Preventative maintenance protects your flooring from dents, scratches, nicks, and other damages. It might take a lot of effort to do this, but the results are worth it. Start by placing walk-off mats at the entryway flooring.
Mats help prevent damage coming from rain, mud, dirt, and snow. If you receive guests regularly, ask them to remove their shoes.
Your furniture can hurt your laminate flooring. Use felt protectors and put them on the bottom of your furniture legs. It acts as a cushion layer, avoiding surface damage whenever you move them.
3. Clean Right
Laminate flooring is low-maintenance compared to some options. However, it doesn’t mean you need not clean it at all. It’s less fussy compared to some hardwood flooring, but it needs attention now and then.
To get the most out of your flooring, it’s all about looking for the right balance and routine. Learn a solid routine, ensuring that it’s easy to follow and avoid missing critical steps.
A good place to start is sweeping or dust mopping at least twice each week. It removes lingering surface dirt and debris on the floor. It’s the best way to prevent damaging the finish.
Use the hard-surface floor setting to vacuum at least once per week. After that, use the recommended floor cleaner. If you’re unsure, look at your floor’s care and maintenance documents.
Use revitalizing products to make your floors glow like they’re new. You need not do this all the time. A good routine is once every three months.
4. Make Repairs When Necessary
Laminate flooring uses composite wood layers. It means you can’t sand down or refinish it like hardwood. The top of the flooring uses wood-look print film products.
Despite this, you need not replace your flooring whenever it sustains damage. You can solve some issues without a lot of hassle. They only require using special techniques and products.
Whenever your budget permits, keep extra planks in your home. If your floor gets seriously damaged, you can swap them out with these. It’s an easy and cost-effective method of keeping your floor well-maintained.
When the damage isn’t significant enough, it’s easier to deal with. You can use floor fillers instead of plank replacements. The local home improvement store will have some in stock.
As for hairline scratches, use a wax pencil to hide them. It also applies to various minor imperfections that happen over time.
Get Laminate Flooring Today
These are some things to consider when prolonging your laminate flooring lifespan. Never let moisture seep through your floor. Otherwise, you’ll end up replacing it sooner than you’d like.
Looking for laminate flooring or other specialty floor covering? Get in touch with us and we’ll discuss the best flooring solution for your home.
