How to choose the right laminate color for your interior: advice from designers

The color of the floor determines how the interior as a whole will look. Of course, if the covering is chosen incorrectly, it can be re-laid, but then you will have to waste time and money again. Therefore, it is better to choose wisely: so that you don’t have to regret it later. Moreover, a good laminate is durable and can survive subsequent repairs without problems. You will re-stick the wallpaper several times and change the furniture, but the floor will remain the same. It’s great if the interior maintains its integrity.

What characteristics should you pay attention to when purchasing?

When a buyer chooses a laminate, he looks at the price, appearance, and sometimes the wear resistance class. The latter characteristic ceased to be important when production technologies were modernized and the market was replenished with Chinese brands. For example, coverage of class 34 from China may be inferior to class 31 from Germany. It is better to focus on the guarantee: if the manufacturer is confident in the quality, he will indicate a long warranty period.

All technical specifications are indicated on the packaging. Let's look at what markings are important if you plan to lay laminate flooring in a residential area:

panel thickness: 8-9 mm is enough. If this indicator is higher, most likely the manufacturer used a material of low density. Such a lamella can bend under the influence of static loads;
abrasion: for a corridor or dining room, the normal indicator is AC3 (W3). For a bedroom or nursery it may be smaller;
moisture resistance: a must for the kitchen;
density: from 850 kg/m3.

Sometimes icons are placed on the packaging, which also provide information about the product. This is convenient: the characteristics are clear, and it is easier to understand whether the coating is suitable.

the image of shoes with heels is a sign that the laminate is scratch-resistant and furniture can be moved on it.
if you see lightning, the coating is antistatic and does not attract dust.
a picture with sun rays means that the decorative layer will not lose its brightness due to ultraviolet radiation.

Useful tips

In order for the interior to create a feeling of comfort and be harmonious, it is necessary to skillfully select the colors of the flooring, wallpaper for walls, and doorways. You must adhere to the following procedure:

Creating a comfortable interior depends on a competent approach to choosing the color of laminate flooring, doors, and wallpaper. The right combination will create a feeling of spaciousness, peace or original appearance of the room. To avoid mistakes, you need to adhere to basic rules that will greatly simplify the choice of a beautiful room design.

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Laminate color range

The color scheme of the laminate determines whether the interior will be harmonious. Designers advise not to combine more than three primary colors. If the walls are neutral, the floor can be rich, and textiles and furniture will help set accents. And vice versa: if the wallpaper has a large ornament, you need a muted floor covering.

General rule: for a room decorated in cold colors, the same “cold” laminate will be suitable. And vice versa - warm shades require warm colors to support them. The figure shows how to work with color temperature.

Tips to help maintain harmony in color:

pine, birch, oak and beech are considered neutral solutions. They are suitable for any room, but such an interior will not make any special impressions. To make it more interesting, place accents;
the red tint, characteristic of alder, apple, cherry and pear, is combined with yellow and green tones. It’s great if the furniture is made of natural wood, and there is a floral pattern on the walls or textiles;
if you adhere to a laconic style, use light wood species - maple, bleached oak. They are also suitable for creating contrasts. The main thing is to remember the three-color rule;
The most difficult laminate for a designer is a dark shade (wenge). It weighs down the lower part of the room and is absolutely not suitable for small rooms. To make the interior lighter, add bright colors that will attract attention;
It’s also difficult to work with gray. It is perfect for high-tech interiors, but in support it requires furniture in a neutral shade, metal parts or a complex game of black and white contrast;
to divide the room into zones, combine different laminate colors. Use only related types of wood (for example, bleached oak with regular) and uniform tones (cold with cold).

Rules for using gray flooring in the interior

Gray flooring in the interior has a significant advantage over other tones. It is characterized by incredible plasticity, which allows it to look good when decorating interiors for various purposes. Laminate of this shade blends harmoniously into the design of a living room, bedroom or kitchen. Moreover, regardless of the style of the room.

Gray laminate in the interior of a modern living room Source dizainexpert.ru

When using gray laminate to decorate living rooms, you should follow some rules to help create the maximum effect. Or, on the contrary, not allowing interior imbalance. They are as follows:

The use of a gray floor in the interior will bring a positive effect in the presence of a high level of lighting.
A monochrome palette that is close to neutral has a beneficial effect on the nervous system and has a calming effect.
Light ash-colored laminate goes well with crystal and glass. When the lighting is on, it seems that the room is filled with a kind of flickering.
The softness of the gray laminate (if necessary) is diluted with darker tones of natural wood.
The dark gray surface of the floor will not make a depressing impression if it is diluted with beige, milky or cream furniture, the color of the walls, and other objects.
Gray laminate can be combined with furniture of various shades, both white and dark-colored facades.
It is not necessary that the laminate boards be laid parallel to the walls. Laying out a herringbone of different shapes produces a completely different impression. The tonality requirements remain unchanged.

