Laminate Flooring

See the picture on the right? It looks like an expensive looking type of hardwood flooring, right? If you agree with me, then let me correct you by saying it does look like expensive hardwood but in fact, it is not. What you are looking at is called laminate flooring, another flooring that you may want to consider if you are environmentally concerned or just looking for less expensive flooring materials that look as good as the real ones.

Laminate flooring is not actually hardwood but a photograph of it. Surprised? You may even use a magnifying glass to compare it with actual hardwood, ceramic, marble, or vinyl and not see the difference. This is because of the unique way of producing the laminates: it consists of a surface layer of two thin sheets of paper combined with melamine. And oh, it does contain wood in it; right under the photograph is about a .5 inch of wood chip composite. The photograph surface layer is commonly covered with a hard transparent layer that is resistant to low to medium traffic in the house. Depending on what you want, you can either purchase glued or snapped together laminate flooring planks. The ‘snap-together’ kind is less difficult to install but it is not as structurally stable as the ‘glue-together’ type that can resist moisture better as well.

You may be surprised to know that laminate flooring even has its own hardness scale (known as the AC scale). This rating considers resistance to physical impact, burns, and stains. The ideal laminate’s score is AC-3 to AC-4 which can withstand heavy residential and commercial use.

How Laminates are Produced

Two methods can be used to create laminate flooring: direct pressure and high pressure. All the layers are assembled at the same time and heated and pressed together to form a bond in the direct pressure method. While in the high pressure method, the top and bottom layers are treated separately and then fused together to the core layer under extreme high pressure. This method creates the higher end types of laminate flooring.

Laminate Flooring Layers

• Wear Layer

The topmost layer, this is usually made from cellulose paper that is heavily combined with melamine plastic resins, making it extremely durable and resistant.

• Design Layer

As its name suggests, the design layer carries the laminate’s design, texture, characteristics, and color as seen through the wear layer.

• Core Layer

The third layer, the core, is considered the main part of laminate flooring and is mostly made from a type of particle board. The thicker the core, the more durable and stronger will be the laminate flooring. Depending on the manufacturer, core layers may be treated with paraffin wax or water repellent chemicals to prevent water from penetrating it.

• Stabilizing Layer

The stabilizing layer is the bottom layer. Like the wear layer, it usually consists of cellulose paper combined with melamine plastic resins. The main purpose of the stabilizing layer is to create a sort of balance within the laminate so that each side is not affected differently from the other.

Advantages of Installing Laminate Flooring

• Because it is not made from real hardwood/ ceramic/ marble, its cost is relatively less expensive. You can even buy the ones manufactured by popular brands and not burn a hole in your pocket.
• The wood in laminate flooring comes from renewable resource materials and no heavy metals. Its high fiber content and chemically stable resins is also ideal for recycling, making it another green flooring option.
• It has low volatile organic component emissions making it a safe and healthy choice for your family.
• Laminate flooring is relatively easy to install and maintain. You can even install it yourself and call yourself a pro at it!

Visit our Los Angeles Flooring showrooms for more information about Flooring.