Laminate is currently one of the most popular floor coverings, and the variety of its decorative designs is so wide that it even makes choosing a material difficult.
Light laminate in the interior
A technique quite often used by designers is light laminate in the interior of residential premises. This combination allows you to achieve certain effects and indicate the direction of the overall finishing style. However, before choosing this option, you should not only familiarize yourself with interior projects in which light laminate is used, but also think about the rationality of such a decision. That is, you need to consider the use of light flooring from different points of view.
Lighting
To know how to choose the color of laminate for an apartment, you should decide on the level of illumination of the rooms, that is, its location on the sunny or shaded side.
If the rooms get a lot of sunlight, you should not use the following shades of laminate:
- American walnut;
- Asian nut;
- wenge;
- rosewood
This warning is due to the fact that under direct sunlight on a dark floor, dust microparticles will be especially clearly visible. If you neglect this warning, the coating will end up looking sloppy, no matter how well you clean your apartment.
When deciding what color to choose laminate for hallways, you need to take into account that the shade of the floor and walls should not be the same, otherwise everything will merge and the beauty and texture of the floor covering will not be noticeable.
Therefore, if a light laminate is laid on the floor, it is better to choose wallpaper colors that are 3-4 shades darker.
This rule applies to such laminate shades as:
- white oak;
- birch;
- beech.
An important principle of laying flooring for small apartments is that in such conditions you should not choose different colors of laminate flooring in different rooms. Such a breakdown can only visually further reduce the space by dividing it into small zones.
Optimal load class
The class of laminate determines strength and durability; accordingly, you need to select products based on their wear resistance and indoor loads. So, which class should you choose for laminate flooring in the living room? For residential premises, the market offers floor coverings of 31-34 classes. Definitely a good laminate for a class 32 living room - it is characterized by an optimal combination of price and quality.
It is also possible to use laminate class 33 or class 34 slats if the buyer liked a specific decor, but still there is no need to overpay, given that at home it will not be possible to put such a strong load on the laminate in the living room. In terms of board thickness, it is quite enough to buy standard 8 mm, but if the subfloor has unevenness or you need to get it level, for example, with tiles, then it is recommended to lay 10-12 mm dies.
Color spectrum
The color scheme in the room should be a hint on how to choose the color of the laminate to match the interior. It is worth considering that you should not combine too many items belonging to the same color scheme in one place. That is, wallpaper, flooring, and furniture should not be completely identical in color, otherwise such an interior will not bring a feeling of comfort and coziness.
This rule applies equally to both light and dark shades. If you don’t know how to choose laminate flooring for your interior, you can use reference books and periodicals illustrating fashion trends in interior design.
How to choose the right door color for laminate flooring: practical advice
The stores offer a wide range of interior doors made in various shades, as well as a lot of laminate options. My eyes are wide open! Sometimes a huge selection doesn't seem like a plus. In this case, it is difficult to choose from the available assortment what you like, and you have to base your choice on the existing interior.
- First you need to decide on one thing. It is recommended that you first choose the color of the floor.
- When purchasing flooring, you need to consider the overall color scheme of the room. You need to decide on the amount of money for flooring. The budget option will last much less. Considering that expensive material will last more than 15 years, it is recommended to choose laminate in neutral shades. This will expand the possibilities for choosing the color of doors and furniture. Don't be tempted to buy flooring in exotic shades. It will not be practical and may tire your eyes.
- It is advisable to opt for milky, yellow or golden shades. These tones will go with almost all colors. You can choose other shades, but you should remember that a red floor will not harmonize with gray-blue colors - “boudoir shades.”
- After choosing the color of the floor, you should start choosing interior doors. If the hallway or kitchen is a small room, then the color of the floor and the color of the paintings may match. You can play in contrast, but only taking into account some rules. First : creating contrasting accents should be striking. Second : to avoid disharmony, it is necessary to select warm colors for doors, floors and walls.
- Choosing a plinth. It is impossible to do without it, since it is the connecting link between the interior canvases and the floor. A light floor and a dark door can be matched with either a dark or light baseboard. The shades between them will not look so harmonious.
Remember, to make a dark room more spacious, you need to choose a light laminate and make a light doorway.
Preferences in choosing an interior
When deciding what color laminate to choose for your apartment, you should decide which color palette you will be comfortable in. First of all, you need to understand which floor you like best - dark, light or with a textured pattern.
The next factor concerns the interior style and the mood given to the room:
- cozy;
- light;
- warm;
- charged with energy;
- spacious;
- playful;
- classic elegant.
If you cannot decide exactly, then simply select the laminate based on the color of wooden furniture and interior doors. At the same time, do not forget that the floor covering should be a little lighter.
To ensure that the overall interior of the apartment is harmonious, it is better to select coatings that are compatible in texture. In particular, laminate works well with tiles and carpet, however, it is completely incompatible with parquet flooring.
