| Laminate
flooring provides exceptional durability, easy-to-clean surfaces,
stain-, fade-, and impact-resistance, and affordable costs. Because
of its floating installation method, it resists the shrinkage and
swelling that result because of changes in seasons.
Laminates are available for installation in virtually
every room of the house and can be installed over radiant heating
systems. When installing over a radiant heat system, most manufacturers
recommend a temperature of at least 60°F (15°C), but never
above 80°F (27°C). Check your specific manufacturer’s
guidelines for more details.
Dye lots, commonly found in ceramic, textile, and
wood are virtually non-existent with laminate flooring. You will
receive the exact match in tone and color from box-to-box –
even if additional flooring isn’t purchased until years later.
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Laminate flooring is recommended for homes where children and pets
exist. If the correct type of underlayment is selected, the sound
reduction qualities are better than with other flooring choices.
TYPES
OF LAMINATE FLOORING:
Laminate is available in planks, blocks, tiles, and squares:
LAMINATE
PLANKS are longer strips made to resemble ceramic tile, stone, and
wood and come in a variety of wood-look species, colors, and patterns.
LAMINATE
BLOCKS, TILES, and SQUARES are available as small individual and/or
larger pieces with imitation grout joints. These are also made to
resemble other flooring types like ceramic tile or stone.
COMPONENTS
OF LAMINATE FLOORING:
All laminate flooring, whether it is planks, blocks, tiles, or squares,
has the same four components. Underlayment (see #3 below) is sometimes
attached to the laminate – and sometimes it is available separately
in roll or sheet form. Below are the descriptions of such components:
1. Laminate’s surface layer is the melamine WEARLAYER/TOP
LAYER, a tough clear layer with aluminum oxide particles. When the
WEARLAYER is fused with heat and direct pressure to the core, it
becomes an extremely hard, durable finish – extremely difficult
to stain, scratch, or burn. This WEARLAYER is applied to the PRINT
LAYER to protect the pattern of the laminate.
There are two types of WEARLAYER: PVC and urethane
• PVC: This basic vinyl WEARLAYER is quite durable, but scuffs
easier than the urethane version. It is recommended for installation
in below-average traffic areas because it is more difficult to maintain.
• Urethane: Because of its extreme durability, this finish
can be used in high traffic areas depending on the thickness of
the WEARLAYER. It is available in high gloss and natural looks.
2. Laminate’s second layer is known as the PRINT LAYER –
the decorative layer just below the WEARLAYER/TOP LAYER giving the
flooring its appearance of real hardwood or tile. It can be a photo
or printed pattern on paper, strengthened with resins and either
fused or glued to the CORE LAYER.
3. Laminate’s third layer is UNDERLAYMENT, a clear thin plastic
sheet that floats freely above the CORE before the laminate floor
is floated. This plastic is saturated with resins as well.
4. Laminate’s thickest layer is the center of the panel, or
the CORE LAYER, most likely consisting of high-density fiberboard
(HDF), a particleboard that adds resistance and forms the tongue
and groove locking system. It is saturated with melamine plastic
resins to improve moisture resistance.
5. The STABILITY LAYER is paper or melamine plastic that allows
planks to adapt to humidity and temperature changes without warping.
LAMINATE
FLOORING CONSTRUCTION:
Laminate flooring is manufactured by using a tongue and groove glue
or glueless method that creates a single unit that expands and contracts
(invisible to the eye) with changes in humidity. As a result, it
is resistant (but not foolproof) to normal household spills, tracked-in
rain and/or snow.
The
two types of laminate produced are high-pressure lamination and
direct-pressure lamination:
HIGH-PRESSURE
LAMINATION:
With this method the bottom and top layers are separately heated
and consolidated into a laminate structure that is then permanently
fused to the core. This produces laminate flooring that is more
impact- and dent-resistant than the other method, direct-pressure
lamination.
DIRECT-PRESSURE
LAMINATION:
With this method layers are assembled all at once and permanently
bonded to the core with hardening melamine resins. Because it is
less impact- and dent-resistant, it is less expensive as well.
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