How to choose wallpaper for laminate?

We tell you how to choose the right wallpaper if the floor has already been laid. Which one to choose depends on the color of the flooring.

Red shade of laminate. Milanese walnut and cherry give a noble reddish glow. which is appreciated by lovers of the classics. It is not difficult to combine such a floor with walls: for a bedroom or living room, choose thick non-woven wallpaper in light colors with red flowers. If you need to decorate a nursery, pale blue or swamp green options are suitable.

Brown. This is the most common type of flooring that can be combined with almost any wall. Cream, yellow, green, all modifications of pastel colors - decide for yourself. Paintings on the walls will help add personality - even if brown tones predominate in them too.

An interesting solution is to combine dark brown and purple. A bold combination is suitable only for spacious rooms with a lot of light. Consider additional lighting in the evening: add LED lamps that will create a feeling of coziness.

Grey. Another common option, which is chosen because of its unpretentiousness - dust on such a coating is almost invisible. Combine it with wallpaper of the same shade of any brightness - from saturated to almost white. To add accents, choose yellow accessories. Be careful with red: this energetic color needs to be diluted with beige elements.

Light. This flooring visually expands the room, and it is easiest to combine it with wallpaper. Avoid only saturated purple shades: they will negate all attempts to expand the space. Pastel floors with bright walls look good, but then the furniture should be neutral.

Dark. It's difficult to beat Wenge. We do not recommend experimenting with color: without the help of a professional designer, they will most likely fail. Choose classic light wallpaper and try to give as much light as possible. This will help achieve harmony.

Repair sequence

What does laminate or wallpaper do first? The relevance of this issue affects 80% of families who make repairs with their own hands. Even experts cannot answer unequivocally, although the majority is of the opinion that the wallpaper is glued first.

Why? Let's look at the nuances of the process:

Wallpapering is accompanied by the appearance of high humidity . Drying takes place with the windows closed. As a result, the floors will absorb the resulting moisture during the day. This may have a negative effect on the coating.

First you need to finish the walls, and then you can install the flooring

On an already installed laminate you will have to use glue . When smearing walls or strips of wallpaper, there is a high risk of staining the coating.
When cutting a roll, you can drop a knife, scissors, or tape measure . Scratches or other defects will occur from moving the auxiliary ladder.
There is no need to make even cuts at the bottom - the material is glued to the floor, and the plinth will cover all the unevenness.

It is known that flooring is more durable than wallpaper; it is changed several times when the laminate is laid. Nothing bad happens. In most cases, everyone chooses a method that is convenient for themselves.

How to choose laminate for doors?

Here the situation is the opposite: the doors are already installed, and the laminate has yet to be chosen. Follow one of the suggested scenarios to create an organic environment.

Contrast. Combine shades that are radically different from each other. A dark door and light floor is a bold decision that will visually enlarge the room. Maintain color temperature: cool to cold, warm to warm.

Combination. Laminate, which is one or two shades lighter than the door, is a classic option. It has attracted designers for many years. To achieve complete harmony, try matching the door hardware to the color of the floor. It's difficult, but you'll love the result.

Coincidence. The easiest way to combine a door and laminate is to make them match. Gamma, tone, texture should be the same. Find out what type of wood the door is made of (or what type it imitates). Choose a laminate from the same wood, and make sure that the recommendations for maintaining the overall color temperature are followed.

A color scheme

If you choose wallpaper separately from laminate without considering their combination, then sometimes such visual effects are created that make the room visually of the wrong size, uncomfortable or uncomfortable from a psychological point of view. Parameters that influence the creation of a pleasant impression of the appearance of the room:

Characteristics of the color of finishing materials for floors and walls:

Thanks to such a number of characteristics of the colors of finishing materials, using existing methods, for example, the Itten circle, the Munsell sectional scheme and other designer tools, you can make a choice of color combination. But this is only one of the possible options. The main choice remains with the preferences of the homeowner and his family members.

Within these methods, classic design styles were evaluated and received the maximum score. It is worth noting only their standard, but not their absolute superiority, which means positive impressions for the majority of consumers.

How to choose a baseboard for laminate?

