Photo: Parador
Practical tips and tricks
Every millimeter counts: 6 to 9 millimeters of strength are common for the living area. Basically, however: the thicker the laminate panel, the more robust. A floor of 6 mm is not very resilient and, if it is laid floating, under strong, punctual load, z. B. by heavy furniture, even sometimes come to harm. The use classes (abbreviated to NK) provide information about how much the laminate can be used, for which room it is suitable. NK 21 to NK 23 is a reference for normal living spaces, NK 31 to NK 33 is assigned to rooms with intensive use. In addition, small pictograms show at a glance whether the laminate is suitable for the residential or commercial sector. Quality and test seals such as the certificates of the associations or the Landesgewerbeanstalt (LGA), a subsidiary of TÜV Rheinland, guarantee that the product has been checked for general usability and harmful substances. Look at the price: Even if laminate is a reasonably priced floor covering, quality here has its price. Absolute cheap goods can come up with some nasty surprise, if it hooks later when laying or in everyday use shortcomings occur. From a price of around 15 euros per square meter you can assume that you carry a reasonable quality home, but depending on the special equipment, the floor can be significantly more expensive.
The big plus of laminate is the easy laying technique. It is usually floating, without glue or screws, brought to the ground. The ingenious click technique, which has meanwhile prevailed in all makes simplifies the laying considerably, so that laymen can dare without problems: just tilt and press down. Then it locks with a click and is locked seamlessly - done!
However, those who take the trouble and firmly glued the floor, makes even the very thin panels much more resilient, and also the unpleasant clacking room sound can be significantly reduced.