It is also worth considering the fact that a floor that is too dark, as well as a floor that is too light, will need more frequent cleaning, because dust on it is much more noticeable.
When choosing a laminate, you need to pay attention to its texture. For example, a square room can be visually given a more rectangular shape using long, narrow strips of laminate flooring. But a corridor that is too narrow can be visually expanded if you lay the material in sheets across the passage, thereby making the floor in the corridor three-dimensional.
Another important nuance concerns too bright and unusual colors. Since the service life of such a coating can be quite long, there can be no talk of quickly replacing the wallpaper for which it was selected.
What is generally important to know about laminate
Some features of choosing a coating
A few words should be said about the structure and classes of laminated coating, since its durability and preservation of its original appearance depend on these parameters. And this is especially important for light-colored floors.
As you know, laminate consists of individual boards (plates or lamellas) from which a solid coating is assembled.
Approximate structure of a laminate board
For the base of the lamellas, wood-fiber (fibreboard or MDF) or polyvinyl chloride (PVC) board is used. To protect the material as a whole, including protecting the external decorative surface from abrasion and other external influences, a layer of melamine or acrylic resin is applied on top. This top film, which laminates the surface of the board (and gives its name to the floor covering), can have different thicknesses, which determine the degree of protection of the decorative layer.
Depending on wear resistance, it is divided into several classes:
- 21÷23 class is the so-called household laminate, intended for floors in residential premises;
- Classes 31÷33 are called commercial coverage options. They are intended for rooms where there is an increased load on the floors. This applies primarily to high traffic intensity of people, and in street shoes. Initially, the material was conceived for premises in public buildings. But it can also be used for flooring in living rooms.
It is clear that the higher the class of the laminate, the stronger and more durable the material itself, the more reliable its protection.
Table of laminate classes with its main characteristics
It is especially important to take into account the strength characteristics of the laminate if it is given light shades. A poorly protected decorative layer will quickly lose its aesthetic qualities and will no longer please the eye with its fresh tones. Therefore, if the interior involves the use of white or similar shades of laminate, it would be more correct to choose a commercial version of the material - classes 31÷33.
You can add a couple more arguments.
At the dawn of the appearance of laminate, classes 2× and 3× really differed significantly in the source material. For household coverings, in particular, fiberboard (MDF) panels with minimal formaldehyde emissions (E1) were used. During the production of commercial grades (3×), they somewhat “turned a blind eye” to this. But at present, almost all major laminate manufacturers have excluded materials of an emission class worse than E1 from the raw materials used. That is, commercial coatings are fully suitable for any residential premises. And keeping in mind their more pronounced strength and durability, it can be argued that they are precisely the best option. In particular, class 32 coatings are in greatest demand according to the price-quality criteria.
The most popular laminate flooring at present is class 32.
Do not forget that the durability and decorative qualities of the coating are greatly influenced by the quality of its installation. In particular, it is important to properly prepare the base - the “solidity” of the finishing surface, as well as the tightness of the joints of adjacent boards, depends on it.
- If the boards are laid on a poor-quality surface, gaps will form at the joints of the plates, through which moisture can get under the coating, which will lead to their delamination.
- In addition, dark cracks between light boards will spoil the appearance of the entire interior.
- A coating laid on an uneven base will most likely begin to creak, which is also unlikely to please both the apartment owners and their lower neighbors.
Naturally, in addition to preparing the base, before laying the laminate, you should carefully study the technological nuances of its installation. Paying special attention to the joining lines and laying boards along the walls.
Correct installation of laminate flooring will significantly extend its service life!
The styling itself is not that complicated, and everyone usually quickly masters its techniques. But there are very important nuances, without knowledge of which one cannot count on success. You can find them in the instructional article on our portal “How to lay laminate flooring” . There the reader will also find a calculator for calculating the number of boards per room:
Advantages and disadvantages of light laminated coatings
Light shades of flooring are used in various interior styles, as they provide many opportunities to transform rooms. At the same time, the disadvantages of light-colored floors are no secret. Before you decide to choose such a laminate, you should think carefully about everything.
The interior, made in light colors, has its advantages and disadvantages
So, first you should evaluate the advantages of light laminate floors:
- Light laminate goes well with other colors and their shades. Therefore, if you want to change the decoration of the walls or upholstery of furniture, you can easily choose tones that harmonize with it for the light coating.
- This material will be a good backdrop for furniture accessories, as well as decorative items used in the interior.
- The effect of visually expanding the space and “filling it with air” is especially necessary for small rooms.
If a light laminate is chosen for the floor, it is recommended to give preference to options that have a textured pattern of natural materials
- Creating an atmosphere conducive to rest and relaxation. In addition, light colors promote an optimistic mood, causing a feeling of joy, which is especially necessary for a person on cloudy autumn and winter days, when there is a catastrophic lack of sunlight.