The plinth is the connecting link between the door and the floor. If it is chosen correctly, the door leaf is integrated into the interior and it looks complete. There are several ways to choose this accessory:

combine it with the color of the door. This is the best option if the doors are of a contrasting color and you need to introduce them into the interior. This is especially important when the floor is dark - this creates a feeling of airiness;
combine with laminate. This solution will create the effect of a monolithic floor. To make the interior more interesting, use a baseboard that is a shade darker or lighter. This will add variety to the atmosphere.

A universal option is to install a white baseboard. Here it is important to take into account contrast and imagine the combination of colors in advance. If you see that there are more than three basic shades, do not experiment. Choose one of the two methods suggested above.

Disadvantages of a glossy finish

White glossy laminate has many advantages. However, it cannot be said that this option is absolutely devoid of disadvantages. The main disadvantage of a white surface is its impracticality, since any stain immediately becomes very noticeable.

Glossy white laminate will not wear off over time

If the designer decides to opt for a white laminated surface with a glossy effect, it is necessary to choose the highest quality materials. On such a floor, even the slightest installation inaccuracies will be immediately visible. Moreover, any incorrect seam will immediately begin to collect dirt.

Contrasts are important when choosing white laminate

When choosing a glossy white laminate, you need to pay attention to the shades. Different lighting can make the floor look different. That is, in the store there will be one shade, but after installation in the room the effect will be different.

White glossy laminate is very easily soiled

How to choose laminate flooring according to style?

If you are decorating an apartment in a certain style, you need to know how to choose the color of the laminate to match the interior. A wrong decision will spoil the overall impression. Let's look at the main styles.

Scandinavian. Laconic and modern. It is characterized by lightness and a large amount of light - natural or artificial. Bright textile elements help add coziness. Choose a light laminate that gives a feeling of freshness. All varieties of white are suitable - limestone, arctic, bleached, blonde and platinum.

Modern. Soft lines, cotton materials, natural textures. The gender must match. All colors that imitate natural wood are suitable. Cedar, beech, ivory and sequoia are what you need.

Loft. If at least one wall resembles brickwork, then the interior is decorated in this style. It assumes the presence of metal accessories, the absence of unnecessary details, and muted colors. Gray laminate and all its modifications are suitable - quartz, granite, silver, bleached oak, stone.

Classical. The basis is a combination of brown shades of different saturations with noble wood. Traditional English furniture, smooth lines, conservative outlines. Look for a matching laminate in a warm brown hue - chestnut, honey, rich oak, golden nutmeg.

High tech. The combination of glass, plastic and metal reminds us that we live in an age of high technology. This style demonstrates the status of the owner. It is found in respectable offices and home interiors, created by the designer. Let the laminate in the high-tech room be dark. Grayish shades and almost black are also suitable.

Design techniques

Experts from the field of room decoration note that laminate flooring in light colors can be used as a link between different zones and rooms of the house. Despite the fact that white, beige and similar colors saturate the room with light, you should carefully consider the placement of lamps. You can choose either central or peripheral.

The contrast effect is very popular. It's a win-win.

Light laminate (ivory, champagne, mountain oak, bleached oak and other popular items) goes well with dark wood doors. Colors on both sides of the spectrum highlight each other's expressiveness. This technique is actively used in both modern and classical styles. It is worth noting that the floor covering of the above type can be successfully combined with other light elements of a similar color.

Light laminate – light doors

Every designer knows that the color palette used in design is very important. Each style is characterized by a certain set of colors. Walls and floors attract most of the attention. If the room has white, milky or beige doors, you can safely lay light laminate in this location. This duet will create an atmosphere of lightness and freshness in the room. Together with well-thought-out lighting, the room will visually increase.

To prevent the finishing of the floor, walls and doors from merging together, forming a boring and faded interior, you need to install dark furniture or pieces of furniture several tones darker than the laminate in the room. Various decorative elements in more expressive colors, such as paintings, lamps, rugs and much more, are also suitable.

Designers recommend choosing solid wood doors, but if we are talking about decorating a modern interior, you should avoid wooden products. You can choose varnished canvases for glossy laminate.

Light laminate – dark doors

Decor experts note that the technique of combining light flooring and doors in a dark color has been used for a long time. Given its success, it is widespread. This type of blowing can be found not only in houses and apartments, but also in hotels, restaurants and other facilities. In this case, it is recommended to choose light wallpaper that will contrast with the doors and blend in with the floor. It is worth noting that the above technique is used in classical and innovative decorative styles.

The expressive harmony of dark and light colors is better suited for spacious rooms, due to the fact that thick and rich tones visually reduce the volume of the room. To reveal the fullness of dark shades and present the laminate in the best light, install a sufficient number of lighting fixtures in the room, especially if the location is located on the north side.

