Should I Install Laminate Flooring Under Oven? What are the Benefits?

Is the floor shrinking under your oven? If this thing happens inside your kitchen, the floor can get warped, creating a great mess in the interior. In that case, you should install a heat-resistant flooring system to reduce the risk of shrinking. 

As an exception to such flooring systems, laminate flooring doesn’t come with such heat-resistant capability. However, a laminate floor is the first choice when you want a smoother surface on your floor. 

In such a condition, you may think- should I install laminate flooring under the oven or not? Will the floor last longer in your kitchen, even if it’s a laminate floor? Or, should you avoid this flooring type? Once you read the full article, you’ll be able to find out the answers.

What Is Laminate Flooring?

Laminate flooring is a type of floor design that is arranged through a lamination process. Fusing a multi-layer synthetic flooring product together, this flooring simulates the wood material of the floor with a photographic applique layer. The design places that layer under a clear protective layer, and the inner core layer consists of some composite materials. Usually, the inner layer has a mixture of fiberboard and melamine resin materials.

In the case of the lifespan, the laminating flooring can last up to 15 to 25 years on average, depending on the quality. Since laminate flooring is durable and strong in characteristics, it lasts longer than most other flooring types without any issue. Tearing this type of floor is quite hard because of the core of the high-density fiberboard. 

Not to mention, this flooring type can handle any scuff, spill, or stain naturally due to the smooth surface. The laminate floors can sometimes be five times higher scratch resistant when compared to hardwood floors.

Should I Install Laminate Flooring Under Ovens?

Let’s talk about the consequences first. Actually, you will take the laminate flooring into your consideration because of its high scratch resistance. Though the laminate floor can withstand most scratches, high heat can shrink or warp the floor when placed under an oven. This is because the laminating flooring cannot handle much heat due to its multi-layered and sensitive build materials.

According to the benefits, you should install laminate flooring when you want a scratch-free, smooth surface in your kitchen. Though the laminate floor cannot handle extreme temperature, you can create a better heat resistance after some specific arrangements and maintenance. When you cannot ensure the higher heat resistance of the laminate flooring, we suggest that you avoid it.

Installing laminate flooring directly below the ovens is strongly prohibited. This is because the direct attachment can create a high heat contact with the floor. As a result, the flooring shrinks dramatically when using the oven for longer. Since laminating flooring is a floating floor design, you can set it under any oven that runs using medium heat. So, install laminating flooring if you use your oven for low heat baking purposes.

What Are The Benefits Of Laminate Flooring?

Flooring is one of the crucial elements to create a better interior design for any kitchen. You should remember that the installation of a flooring style in any room is permanent for a long time. That’s why you need to consider the benefits of a specific floor design before the final installment. So, look at the benefits of the laminate flooring type below:

1. Primarily, the laminate flooring brings a classy look to any interior design in exchange for a little investment compared to other flooring styles. Place the flooring over the hardwood counterpart, and this affordable choice will bring an ambient texture into the interior part.
2. Secondly, the laminate flooring is pretty easy to install, and you can set it up manually as a homeowner. Though its installation process doesn’t require much expertise, this flooring is fairly durable for most conditions.
3. The laminate floors come with a variety of designs and textures. You always like to modify your floor design and make it look unique, right? Similarly, laminate flooring gives you multiple options for choosing the patterns or colors of the design.

What To Consider When Installing Laminate Flooring?

Laminate is a popular flooring choice for kitchens since you can clean kitchen dust from this floor without any hard labor. Besides, feeling motivated to buy this flooring type is common for its availability in tons of styles. Buying the laminate floor, however, is not the whole thing for a perfect installment. You need to consider some factors when installing laminate flooring inside your kitchen.

1. Always match the floor material to your existing floor type. Since the laminate floors are available at low prices, the chance of getting a low floor material is higher. So, finding the perfect material is a must for a long-lasting service.
2. If you want to arrange a durable laminate flooring setup, the floor should be installed correctly. The wrong placement of the flooring can affect durability. More specifically, the floor can get bunched or buckled up because of warping.
3. Another important thing to remember is that the laminate floor can get slippery when wet. In that case, you shouldn’t walk around the floor to avoid accidents. It’s better to wipe out the damp part to make it usable again.
4. The durability of laminate flooring gets weaker when contacted with high heat. In extreme conditions, the floor can get damaged critically. So, you must avoid direct high heat to keep the floor safe.
5. To avoid gouging or scratching the floor surface, you need to keep the sharp objects separate from the floor. Besides, the thin material of laminate flooring can be dented with a hard hit. Keeping heavy things away from the floor is mandatory for fresh laminate flooring.
6. Though the laminate floor is designed to handle the spills, you shouldn’t install it in a damp area. Constantly keeping the floor wet increases the chance of damaging both the inner and outer parts of the surface. For this reason, always protect the laminate floor from moisture.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I Put Flooring Under Stove?

Yes, you can. Lay your flooring in the space where the stove will go if it is freestanding. Truly, the stove will hide the flooring, but it’s easier than trying to find something that matches the thickness of the flooring. You should move the stove out of the way so that the flooring can be laid beneath them. If the stove needs to be serviced, you may not be able to remove it without causing harm to the floor.

Does Laminate Flooring Go Under Appliances?

Yes, because a laminate floor is a type of floating floor and it should be installed under the kitchen cabinets. Usually, we don’t see any reason for not installing under the appliances. Under fixed cabinets, you shouldn’t install laminate flooring. Floating cabinets, such as kitchen islands, can be installed directly on top of laminate flooring. However, that’s not the right way of installing fixed cabinets according to the structure and you should avoid installing them over a floating floor.

Conclusion

Once the only way to get a hardwood look in your kitchen was to install a solid hardwood floor. Now, you have other options like laminate flooring. Because of the wood-like look and wide design variety, you can easily match it to your existing floor design. However, putting an oven over a laminate floor doesn’t create any issue until the temperature is messed up. If you can avoid such conditions, there is no problem installing laminate flooring under your oven.