Art laminate

As you know, parquet is the most aristocratic flooring. However, its price is high, and caring for it requires constant attention and skills. This leads to the fact that not everyone can afford such a respectable and luxurious interior decoration.

Not more than a quarter of a century ago, modern manufacturers were able to offer an alternative to parquet flooring - artistic laminate. This material imitates the floorboard so skillfully that sometimes it is not possible to distinguish laminate in terms of relief, pattern and structure from natural parquet.

The qualities thanks to which the artistic laminate gained popularity are its main advantages over the classic floorboard:

• Durability and high operational properties. The warranty on the use of laminate reaches 20 years, the surface is not deformed, resistant to weight loads, has fire-fighting properties.
• Ease of installation and technical specifications. Thanks to convenient “locks”, the laminate panels are easily and tightly joined to each other, creating a seamless surface and a well-fitting pattern of the floor covering. If necessary, you can replace a number of lamellae without opening the entire coating.

• Square shape Lamellae of artistic laminate allows you to completely recreate the relief and structure of palace floorings.
• Care for the laminate is much easier than for the flooring. The laminate is not afraid of household cleaners, well gives in to moderately wet cleaning. The laminate coating consists of a dirt and dust repellent film.

• Laminate meets requirements and standards environmental friendliness. Does not emit toxins, odors, is hypoallergenic material.
• Price artistic laminate is significantly lower than its hardwood counterpart.

Among the cons of laminate can be identified:

• Intolerance of humidity.Laminate should not be laid in bathrooms or near pools;
• In some cases, the laminate can be traumatic due to its slipperiness. To eliminate this drawback, there are various lubricants;
• Laminate flooring is inferior to the naturalness of the material, as well as noise and thermal insulation properties.

Laminate is usually divided into classes depending on the protective coating of the fabric and additional substances included in the layers of the material. Classes are divided into household and commercial groups, each of which has three classes. The household group includes laminate 21, 22 and 23 class. is he suitable for use in low load areas, and also for facing of walls.

The commercial group includes a more durable and wear-resistant version of the laminate of classes 31, 32, 33. The laminate of a commercial group is perfect for flooring, where it is assumed a large cross-flow of people, installation of heavy furniture.

The art laminate imitating a parquet belongs to the 33rd class and possesses the increased wear resistance.The service life of any coating depends on how well it is laid, exploited and cared for.

Artistic laminate "under the parquet" is made by pressing moisture resistant HDF panels. Each square of the material is equipped with chamfers - a bevel of the end edge or edge of the panel to simplify the subsequent installation.

The production technology of laminate is a compression of various materials, so that the laminate board or square consists of four layers:

• The main carrier layer. In an economical version, these are chipboard materials (particle board / fiberboard). There are also elite models of solid wood slats;
• Stabilizing layer. This is a protective bottom film consisting of thick paper or cardboard, impregnated with resin or wax. There are options with a polymer layer that protects against moisture and mold. In some cases, another noise insulation layer is applied;
• Decorative layer - paper impregnated with melamine with application of a certain pattern. Thanks to this layer, laminate acquires decorative qualities and can imitate not only tree species, but also stone, river pebbles, and ceramic tiles.
• Protective face layer from pitches of various structures.The durability of the laminate and its resistance to weights and mechanical stress depend on its thickness.

When choosing an artistic laminate there is often a question about the size of the laminated board or board. However, in this case talking about standards would be wrong. Each manufacturer offers its size, and the choice depends on the calculations of space and design ideas. Parquet laminate squares in diameter has a side of 60 cm and stacked in a checkerboard pattern, like tile.

Review the art of laminate in the next video.

Since artistic laminate is, above all, a complete imitation of parquet, the basis of the color gamut is the shades of expensive woods. The art canvas is a photo wallpaper, covered with a special protective film. High quality production currently reaches such heights that it is quite difficult to visually distinguish laminate from parquet.Models of facing plates presented on the market are able to successfully recreate palace parquet floors.

In the ornaments, along with a variety of decorative elements, there are three main areas:

• curbs. A variety of transition lines and bordering patterns;
• sockets (or medallions). Decorate and mark the center or a certain area in spacious rooms. As a rule, it is a circle or an oval from which the other branches of the ornament diverge;
• modules. They are used to assemble separate drawings, geometric shapes, not connected into a single picture.