- A light floor covering will add lightness to the interior, and at the same time, will not take away respectability.
- It enhances natural daylight and evening light, which will help save energy.
When choosing a light laminate, it is very important to choose the right shades of other interior accessories.
Despite all the existing advantages, light-colored laminates also have a number of disadvantages that are especially important to anticipate:
- Light laminate must be of excellent quality, which means you should choose a material belonging to class 31÷33, the cost of which is quite high. A low-class light-colored coating will very quickly lose its aesthetic appeal and begin to look sloppy.
- The appearance of unnatural lighting effect due to incorrectly selected colors of other interior elements.
- On a light-colored coating, especially if it is plain, dust and dirt will be clearly visible, so it will have to be cleaned quite often. Unfortunately, in the modern world there is simply not enough time for frequent cleaning - this can be the most serious problem with light-colored laminate flooring.
Prices for Tarkett laminate
Tarquette laminate
What to look for when purchasing
Before you go to purchase material, you should take measurements of the room and prepare its plan. Precise indication of the room parameters will allow the store consultant to calculate the amount of laminate required for installation.
When purchasing, it is advisable to clarify which manufacturers there are, what the prices and differences in quality are, whether the material has waterproofing, and find out all the characteristics and operating features of the laminate.
Gray laminate flooring in the living room
Laminate flooring in the light gray interior of a large living room. The room looks huge and airy.
Gray-brown shades in a laminate that imitates natural wood.
The covering is made up of narrow panels of dark gray and light gray shades. There are more dark-colored floorboards, which is good for a room with light walls.
An original collection of laminate flooring with an unexpected effect - the imaginary abrasions of the floorboards give a rich look.
The brown color of the laminate is muted with a gray tint - this laminate is often chosen for retro interiors.
Light color palette
A color scheme in light colors is relevant in many cases, in particular, for brightening a room that is too dark. A light floor reflects light better, and the room becomes less gloomy and visually larger.
Light shades harmonize the atmosphere, adding order to it, eliminating the feeling of the transience of time.
A discreet floor in tandem with cool shades of wall decoration creates a calm interior. However, it is worth considering that if the rooms are located in the northern or western part of the building, light flooring will give them a feeling of coldness.
The combination of a light floor with dark furniture looks original and impressive. Such coatings are generally very well suited for playing with contrasts. The main advantage of light floors is that they are convenient to combine with furniture of a wide variety of colors.
However, you should not choose a sterile white color for the floor - it is best to stick to midtones that will not irritate your eyesight.
At the same time, even using a light floor covering, there is no need to fill the interior with an excessive amount of dark objects, otherwise the room will take on a gloomy and gloomy look.
Dark laminate in the living room
Textured black laminate is a stylish design for the main room in the house. The living room rug matches the colors of the interior.
Black metal is an exceptional support for dark laminate flooring.
A play of contrasts - dark laminate flooring, light walls and furniture.
Floorboards with double color - dark combined with brown.
Black and gray flooring is great in this classic living room.
Orange walls and furniture complement the charcoal laminate flooring.
The color of the laminate changes from black to red-brown. A beneficial effect, especially if the room needs to be divided into zones.
Types of laminate textures: wood and its variety
The tree is a true “classic of the genre.” The largest number of varieties of laminate textures imitates wood. You can find any cutting patterns from maple to mahogany. In addition to natural wood shades, textures are also often presented in other, but no less beautiful variations. An ancient style suits wood, but modern design will not be tasteless.
Wenge is a rare species of African wood that is often used for flooring. This floor looks the most aesthetic. Regardless of the shade, it is very easy to choose the color of furniture for wenge laminate. Both basic solutions and something more extraordinary are suitable here.
Features of choosing a light floor covering
In order for the chosen model to favorably emphasize the features of the room and hide the shortcomings, you must follow certain tips. When you have decided what color you need, you should understand what you ultimately want to get. You can achieve a natural or luxurious effect. With the latter option, buy a product that has a glossy finish. Be prepared that it will be difficult to maintain the entire design in such an image. It won't look natural. If you want a glamorous effect, it is better to choose a darker palette. Otherwise, there is a risk that the floor design will seem unnatural and cheap. But if you replace it with a matte model, it will add naturalness and sophistication to the atmosphere.
Laminate can connect several rooms. Then it is not the palette that is important, but the lighting. The chosen tone can look completely different in a certain direction and intensity of light. It is recommended to use peripheral and central lighting, arranging everything correctly.
The type of room will influence the choice. Some designers believe that light-colored coatings should not be used in the hallway or hallway. But if you manage to think through and organize everything carefully, you don’t have to follow the designers’ recommendations.
