Laminate flooring is an inexpensive, quick solution for many designs in both residential and commercial buildings. And with the ease of pre-glued laminate floors, click-together laminate floors, and other options people are moving towards laminate floors to save time and money. Many new designs of laminate floors make it simple to choose the right look for any space and still have the elegance of an expensive floor.

Making the most of laminate floor manufacturers must move past design. There are many other aspects of the flooring to consider when making a purchase from any of the manufacturers of laminate floors. Some of these aspects include:

1. The overall cost of the laminate flooring.

2. Whether choosing professional installation is necessary.

3. What types of warranties the materials and/or installation comes with.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Compare laminate floor manufacturers based on warranties for materials

Most laminate flooring manufacturers will provide a warranty for the type of flooring you choose. This can be as little as a few years up to a lifetime warranty, depending on the strength and durability of the materials. You can also find many warranties that cover the installation process as well.

I recommend: Pergo Flooring offers specific warranty information for all of its flooring as well as terms and conditions for professional installation. Alloc offers standard 10 year warranties on its residential and commercial products.

Decide between professional and DIY laminate floor installation

While laminate floor technology has vastly improved from the old kind that needed to be glued down to the subfloor, it's still a tedious process. To avoid problems and guarantee the quality of the work, choose professional installers who can get the job done quickly. If you decide that installation is not difficult for your business, most manufacturers provide detailed instructions to follow.

I recommend: The World Floor Covering Association recommends hiring professionals to install laminate floors, but walks you through the installation process anyway so you can better work with your professional installer. To prepare for the job if you are installing the floor yourself, use this laminate flooring calculator from The Laminate Flooring Guide so you know know how much material to buy.

Consider the range of laminate floor designs available

When most people think of laminate flooring, the first thought is to simple bathroom and kitchen laminate flooring. But there are many more options of laminate flooring available on the market, including wood laminates, colorful laminates, and designs that can mimic stone or tile.

I recommend: Armstrong has a "Design A Room" tool that lets you to work with all its laminate flooring options to find the best fit for any design. Laminate floors from Shaw are also easy to browse with interactive web features.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  If you cannot clearly decide on the right color or shade of laminate flooring from a product catalog or website, request floor samples to get a better idea of what will work.

If you want to turn a profit in the laminate flooring industry, you need provide your customers with one of the following:

1. A better home-flooring product.
2. A lower price.
3. A quicker turnaround time in installation.

Fortunately, such an opportunity exists, but the quality, warranty and cost of laminate flooring products run the gamut from top-notch and high cost to flimsy and flawed.

Before you throw your hat in the ring, compare manufacturers of laminate floors, their products and the benefits their wholesale account members receive. Prior to signing on with any laminate floor manufacturers, find out:

1. Who the major players in the laminate flooring industry are.
2. The different kinds of laminate flooring, their ratings and their installation specs.
3. The time and skills needed to install the product.

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The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Start at the top of the laminate flooring pile

One of the reasons the big names in laminate flooring survive is because their products withstand the test of time and they stand behind their warranties. Unreliable manufacturers with too-good-to-be-true deals close their doors and disappear into thin air, leaving distributors and flooring installers to deal with unhappy customers. There are, of course, new names in the laminate flooring industry with superior quality products, so do your homework.

I recommend: Pergo flooring, a major presence in laminate flooring, offers certification training for your installation team. Register with Wilsonart or contact Formica for potential distributorship information.

Compare popular laminate flooring products

Not all laminate floors are equal and different products exist for home flooring, office flooring and commercial flooring. Knowing the needs of your local market and the quality of the different laminate flooring solutions will help you choose which flooring lines to carry.

I recommend: Understand the universal rating system for laminate flooring products. Determine what customers are saying about their experiences with laminated flooring and compare prices and customer ratings at NexTag.

Determine your labor costs to install laminate floors

Obviously, the more detailed the installation process, the more time you'll invest in the each flooring project. Choosing to carry high quality laminate flooring with easy installation will provide you with a larger profit margin. Ask to read a copy of the warranty before you carry a product. Many warranties are void if the manufacturer's installation specs deviate during installation.

I recommend: Consumer Reports offers a detailed rundown of the laminate flooring installation process and details the different types of laminate flooring and their relative cost.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  Look for pre-attached padding on laminate flooring sections for quicker installation.
• •  Contact a distributor about customer satisfaction and problems with a specific laminate flooring line before you place an order.
• •  Consider sub-contracting the installation process to avoid callbacks.

