Laminate Flooring in Columbia and Hattiesburg MS

Laminate flooring has become extremely popular with many homeowners due to the visual realism and the many improved performance features. These improvements have also brought about a lot of confusion for consumers looking for a new floor. Quality Flooring takes pride on being extremely knowledgeable about the laminate flooring brands we carry and can help you select the best laminate floor to meet your specific needs. We work hard to make sure the floor you select will meet your expectations and last for years.

For first time buyers there are some things you should know before buying a laminate floor. These floors are really a photographic print of some real floor, such as real wood, stone or tile. This means you can find a laminate floor with the look of an authentic old historic floor, exotic woods, classic hardwoods, luxurious tiles and expensive stone patterns all in a wide range of colors and at a much more affordable price than the real thing. Laminate floors also have a tough, melamine finish layer to help protect the print from scratches, gouging and normal wearing. Behind the print there is a high density core to add stability and strength to the flooring. The cores will range from 6mm to 12 mm in thickness and most are treated with a water repellent chemical to improve their resistance to moisture. One exception: High Pressure Laminates may have a thinner core but will still offer superior performance.

A standardized rating system was develop, first in Europe and than adopted by many USA laminate flooring manufacturers. This can help you decide which laminate floor styles will best meet your needs. The AC ratings measure impact resistance, abrasion resistance, burning and staining resistance and are broken into 5 AC rating categories.

• AC1 - light traffic, such as a bedroom
• AC2 - general household use, such as a living room
• AC3 - most household use, small offices and light commercial areas
• AC4 - higher commercial traffic, such as restaurants and offices
• AC5 - heavy commercial, such as busy, department stores and shopping malls

For most household situations AC3 or higher is preferred. AC1 and AC2 should only be used in low traffic areas.

Laminate floors can be installed over most subfloors, including concrete slabs and some existing floors. They can also be used on all grade levels and in any room. Although, they are not meant to be used in high wet areas such as bathrooms. This is why some customers prefer laminate flooring, because they can use them in areas where a real hardwood or a tile may not be recommended for use by the manufacturer.

All this sounds great, doesn't? And it is… but, not all brands are equal nor are all laminate floors within each brand the same in thickness, quality, price, or performance. We offer specially selected laminate flooring brands that will fulfill your specific needs and we stand behind all of our products. For example, some of floors we offer will stand up to large pets and lots of traffic activity while other floors have exquisite design details and unbelievable realism both in texture, feel and appearance. We also offer laminate flooring for the energetic, do-it-yourself person that is looking for an economical laminate floor that won't empty their pocketbook.