Does Laminate Flooring Make A Room Look Bigger?
You have tried everything; decluttering, swapping furniture, and your room is still cramped. Could the answer be in your flooring? Does laminate flooring make a room look bigger? If so, what can you do to enhance this effect? Laminate flooring can make a room look bigger, but not always. I’ll share which types to try, and how else to dress your room for size success.
Contents
- Does laminate flooring make a room look bigger?
- Laying laminate flooring to make the room look larger
- Narrow vs wide laminate planks
- What color laminate makes the room look bigger?
- Making the room look bigger when you have dark laminate
While researching ways to make the most of my tiny New York apartment, I ran into this myth. I’m sure you have also heard that laminate floors make rooms appear bigger than they are. So naturally, I set out to investigate, and here are my findings.
Does Laminate Flooring Make A Room Look Bigger?
Yes, it does. But first, a little background on laminate floors. Laminate floors came from the mid-70s as an inexpensive alternative to hardwood floors.
A laminate board consists of a particleboard topped by an image layer and a protective cuticle. Laminate floors are easy to clean, scratch resistant, and relatively inexpensive. On the downside, they are susceptible to water damage.
Manufacturers can print anything on the surface of the laminates, and this is the source of its magic. The images on laminate floors can create visual illusions that you can manipulate to make your room look bigger. You can also arrange the planks in particular patterns to take advantage of this effect.
Which Way Do You Lay Laminate To Make The Room Look Bigger?
The way you lay your laminates affects how big your room appears. Below are some patterns that yield the best results.
A common trick is installing the flooring such that the boards run parallel to the room’s longest wall. Our eyes track lateral movements, and laying the boards parallel to the longest wall will catch the eye’s attention. Forcing the eye to run across a room will trigger the brain to perceive a room as bigger than it is.
If laid correctly, diagonal patterns can also create an illusion of space. You want to lay the pattern to run across the room’s length for the best effect. Once you enter the room, the widest parts of the pattern draw out your eyes. And your brain will translate the floor as wider than it is.
Do Narrow or Wide Planks Make a Room Look Bigger?
Wide planks make more sense because they stretch the eye. Wider planks are also advantageous because installation costs less. You will need fewer planks than strips.
What Color Laminate Floor Makes a Room Look Bigger?
When making a room look bigger, color plays a pivotal role. Here I’m not just talking about the color of the floor but also the pigment of your walls. Think of the room as a cube, and the floor only represents one side of the room. The walls represent four sides of the room and exert a greater impact.
8 Ways You Can Make Your Room Look Bigger if You Have DARK Laminate FLOORS
Light laminate floors reflect light. A well-lit room will always look bigger. To enhance this effect, you can keep your walls light. What if you have limited choice on the color of your floor? What if you already have dark laminate flooring and there’s nothing you can do about it?
Go Light on Your Walls
Adopting a lighter paint color for your walls will significantly impact how big your room appears. A lighter hue of gray comes highly recommended. Whites and other light versions of other colors are also okay. You also want to go white on your ceiling.
Choose a Light Area Rug
Area rugs protect the floor, add some warmth, and reduce noise. And if you have dark laminate floors, light area rugs can make your room look bigger. I would recommend light-colored area rugs. A light red will spark up your space.
Limit the Size of Your Furniture
In this case, less is more. Your space will look larger with smaller pieces of furniture. Resist the temptation to supersize your sofa or coffee table.
Be Consistent With Flooring in Other Rooms
Uniformity makes your apartment look much larger and cohesive. If you are considering flooring options for your kitchen, install laminate floors to match your dining and living room. Put into practice your new-found knowledge, and adopt a diagonal pattern
Use Monochromatic Color Schemes
Again, less is more. Applying fewer colors creates fewer distractions for the eye. It also makes your style appear more up-to-date.
Create Darker Wall Accents
Sound counterintuitive, but please hear me out. With darker wall accents, the eye pushes out the space. As a result, the brain will interpret the wall as being further away than it is.
Pro Tip: Ensure that the accent wall has the same color tone as the rest of the walls but in a darker shade. The effect is enhanced when the accent wall is two or three shades darker than the rest of the walls.
Use Mirrors
A mirror can make a whole wall disappear. But since sticking a mirror on a whale wall may seem outdated, you can have mirrors cut into fun shapes. Mirrors reflect light, and if you can find a way to disguise a mirror, it could seem like a portal on the wall; a window to another room
Improve the Room’s Lighting
Lighting is the key to making a room appear larger. We use light walls and mirrors to reflect light. But these are not your only options.
You can improve lighting by adding light sources or eliminating inhibitors of natural light. Heavy drapery and blinds often block the entry of natural light into a room. You can opt for lighter blinds or do away with them entirely.
Does Laminate Flooring Make A Room Look Bigger?
When applied correctly, laminate floors can stretch a room out, making it appear larger than it is. But to achieve this effect, you have to be creative. Consider the diagonal layout and stick to lighter colors.
If you only have dark laminate floors, there is hope for your situation. Consider a colored area rug, add mirrors, create darker wall accents, and improve lighting in your space.
Nobody likes crumped-up spaces, but sometimes that is all we have. With the tips above, you can enlarge your space with laminate floors.
Happy Remodeling!
