laminate flooring has some of the best warranties in the industry

laminate flooring has some of the best warranties in the industry

When buying anything in life, an important consideration should be its warranty. Laminate flooring warranties are no different, and because of its durability, laminate flooring has some of the best warranties available in the flooring industry.

Warranty periods can cover 10, 15, 25, 30 years and above. The majority of laminate flooring brands come with a minimum of 15 years replacement warranty for residential use, and some of the premium brands come with a lifetime laminate flooring warranty.

Once you have purchased your laminate flooring, you must comply with the manufacturer’s installation, care and maintenance instructions for
the warranty to be valid. The installation instructions typically include using their own range of installation products and adhesives, leaving the correct expansion gaps where required, and use of a vapor barrier as necessary. Ignoring these instructions would invalidate the laminate flooring warranty and any claim would be void, thus making the point of choosing the particular brand of flooring because of its warranty, pointless.

Most laminate flooring warranties will not cover scratches to the laminate surface, but do typically cover stains, fading, premature wearing, and possibly accidental moisture damage. The warranties provided only apply if the laminate flooring is installed into the area’s intended for that particular type. This means a laminate flooring warranty on flooring rated for light residential traffic, would not be valid if the laminate flooring was installed into a room classed as being a heavy traffic area.

If you need to make a claim within the warranty period, most manufacturer’s will, at their option, either provide material to repair the defective area or replace the floor. Some manufacturer’s will also pay reasonable labour costs to repair the defective area if it was professionally installed. It is also worth noting that the majority of laminate flooring warranties are issued to the original retail consumer, and are not transferable.

Most laminate flooring warranties only apply when the defective area is visible and covers an area greater than one square inch, or one square cm with some manufacturer’s. When requesting warranty service, you will need to show proof of purchase. This can be in the form of a sales receipt or possibly a contractors invoice, etc. It must also be possible to provide proof that only the recommended laminate flooring accessories were used to install the laminate floor (identifiable from the product labels).
Typical Exclusions from laminate flooring warranties

Many laminate flooring warranties do not cover wear or damage due to improper installation, cleaning, care or maintenance. This can include :

    Accidents, abuse or misuse,
    Extremes of hot or cold,
    Scratches, impacts, or cutting,
    Installations not carried out as per the manufacturer’s installation instructions,
    Improper workmanship,
    Improper maintenance,
    Improper fabrication,
    Damages through acts of god,
    Material damaged in transit. This is the responsibility of the shipping company,
    Seams of glueless planks moving apart because they have been engaged/disengaged more than three times,

    Water damaged due to excessive moisture within a concrete slab, hydrostatic pressure, flooding caused by ice makers, refrigerators, sinks, dishwashers, leaking pipes, flooding, standing water, household mechanical failures, damage caused by water underneath the laminate flooring, including damage from sub-floor hydrostatic pressure or other conditions that result in water being below the laminate flooring or natural disasters,
    Installation of laminate flooring that contains any manufacturing defect is not covered by a laminate flooring warranty. Manufacturing defects should be reported to the manufacturer before installation, soon after the date of purchase, and the defective items will be replaced ready for installation.