There are many types of laminate flooring available on the market today. The difference for most is the type of installation required. You can choose from glueless laminate floors, pre-glued laminate floors and other laminate flooring solutions. The right type of laminate floor for your project depends on the type floor you will apply the laminate to, whether it's for an office, home or commercial area.

The pricing and costs of laminate floor manufacturers depends on the type of laminate flooring they sell, and whether they install the product themselves. To better compare laminate floor manufacturers, consider these aspects of flooring:

1. The type of home flooring or office flooring offered by the manufacturer.

2. Any extra tools or equipment needed to install the floor.

3. Whether the manufacturer offers a warranty on the floor or installation process, if you hire professionals for the job.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Choose manufacturers of laminate floors that offer pre-glued options

Many manufacturers have moved away from laminate flooring that require messy glue, to laminate tiles, planks and squares that have an adhesive on the bottom. These are also known as stick-and-peel laminate flooring options. These can cost anywhere from $3 to $12 a square foot.

I recommend: Mohawk Flooring offers many types and styles of pre-glued laminate floors, as well as glueless options. Formica is another leading name in pre-glued flooring options.

Purchase glueless laminate flooring for easy installation

Glueless laminate floors are the next grade up when it comes to laminate. While technically there is no glue involved in attaching the laminate to the subfloor, a minimal amount of glue is used between the joints to keep the floor looking its best without any major gaps. This type of flooring costs between $5 to $15 a square foot.

I recommend: Pergo offers a click-together type of laminate flooring both for commercial and home use. Unifloor offers many styles of this type of flooring as well.

Buy click-together laminate floors to have a top quality product

A laminate floor that clicks together is considered by many to be the best type of flooring on the market, not only because of its strength, but also because it installs easily. This is true whether the job gets done by professionals or by do-it-yourself homeowners. Click-together laminate flooring can cost $6 to $20 a square foot.

I recommend: Hardwood Installer.com is a great resource for those looking to know more about the click-together, or floating, laminate flooring options and installation. Check out the guide from iFloor to help you choose specific elements of a click-together floor, such as dimensions, wear layer and edge design.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  Remember that laminate flooring manufacturers are usually more than willing to provide you with flooring samples, so collect a few from different companies so you can get a better idea of your options.

Laminate flooring is a popular choice because it is relatively easy to install. In fact, many consumers choose to install it themselves, though professional installation is available. However, when looking at laminate flooring manufacturers, it's important that you understand the choices that are available. This requires knowledge of certain words that are specific to the industry. When you know what type of underlayment you need, whether you want to use a glueless laminate flooring and what the AC ratings of the flooring you choose are, you are able to make more informed decisions.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Pergo flooring

Pergo is simply a laminate flooring manufacturer, but it is the most well-known name in the industry. When shopping for houses, for example, many home buyers like to see that a home has Pergo flooring.

I recommend: The Flooring Expert explains what Pergo flooring is. You may also be interested in seeing some examples of Pergo flooring from the Pergo site.

AC ratings

Laminate flooring has an AC rating, which is a rating of how durable the type of floor is. A higher rating means that the flooring is stronger and can withstand heavier traffic.

I recommend: Build Direct explains the AC ratings.

Glueless laminate flooring and floating floor

In the past, consumers needed to apply glue to flooring before they laid it down. This was often a messy process. Now, consumers can purchase glueless laminate flooring, which has interlocking pieces to hold it in place. A floating floor is a floor that is not glued down to the main surface. It seems to 'float' on top. You can install a floating floor on top of any type of floor.

I recommend: Service Magic explains how glueless laminate flooring works. Learn more about the benefits of a floating floor from LaminateFloorsCheap.com.

NALFA Certification Seal

The North American Laminate Flooring Association offers a seal of approval to laminate manufacturers that produce a quality product.

I recommend: Learn more about the NALFA Certification Seal from their website.

Underlayment and subfloor

The underlayment is the treated floor that you would lay the laminate flooring on top of. The type of underlayment that you choose is important. For example, wood-based underlayments can buckle over time, causing the finished floor to warp. The subfloor is the base of the floor of a house. On top of this is the underlayment and on top of the underlayment is the laminate flooring.

I recommend: Ask the Builder describes underlayments and how to choose the best one for your floor. OnlineTips.com describes the subfloor and how to install one.

Greenguard

Greenguard certifies products that have low chemical emissions. When looking at laminate floor manufacturers, it's smart to look for one that has been certified by Greenguard.

I recommend: Learn more about Greenguard's environmental standards from their website.