Expressiveness

If you want to focus attention on the laminate, shade it with small dark rugs. This element will look great, standing out against a light background. If the size of the room allows, you can hang dark curtains made of thick and heavy fabrics in the room along with a light floor covering. This element is perfect for classic decor based on spacious rooms.

Rich, dark colors add elegance and class to a setting, but be careful when using them.

Remember that such shades reduce the volume of the room. If you overdo it, instead of exquisite decor you will end up with a gloomy and depressing environment.

Versatility

In combination with this flooring option, soft and pastel colors will look great: coral, lilac, mint, blue, apricot and their shades.

It is better to avoid a large number of decorative elements in flashy colors and choose a calmer and more classic palette.

If you choose fittings to decorate a room, it should be several tones lighter than the floor.

Large pots with fresh flowers will look great on a light-colored laminate. The green color of plants will add a touch of naturalness and naturalness. If you want these elements to stand out, you should opt for dark pots. Options in brown and dark gray tones, as well as classic black, are ideal. It is better to completely avoid artificial flowers. They are a relic of the past and also dust collectors.

What rooms is it ideal for?

Here are the cases in which it is appropriate:

Plain, light wood tones, ideal companion to country, Provence, hi-tech, modern, fusion styles. This material can be used to decorate a room in a loft style.
With a ceramic tile effect, it is best to use it in the kitchen or hallway.
If the color of linoleum is dark gray, then the room should be large and well lit. Otherwise, it risks visually becoming smaller than it actually is.
Light flooring options without a clearly defined pattern are also appropriate in children's rooms.

The following combinations should not be abused:

Large patterns in small rooms, children's rooms or those interiors where other types of decor abound.
If gray is used, then similar shades should be avoided in the rest of the room, especially dark color solutions.

Lighting

Lighting is important. It should be sufficient, especially if you choose a dark gray floor. But light shades also need to be recharged with light, and then the room will be light. You should choose diffuse lighting rather than central lighting. To expand the space, you can make a multi-level composition - combining devices not only on the ceiling, but also on the walls, floor, and furniture.

You need accessories so that the laminate doesn't look boring. They must be placed on the floor. Carpets help refresh the surface. Contrasting vinyl stickers, panels, and paintings look harmonious on the walls. It is important to use textiles, they make the atmosphere cozy. Lamps are suitable for decoration. You can place figurines and flowers on the floor and furniture.

Peculiarities

Before discussing the aesthetic side of the issue, you need to say a few words about this version of the finishing material. Laminate gets its name from the Latin word “lamina,” meaning laminate. The basis of this material is fibreboard. To protect the pattern from external influences, the laminate is covered with a special film.

One finishing board consists of four layers, securely connected to each other. For this, various compositions and special equipment are used. Each layer performs its specific task.

All products available on the modern market are divided into classes, indicated by two-digit markings. The higher the mark, the greater the reliability and wear resistance of the product.

All groups are distinguished:

Household laminate: classes 21-22-23.

Commercial laminate: classes 31-32-33-34.

Details

There are details that should not be combined with a gray floor:

You should not make the interior uniform in shades and texture; on the contrary, a play of textures is necessary.
Wooden floors look great with plaster walls, glossy or lacquered furniture, and fabric trim of upholstered furniture.
You can choose smooth transitions from light to dark shades.

Correct use of gray color allows you to make the interior original. Many resort to the help of professionals. The completed work looks beautiful and modern.

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Advantages and disadvantages

The material is in great demand. It has many advantages compared to other types of coatings:

Many colors. Laminate can be selected for different types of interiors.
Easy installation and fast production. Even 1 person can lay the covering.
The material is able to cope with the influence of external factors.
The coating is easy to clean and does not require additional treatment after installation.

Now we sell white-gray laminate, dark and light gray. This material can highlight other interior elements. But laminate also has disadvantages:

The coating does not like water, so it is not chosen for rooms with high humidity.
Laminate flooring is not hazardous to human health, but everything is not considered environmentally friendly.
Compared to linoleum and carpet, laminate has a low level of sound insulation.

For a large kitchen: loft, cottages

If muted tones are used, then this combination will be appropriate only for large kitchens. If all the colors used are muted, they look noble, but in a small room it is not appropriate enough. This design is only appropriate for apartments with large rooms or fairly large private houses. The online kitchen design program can be found in this material.

When pastel, soft colors are used, the combination of a dark bottom and a light top for the kitchen will be quite appropriate, since there is a visual expansion of the walls. If the room is quite large, it is possible that if the interior is equipped only in relatively light or muted shades, it will be boring. In this case, you will have to make several bright colors, for example, bright small sofas.