Laminated Floors: Seven Millimeters Vs. Eight Millimeters

Thickness

• The 8mm flooring is about 5/16 of an inch thick. The thickness of the plank is made up of the backing, core, photographic layer and the wear layer. According to Renovation Experts, any laminate flooring below 8mm will not have as much stability as thicker flooring. Therefore, there isn’t much different between the two thicknesses and both will have a hollow sound when you walk on it.

Abrasive Class Wear Rating

• According to Nucasa Milling Company, the thickness of the floor is not as important as the Abrasive Class, or AC, wear rating. The AC rating measures the floorings resistance to stains, moisture, abrasion, burns and impact. If you use 8mm thick flooring in your living room that has an AC1 rating, which is for light traffic areas, such as a closet or bedroom, the floor isn’t going to have the resilience needed for a room that has medium traffic. Therefore, it will wear faster than if you use 7mm flooring with an AC3 rating, which is rated for moderate commercial or heavy residential flooring.

Cost

• The cost of laminate is between $0.99 and $7 per square foot, but the cost depends on the manufacturer. Some laminate flooring may be as little as $0.59 per square foot when it is on sale or reduced to closeout prices. For example, you can find 7mm laminate flooring for $0.89 per square foot, while 8mm laminate costs $0.99 per square foot. Before you decide which laminate is affordable, you need to consider the AC wear rating.

The Underlayment

• The type of underlayment you use under the 7mm or 8mm laminate flooring will help reduce some of the hollow sound when you walk across the floor. Standard foam underlayment is about 1/8 of an inch thick. However, for the 7mm and 8mm flooring, you can use modified underlayment, which is denser and made of rubber, fiber or cell foam. If you want to add thickness to the laminate flooring, you can use cork underlayment, which is about 1/4 of an inch thick.