Despite its invention more than half a century ago, laminate flooring remains one of the most popular floors for a home.
A consumer survey pegs the numbers at a whopping 30% of U.S. homes having laminate flooring, with homeowners choosing it for its durability, attractiveness, ease of cleaning, and value-adding qualities.
The question is, what’s the best laminate flooring you can get, and what makes the different types so high quality? As experts in flooring, we’ve got the answers.
Keep reading to discover the best laminate flooring in terms of the best qualities, thickness, grades, brands, and colors.
Which is the Best Quality Laminate Flooring? 5 Things to Look For
You can’t compare apples to oranges, and laminate flooring is no different. A variety of factors impact the quality of laminate flooring, including its wear layer, thickness, finishing, and manufacturing.
The good news is you don’t have to compromise on budgets to find premium laminate flooring. Many types of laminate are both affordable and high quality – capable of lasting many years of high-traffic use.
The best quality laminate flooring will always have the following characteristics, so it’s important to look for these if you want your floors to last:
- Waterproof: Choosing waterproof laminate is always a good idea to protect against leaks and spills. When installed with a perimeter seal, this type of laminate is fully waterproof.
- EIR (Embossed in Register) finished: This means the laminate floor has been finished in line with EIR methods to create a similar wood grain to real hardwood floors.
- AC4 or AC5-rated wear layer: This refers to its durability and wear-resistance. AC4 is suitable for residential and moderate commercial use (like offices), while AC5 is so durable it’s designed for heavy commercial use (like busy department stores).
- Thickness of 9mm+: Thicker laminate is more durable and offers more soundproofing and impact resistance, making it slightly higher quality. It also feels stronger and more like real wood
- Brands: We only supply premium laminate flooring from three major laminate flooring brands, known for their high-quality, durable products, including Robbins, TORLYS, and TruCor.
Top Picks: Best Laminate Flooring in 2025
Find high-quality laminate flooring in your favorite color (that meets the above quality standards).
Explore more of our most popular laminate flooring colors this year.
Which Type of Laminate Flooring is Best?
In a home, you’re better off choosing a waterproof laminate with a wear rating of AC3+. This protects your floors against daily spills and general wear. It’s also a good floor for homes with pets or rooms where you wear shoes indoors.
In a commercial environment, you want the floor to be as strong as possible. A wear rating of AC4 or AC5 is ideal, with the higher ratings capable of preventing visible signs of deterioration for longer.
There’s nothing wrong with using higher ratings in a residential home. It simply makes the floor more durable and long-lasting, but it isn’t necessary, nor is it always worth spending extra money on.
What is a Good Grade of Laminate Flooring?
The “grade” of laminate flooring refers to the AC (or Abrasion Class) rating. This rigorous system measures the wear layer of laminate flooring, which means how much foot traffic it can handle before showing usage marks or signs of aging.
Most homes can do fine with a lower AC rating of AC1, AC2, or AC3. These are suitable for bedrooms, living areas, hallways, and kitchens.
Premium laminate flooring has a wear layer of AC4 or AC5. This makes it suitable for all areas of the home and some commercial environments.
What is a Good Laminate Flooring Thickness?
The thicker your laminate flooring, the more durable it will be. A thickness of 9mm or 12mm, or above, is considered a “good” thickness, capable of withstanding regular foot traffic and providing ample soundproofing.
However, “thinner” laminate flooring isn’t necessarily of poorer quality. A thinner laminate may be perfectly suitable for your home. It depends on where you’re installing laminate flooring and what your priorities are.
A thinner laminate will simply offer slightly less stability, soundproofing, and subfloor levelling compared to a thicker laminate.
From a thicker laminate (9mm+), you can achieve:
- Stability: Thicker planks are less likely to warp and can withstand heavy impact better. This doesn’t mean it won’t chip if you drop something heavy, it simply means the plank is less likely to snap.
- Soundproofing: Thicker laminate reduces noise transmission, which offers more soundproofing on an upper level and minimizes echoes
- Leveling the floor: Thicker laminate is good at hiding unevenness in a subfloor. This makes it better for installing on top of an unlevel floor (like installing laminate on concrete).
Which Brand of Laminate is Best?
At Panel Town and Floors, we only supply premium laminate flooring from trusted suppliers that meet high-quality standards and universally recognized measurements of quality.
Our favorite laminate flooring brands include Robbins, TORLYS, and TruCor, which all supply waterproof laminate flooring with 9mm+ thicknesses, EIR technology, and AC4+ wear layers. Learn more about each brand below.
Discover Top-Quality Laminate Today
At Panel Town and Floors, we pride ourselves on sourcing only the highest quality floors for family homes and commercial environments.
Find your new floor today in our complete collection of waterproof laminate, or try our visualizer to test colors and styles in your home today.
Looking for laminate flooring in Ohio? Visit our showroom for exclusive deals or a chat with our experts about finding the best floor for you!
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