The choice of flooring should be approached with caution
You need to select lighting for this floor
See also: Cozy interior. What should it be like?
Brown laminate flooring in the living room
Light brown floor in a classic living room.
The rich brown color of the flooring is like an artist’s painting.
The combination of dark brown and light brown floorboards is intentionally chaotic - it gives the impression that the floors were made by an old craftsman.
Luxurious laminate flooring to look like old wood. Even chips and nicks in the floorboards are imitated.
Yellow-brown flooring and blue walls are a wonderful combination.
The coating slats are laid diagonally, and this is an additional highlight in the interior.
Light laminate: advantages
There are a number of advantages that make it a good option when creating a design.
- The ability to visually enlarge the space. Therefore, it is worth using in small rooms. Dark colors narrow the space, while the opposite ones make it more spacious.
- Everything is filled with light. If the windows are not on the sunny side, which leads to a lack of the required natural light, then you should choose a similar laminate. It will make the space more illuminated.
- It gets dirty less than a dark color coating. The dust on it is almost invisible. Therefore, this option is much more practical and less capricious.
- Creation of original and complex styles. You can apply many different details that look bright on white. Therefore, the use of contrasting elements is suitable.
The listed advantages allow you to choose this design option.
Using light shades you can visually expand the boundaries of the room
This type of laminate does not get dirty as much as regular laminate.
See also Gray laminate in the interior photo
Multi-colored and patterned laminate
Recently, laminate boards with different colors or a variety of patterns have begun to gain popularity. At the same time, you can purchase laminate with almost any imitation. The stores offer options for laminated material in beech, ash, and oak. A drawing or pattern can be depicted on the surface.
Laminate of different colors can have different shades - brown and dark brown, light with transitions to white shades, yellow, golden. The floor covering looks like stone and ceramics with gray shades. At the same time, boards in this style are made of all the patterns that are characteristic of stone material.
Many craftsmen often ask the question: is it possible to paint laminate flooring? If you have good experience in this matter, then the floor covering can be painted bronze, silver or gold. The main thing is that it is in harmony with the overall style.
Material color selection
There are several important rules that you should rely on when choosing the color of the laminate.
Tailored to Design
In addition to color, you should also consider the design variations of the laminated material. The design of the laminate can be different; here its diversity simply has no boundaries. Let's look at popular types of design.
Classic wood
They began to imitate a wooden surface a long time ago. Recently, a variety of laminated materials have been produced that successfully replace wooden parquet. It can be designed to match any wood, so you can purchase it to suit any room style. For example, oak will look rich and luxurious in the interior. The design of oak laminate is made exactly to match the original style of the expensive coating.
Leather
Laminate made to look like leather would be an excellent option for a work room or living room. The crocodile skin laminate looks quite beautiful and rich looking. Skin color can be different - dark, brown, light brown, white.
With a metallic sheen
A laminate with a metal design would be appropriate for flooring in a room where there are many glass and metal items. It can be installed in a room for teenagers, in a kitchen with a large number of stainless steel items. Can also be used for a hall or a spacious nightclub.
Under the stone
Stone material gives the floors of the room reliability and strength. But using ceramic flooring material is not always convenient. It will emit cold, and its cost is quite high. Therefore, laminate material manufacturers decided to produce a warm floor covering that completely imitates the design of stone. Laminate flooring with a stone design can be laid in the kitchen, bathroom, hallway, hallway.
Depending on the design style
How to choose a laminate so that it fits harmoniously into the style of the room? This is a serious issue that needs to be approached seriously.
The optimal color for a classic style would be a laminated base, which is painted to resemble wood. Oak or beech will look stylish in the interior. The colors of this wood bring richness and luxury. Laminate flooring with oak color will be an ideal solution for the style of an office or living room.
A laminate with the color of bleached oak will fit perfectly into a country or retro style interior. A laminated base made to look like cherry, teak, oak or other exotic type of wood would look ideal. Laminate flooring will fit harmoniously with a combination of several types of wood. Whitewashed, wiped surfaces are also suitable for retro and country style.
Typically, this style combines non-standard shapes of interior items; the same requirement also applies to colors. This style is characterized by the use of black, white, and red flooring. The color of the floor is selected depending on the dominant color of the overall style of the room.
Interesting solutions
Masonry. Both natural and artificial stone are appropriate here, which looks very organic in different types of rooms. The stone will look especially attractive in the kitchen area or hallway. It is worth noting that when using stonework, the room will become visually colder.
Leather. It looks rich and strict at the same time. The most popular floor covering is made with the texture of crocodile skin. The “leather” floor is a real brain blast, but the designers have adapted it to a modern look. Antique style is combined with natural skin tones, and high-tech or modernism is combined in the range from red to white.
Laminate with crocodile skin texture
