Flooring Specialists in Pittsburgh, PA

Pittsburgh Laminate Flooring

Everyone loves the look of natural materials in a home, and one of the most prized commodities in the natural materials world is hardwood flooring. Unfortunately, real hardwood is both expensive and difficult to maintain; you've also got to be extremely careful about scratching its finish or exposing it to moisture. These are some of the reasons why, with today's homeowners, laminate flooring is extremely popular.

Benefits
For homeowners in the moisture rich environment of Pittsburgh, laminate flooring is quite a blessing. While it looks like a hardwood floor, it performs a lot better in wet places. Southwestern PA is battered every year with frequent rainfall, high humidity, and, of course, snow, and any one of these can have an effect on traditional hardwood. With laminate, however, humidity has little effect, and tracked in rain, snow, or slush is much less of an issue. In some cases, laminate flooring can even be installed in bathrooms, where hardwood is never recommended.

Laminate flooring is also more resistant to scratches and scuffs because of its incredibly tough surface. In high traffic or heavy use areas where the finish of hardwood would get banged up in a hurry, laminate remains in good condition much longer. This is extra good news for households with pets and children.

One benefit of laminate flooring that often goes unrecognized is the wide array of appearances it can have without any rise in purchase price. Laminate is basically a tough, durable core with a photograph of a natural material fixed to it. The photo is then protected by a hard, but clear, layer of film. Since the photographic layer costs about the same for oak, maple, black walnut, or any other species of wood, the price doesn't go up when you want something with a more exotic look.

Drawbacks
The fact that seasonal environmental issues in Pittsburgh won't cause laminate flooring to bow, split, crack, or weaken make it a pretty desirable option. There are, however, a few things to think about before a decision is set in stone. First and foremost, laminate doesn't raise the value of a property as much as real hardwood does. Despite its high maintenance needs and many vulnerabilities, traditional wood flooring still fetches a better price.

Laminate is definitely resistant to moisture, but in places like kitchens, bathrooms, and basements, it can be damaged by moisture. If the core becomes wet, laminate flooring can develop real problems; it is not harmed by surface moisture, but pooled liquid that is allowed to penetrate can create several issues. In moist places, spills should be cleaned up ASAP.

Prices
One of the main reasons that people are opting for laminate over hardwood is the price. To install laminate flooring, Pittsburgh residents can expect to pay in the neighborhood of $4,000. The project duration is generally less than a week. When compared to hardwood flooring installation, which can cost as much as $9,000 in the Pittsburgh area, the savings are quite significant.