Laminate flooring is no longer a new material for flooring indoors. Consider the features of a laminate with a bevel, its characteristics, advantages and installation features. We also learn what a bevel is, its features and types.
The final and most important element of the repair in the room is the finish of the floor. Often, for the flooring , it is the laminate with a bevel that is chosen. What are the features of this material, its advantages and disadvantages, as well as what to look for when choosing?
Chamfered Laminate: Features
Chamfered coatings are now at the peak of popularity both in Russia and abroad. It is this type of flooring material that is easy to install and maintain.
There is an opinion that dirt and dust quickly gather on such a floor, but the laminate with a chamfer has only positive reviews from consumers. This material well masks any irregularities in the flooring, despite the fact that it has a small thickness (up to 12 mm), the material is able to withstand a significant load. In addition, due to the chamfer, neither dust nor dirt is collected at the joints between the planks. And if the surface is wetted, then it is the chamfer that will keep the floorboards at a certain set level, which directly affects the service life of such a coating.
Varieties of Chamfers
A slightly beveled edge, which performs primarily a decorative function, is called a chamfer.
Varieties of chamfers:
- deep V-shaped or U-shaped chamfer with a recess of 2-3 mm;
- microfask with a 1-2 mm deepening;
- bilateral and four-sided facet.
When choosing a flooring, it is better to give preference to a moisture-resistant laminate with a high quality chamfer. Classes 31 to 33 are durable, reliable and not subject to mechanical stress. The cost of the product depends directly on the class, as well as on the manufacturer.
Most often, parquet and wooden flooring are chamfered. Chamfering is a complex process in which milling, grinding and rolling are present.
The benefits of beveled flooring
Chamfered laminate has its advantages, which are as follows:
- aesthetically beautiful appearance, regardless of the type, type or price of flooring;
- strength and reliability, so this floor will last more than a dozen years and will not change its pristine appearance;
- dust and moisture are not collected at the joints between the floorboards, therefore, does not require special daily care;
- masking any unevenness or roughness of the floor;
- despite the thickness, such a laminate withstands heavy loads;
- visual increase in the size of the room (a two-sided chamfer significantly lengthens the room, and a four-sided makes it wider).
Cons of flooring with bevel material
Despite the obvious advantages, a laminate with a chamfer has its drawbacks. Some users note that such a flooring is difficult to sweep, as there are small recesses between the floorboards, but it is good to vacuum. Also, when washing floors, you need to use a special mop with a soft sponge that will remove dust from the recesses.
Experts do not recommend finishing a room with high humidity with a laminate, since a chamfer increases the area of contact of the material with water. In this case, it is worth choosing a material with a high resin content and with slices treated with water-repellent compositions.
Some people think that a chamfered floor is very fragile, but it does not affect the strength of the floorboards. In addition, the chamfer, rolled and pressed, is applied only to the laminate with a thickness of more than 8 mm.
The cost of a laminate without chamfer is lower than with a chamfer, which can also be attributed to disadvantages. But in this case, the strength and reliability of the product depends on the price. In addition, if you choose the option with a chamfer, you can translate into reality any design decision.
Laminate joint protection
In order for a narrow laminate with a chamfer to have a high quality of protection, it is important to choose the castle design during installation, as well as a special paint coating that will give a rough or, conversely, smooth surface to the floor.
You can apply a special film to the laminate, which will make it more durable and easier to care for, since the surface is smooth. In addition, in this case, its service life is extended, and at the same time, you can choose a suitable color scheme.
How to choose a laminate with a bevel?
In order to choose the right flooring, it is important to consider several nuances:
- a room (for a bathroom or kitchen, a laminate without chamfer is more suitable, since these are rooms with high humidity, which can accumulate in the recesses between the floorboards);
- the quality of the material (it all depends on manufacturers who have long established themselves in the building materials market, for example, Tarkett laminate with a chamfer);
- technical characteristics (slices on strips with a thickness of at least 1.2 cm have increased resistance to wear);
- color gamut and texture (depending on the design of the room, a light shade of the laminate will visually increase the space, and a dark shade will make the room original and unusual, but the dust on this floor will be more noticeable);
- wear resistance (the strength of the laminate and the degree of its susceptibility to mechanical damage depends on the class, this directly affects the price of the product);
- the thickness of the floorboards (the best option for flooring with chamfers should be at least 1.2 cm).
Mounting Features
In order to get a high-quality flooring, you need not only to choose the material depending on its characteristics and features, but also need to know how to lay a laminate with a bevel. First, prepare the surface on which the floorboards will be laid. If possible, it is cleaned from existing bumps and defects, cracks and chips are eliminated. Using a cement-sand mixture or a self-leveling mortar, the floor surface is made as even as possible.
Further, regardless of the floor covering, with or without chamfer, a special substrate is laid on the floor that eliminates differences on the floor, as well as an additional sound or creak when walking. The laminate before installation should lie down for a day in the room, preferably in the unfolded position, in order to get used to it.
The distance from the first row of the floor covering with a chamfer to the wall should be more than 1 cm. This is called the compensation gap, without which the coating itself may slightly change due to temperature differences. Next is the installation of the second floorboard, which is attached to the previous special lock. It is important to do this carefully and fix it correctly in order to protect the floor from moisture. Additionally, the place of fixation can be greased with special glue. The width of the plinth is selected at least 2.5 cm. The door is installed after laying the flooring.
Which laminate to choose with or without chamfer?
Laminate without bevel is less popular, although it is in demand on the Russian market, possibly because of a more affordable price. Choosing such a flooring, you will not be able to get the most even surface. In addition, the edges of the lamellas quickly become unusable, they change under the influence of moisture, they can even increase in size, which directly affects its service life.
Despite the fact that manufacturers give a 25-30 year life span to a non-chamfered floor, in practice it is significantly less. For such a laminate to last longer, it is worth installing it not independently, but with the help of specialists who will calculate everything up to a millimeter.
Regarding the price category of the laminate with or without chamfer, it all depends on the quality, the manufacturer, as well as the nature of the existing subfloor. That is why when choosing it is necessary to start from many factors. Only in this case, the laminate will last more than a dozen years and will delight with its quality and design.