Technical Information

At A Wood Idea, we would never recommend that you paint your laminate flooring. In order to paint laminate, you would have to sand the wear layer down so the paint would stick. By doing this, you are effectively removing the protective layer and destroying the product. Even if the paint looked good, it would not be a long-lasting solution. 

Similarly to laminate, we would never recommend that you paint your vinyl flooring for the same reason. In order to paint vinyl, you would have to sand the wear layer down so the paint would stick. By doing this, you are effectively removing the protective layer and destroying the product. Even if the paint looked good, it would not be a long-lasting solution.

Some vinyl will come with an underlay pre-attached to the planks and some will need to be purchased separately so make sure to check with us before purchasing your vinyl flooring.

Laminate flooring should be left alone for at least 24 hours before you walk or place furniture on it. This is because the glue used to install it needs to be set for a specific amount of time. Leaving your floor for 48 hours is ideal if possible.

Underfloor heating can work well with engineered, laminate and vinyl wood however with solid wood flooring it may cause too drastic a change in temperature. Check with your heating specialist what the maximum floor temperature would be and use our underfloor heating guide to check.

Engineered wood flooring is made up of several layers of plywood, which is topped with a thick wear layer of hardwood. This means that it looks identical to solid hardwood, but it performs better in areas of high moisture and humidity.

Solid wood flooring is manufactured using one piece of wood, without the layers that an engineered plank has.This makes it incredibly durable and damage can be easily fixed by sanding. Due to the natural variety of solid wood, every plank cut will be unique which creates a beautiful floor for your home.

There isn’t a great difference between laminate and vinyl flooring in terms of cost, lifespan or installation or appearance. However, vinyl flooring is preferred in some instances where the room is more likely to face water as vinyl is mostly waterproof. Check out our helpful blog for a more in depth comparison between vinyl and laminate flooring.

Vinyl flooring is made up of sheets of PVC which are stacked to create a durable and natural looking floor plank. A photographic design layer is placed on top of a core layer of PVC and this can come in many different designs, tailored to suit your home. This is then topped with a strong wear layer, which protects the floor and maintains the design.