Laminate with or without chamfer: which one is better?

Laminate - is one of the most versatile and reliable flooring, which are widely popular. Before purchasing such a coating, you must first decide: to purchase products with or without a facet. But in order to make the right choice, you need to know the characteristics of both options and their positive and negative features.

Wooden products, including floor coverings, tend to dry out over time, which is why gaps can appear between individual planks of laminate or parquet. When this flooring is divided into separate elements, the cracks can be very visible. This is especially true for boards with straight sides. Previously, the boards tightly joined, and now began to form crevices. A chamfer is such a move that allows you to make future gaps not so noticeable.

In many cases, chamfer is made by manufacturers when creating a natural floor covering such as parquet and laminate. Chamfer can not only save you from obvious cracks, but also get rid of some visual defectsthat may have occurred during the processing of the panels. A chamfer reduces the risk of chipping if the corners of the product will be loaded. A chipped corner on a laminate without a chamfer will be more noticeable than on the opposite model.

A chamfer is an element that significantly changes and transforms the appearance of the coating. It will make it more like natural wood. If the planks fit snugly together and do not have bumps and deformations, but, on the contrary, are very straight and smooth, then this clearly resembles fake wood. So you emphasize the artificial nature of the flooring. And the chamfer makes each plank irresistible in its own way and individualizes it. This means that such a decorative and functional element helps to imitate a plank floor.

The chamfer makes imperceptible the weakening of locks and other fastenings of the laminate, therefore it prolongs its life and makes the appearance more elegant. In addition, it allows you to smooth out the irregularities of the floor or other deformations.Some believe that such a decorative element is even capable of making the room more spacious, visually increasing its area. Double-sided chamfer makes the room longer if the slats are laid along the long side of the room.

Laminated with a chamfer, in the first place, is characterized by the presence of a minimal oblique cut on the edge. Thus, when you stack adjacent elements, a natural gap is formed between them as between natural deformed planks. Laminated board with a facet is distinguished by its large thickness. So, the usual model has a thickness of 8-9 mm, and products with a chamfer in thickness exceed 10 mm. Laminate with a chamfer can be of several types.

• Models with V-neck. They have a straight bevel that allows a small groove in the shape of a letter V to form at the junction. The depth of such a gap is insignificant and is less than 3 mm.
• Models with U-shaped chamfer. In this case, the chamfer is more rounded, and the dividing line between two adjacent planks has the same shape. So, the gap becomes more invisible, but at the same time very natural.Its size does not exceed 2 mm. As a rule, the chamfer is bilateral, that is, two opposite sides of each plank are used.
• Laminated board with a facet around the perimeter, that is quadrilateral. Such models are more expensive and unusual. A feature of the chamfer on the laminate is that it does not mask the gap between adjacent elements, but on the contrary, makes it more visible and natural. That is why this flooring looks more expensive and luxurious. But it is as close as possible to the natural boardwalk.

The face is often coated with varnish or special film. Thus, it looks more elegant, and its service life is extended.

Such a coating is perfect if you decide to create a smooth, smooth floor with a coherent structure. It is sleek and very pleasant to the touch and is versatile. Such coatings can imitate not only wood, but also other materials, such as stone, marble, granite and many others.These are more interesting in appearance of the product, during the creation of which the focus is not on approaching natural wood, but on the decor of such laminate.

Very often there is a light laminate without chamfer, which is used as an alternative to floorboard. It is perfect for a classic interior design. Standard laminate is most commonly found in shades of brown, beige and cream. Such models are versatile and suitable for any style of interior.

Any laminate after its installation tends to disperse a little over time. So, at the joints, the seams become noticeable. But the gaps are very narrow, in some cases the distance between them does not exceed half a millimeter. Outwardly, they may be invisible, but such a drawback may affect the quality characteristics of the material: moisture, dust and dirt may get into the cracks.

When choosing a laminate with both chamfer and without, it is important to pay attention to its class. The most reliable are products of the 31st, 32nd, 33rd class.They are very resistant to abrasion, so they will be invisible traces of mechanical stress. In addition, they are very durable and flexible, and also have reliable latches. That is why such products are often produced without chamfering. This leads to the fact that in some cases, with proper care, the gaps do not appear at all over time, and therefore the chamfer loses its functionality.

In addition, the role of chamfer can perform a special substrate. It will make the flooring more reliable and minimize the possibility of cracks and crevices. Laminate with a chamfer can be put at any time and in absolutely any room, except when it is very wet.

Models without chamfer better to lay in such rooms as the toilet, bathroom, hallway. It is very versatile and resistant to moisture and dirt, it is much easier to take care of it. Thus, its main difference is that it is more practical. But laminate with chamfer can be put under any temperature conditions. The opposite option has a number of styling conditions.So, simple even models should never be laid in case they were in a room with high or low temperature for a long time. First, they must be placed in the room where they will be subsequently laid, and wait approximately 12-36 hours for the coating to acclimatize and not give deformation.

Many believe that the laminate with a facet is not very practical to use. So, there is an opinion that small gaps will collect in themselves all the dirt and dust. But in fact, these gaps are so small that they are almost invisible, and dust does not fall into them. In addition, to deal with this problem will help special stain-resistant agents.

Also, many people think that water will get there, and therefore the laminate with a facet in functionality will be similar to the coating without it. But a chamfered model impregnated with a water repellent is more durable and reliablethan models without her. Some buyers also point out that the bevel laminate is not very practical, since dry cleaning is rather difficult.That is, caring for it is more complicated than the usual smooth and even laminate.

It is believed that in a wet room model with a chamfer stee categorically impossible. But it is not so. There are special lamellae that are made of very durable materials with a high resin content and are fixed with the help of reliable locks. Thus, the chamfer is fully protected, water does not penetrate into the coating and under it completely. In addition, many manufacturers are models that are already pre-treated with water repellent.

Another myth is that since the models with a chamfer have irregular edges, when exposed to physical and mechanical factors on these elements of the lamellae, the likelihood of cracking and chipping increases. Thus, these models are more fragile. But this is not entirely true, since the chamfer is used only if the laminate is durable, and its thickness is more than 10 mm. Thus, the depth of the chamfer is extremely small compared with the thickness of the entire product and therefore the impact on this point will not affect the external qualities of the lamella.

There are products with a waltzed bevel, which is distinguished by the strength of all edges of the board. In such places, the materials in the manufacture of laminate is very strongly pressed, and thus it becomes more dense. The final stage in its creation is a special protective impregnation. Thus, if in the manufacture of such a model were used high-quality modern technology, they can surpass the model without such decorative design. But if the lamellae are not treated with a protective coating and are only painted with a simple paint or varnish, then their waterproof and protective properties are greatly reduced.

Another myth is that models with a chamfer are much more difficult to stack and dock. But this is not true. They have the same fastenings and locks, as well as classical models of lamels. That is why they can be easily and quickly laid at home on their own without any extra effort and assistance. It should be noted that the laminate with a facet is more expensive than models without it. The latest options are quite budget and will fit any wallet.

If you put the laminate on the already finished leveled base, no matter what kind of coating you prefer. In this case, it is necessary to make a start not from the quality characteristics, but from the appearance of such a product and from your personal preferences. In this case, it is important to consider the style of the interior in which the room is made. Then the chamfer will only serve as a decorative element.

You will learn more about laminate with a bevel from the following video.