Today’s most popular collections from manufacturers of these products:

• "Versailles", "Imperial" - elite laminate, completely repeating the palace surfaces.
• "Flower" - products from this collection are variants of a narrow parquet board with a floral ornament.
• Oxford, FloWood - Laminate, imitating oak, has a reddish-golden tint with a lacquered effect.

Today, a variety of products on the flooring market is represented by a huge number of manufacturers and countries. Among the most popular, according to customer reviews, leading products manufactured in Europe (Germany, Belgium, Hungary). Consumers note the diversity of design, the highest European quality of laminated coating, a high level of moisture resistance.

Russian manufacturers are striving to keep up with their European counterparts, and already today we can talk about a decent choice of domestic products. Competition is growing every year, which means that manufacturers are interested in improving the quality of their products and in winning the respect of customers.

Manufacturers from China also deserve attention. Traditionally it is believed that Chinese products are not particularly popular, however, recently the Chinese flooring manufacturers have debunked this stereotype. Laminate under the parquet made in China is often chosen by venerable designers, and appreciate it because of the unique ability of manufacturers to shade the coating with notes of antiquity.

Laminate flooring with artistic parquet exterior fully compensates for the mobile elements of the decor (carpets). It is a complete picture of the interior design and does not need additional coverage. However, the selection of laminate should take into account some important factors, the neglect of which can be the cause of the absurdity of the interior:

• room size;
• availability of furniture, its quantity and material;
• general color range of the room;
• style direction of the interior.

The styles of classic, baroque, rococo are favored by expensive woods, the natural shades of which emphasize the luxury of the room. A laminate with elements of a border and a rosette will decorate a spacious hall or hall of a country house.

In the art deco style, chess black and white modular tile imitation will look great. A laminate with natural motifs will be suitable for country and ethno: cones, Christmas-tree pattern, raw wood frame. The covering imitating linen fabric or a mat will not leave indifferent fans of natural materials and exotic.

Loft style is characterized by outdoor production motifs, so an artistic laminate that imitates natural stone or brick will be most welcome here, while emphasizing the respectability of the room.

For contemporary styles, minimalism and hi-tech are characterized by a floor covering with a geometric pattern or with inserts of a pattern that does not catch the eye. In the high-tech style room will look amazing coating with a metallic sheen.

No matter how protected the laminate is, it still remains at the heart of its woody, and therefore it is better to once again avoid high humidity. The exception is made of lamellae, made not of wood and chipboard materials, but of durable plastic.

In all other cases, even lamellae coated with additional wax or resin protection can swell and deform from the ingress of large amounts of water. Therefore it is extremely important:

• do not leave streaks on the laminate, promptly remove the resulting "unplanned" puddles from refrigerators,washing machines and dishwashers;
• do not dry under the laminate linen without squeezing water;
• It is not recommended to put laminate in small bathrooms, where the likelihood of constant water ingress from the bath or shower is increased significantly.

However, this does not mean that the floor of this type is afraid of wet cleaning. Warm water, a damp sponge and household cleaners are well suited for daily care. The main thing is not to spill water over the floor, do not use products containing ammonia, chlorine, alkali.

Designers, creating an original decor of an interior, often use a method of a combination of coverings. In the case of laminate, it can be a combination of shades and colors, its smooth transitions or contrast.The method of docking textures is also used, but in order for this option to look harmonious, you need to have a delicate taste and extravagant vision.

The basic rules for combining colors suggest the compatibility of the colors of the coating with the rest of the interior.

An intermediate shade of laminate is suitable for dark furniture and light walls.

For example, white or beige wall cladding, furniture the color of chocolate and laminate the color of coffee with milk. It will emphasize the depth of the color of the furniture and the freshness of the walls.

The interior in warm colors will complement the coating, repeating the color of the walls and furniture. This will add a sense of light and brightness. For example, orange gamma with a warm shade of laminate.

The volume socket of a bright spectrum will designate a recreation area or reception of guests, and also will serve as a guideline for placement of furniture.