Pergo has been in Europe quite a bit longer than it has been in the States. It is a brand name for what is properly called laminate flooring. It’s a highly durable, low-maintenance imitation wood floor. It is actually a plastic laminate photo image of wood that is applied to a composite wood substrate. When installed correctly, it can be very hard to visually tell that the laminate flooring is not natural wood. However, you can hear a difference. Laminate flooring is a very thin material applied over a layer of foam. So when your heel touches the laminate flooring you will not hear the same solid sound that you would on an inch and a half of solid wood floor. Instead, you hear a hollow sound that tends to be a little bit noisier. There is now an under layment that softens this noise but is still not the same sound as wood.
Laminate flooring is fairly easy to install and makes a good do-it-yourself project when working in a modest sized area. The cost is comparable with the conventional oak strip and parquet type flooring.
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