Károly sat on a box left behind by chance in the living room of the emptied flat. He looked at the empty room, the grey walls, which were well overdue for a renovation. His gaze swept across the windows.
Now he is saying goodbye to these as well.
The one at the edge of the living room, with the chipped handle, evoked particularly pleasant memories. From there, he used to wave to his father leaving for work in the mornings.
He inherited the city-centre flat from his parents, and now lives there with his wife.
Ági is a manic amateur interior designer. She is constantly thinking about how to make the flat cosier. At least once a month, Károly arrives home to find his favourite sofa pushed into yet another corner, unable to find anything. Yet, he likes predictability.
Perhaps Ági is like this because they do not have children yet. Or she inherited it from her mother. Apparently, Aunt Kati was also a great home rearranger in her youth.
Actually, it does not really matter, as the decision has already been made: they are planning a major home renovation. They will replace the windows and doors, have the walls painted, and replace the bathroom fixtures and the kitchen cabinets.
And, of course, something has to be done about the floor as well.
Due to Ági's constant moving of furniture, the old parquet is in a terrible state. The only question left is what to pave the 'new' flat with, something that radiates warmth, is aesthetic, fashionable, and can withstand heavy wear and tear.
The next day, Károly had a meeting with a contractor, to whom he explained his reservations and fears regarding the flooring. He definitely wanted a warm floor covering to remind him of the old family nest, but needed an extremely durable solution.
Not only because of Ági's obsession, but also because they are planning a baby — hopefully more than one —, and young children are no guarantee of a scratch-free life either. Quite the contrary...
The most scratch-resistant and wear-resistant laminate flooring
Fortunately, they managed to find a professional contractor who is up to date with the latest products and technologies. Together, they went to a nearby building materials merchant to review and discuss the options.
On the way in the car, Károly underwent a bit of training. Józsi, the contractor, gave him a crash course on what values to look for on the products and what they mean. Károly, who had never even heard of scratch and impact resistance scales before, entered the shop looking like a professional flooring guru.
Wear resistance of warm floor coverings
For warm floor coverings, wear resistance is classified on a so-called AC 1–5 scale. The higher the number, the better the wear resistance of the laminate flooring.
Impact resistance of warm floor coverings
Impact resistance is indicated by the IC or IP value. According to standards, these values can be found on the packaging: IP31, IP32, IP33. The higher this value, the greater the impact resistance of the laminate board.
Since he did not want to restrict Ági in her passion for interior design, he targeted the highest values. He stepped up to the dealer and spoke firmly.
"Hello. I am looking for laminate flooring with AC5/33 ratings."
The salesman looked at him with wide eyes, not used to such well-prepared customers. But then he stepped out from behind the counter and led them to an installation that looked promising even from a distance.
"Sir, if I understand correctly, your new floor will be subjected to heavy use, so I can recommend Arteo laminate floors. These have the highest wear and impact resistance ratings available on the market."
After the detailed information, Károly's contractor also nodded in agreement. They quickly requested a quote for a 100 m² floor area, including underlay and skirting boards, and then, with a brochure in hand, he went home to his in-laws, where they are temporarily staying during the renovation.
In the evening, after dinner, they snuggled up on the sofa and went through the catalogue. Ági could practically picture any colour and variation immediately, and was already hinting that perhaps some new furniture wouldn't hurt in their renovated home either. In the end, they agreed on a brown shade, as it goes well with many colours.
Károly leaned back with satisfaction that this issue was also resolved, but a stray thought still slipped out of his mouth.
"Darling, what if we also had fitted wardrobes made?"