Laminate

Laminate Floors & Laminate Tile Flooring

What are laminate floors made of?

• The core, which is the strength of the product, is called HDF (High Density Fiber).
• The backing is made of melamine and other materials.
• The design and color that you see are made with a photographic image.
• Melamine with aluminum oxide on the surface gives the product protection against wear, stain, and fading. This also makes it scratch resistant.
• The HDF is made of 95% wood (normally Pine) mixed with melamine and other resins, which turn the product into a fiber that is approximately 8” thick. The material is run through a press to become a 6-12mm thick board. At that time, it becomes a high-density fiber. This board will take approximately one ton per square inch of pressure. This means that a pool table or piano won't crack or dent the laminate floor, something that could be a concern when dealing with ceramic tile or other types of wood floors that aren't as strong.

How to keep laminates durable:

• The laminate tile must acclimate for 48-72 hours; it must be left inside the box in the customer's home, under normal living conditions. This differs from some other flooring types such as cork flooring.
• The laminate must be installed with a proper moisture barrier and underlayment.
• The laminate must have proper transition molding between all doorways, 4 feet or less to keep within the manufacturer's warranty.
• The laminate must also be installed with a 3/8" expansion gap next to all walls to allow for normal expansion and contraction.
• Quarter rounds are used around the walls to cover the 3/8" expansion gap, when a customer chooses to keep his or her original baseboards without removing and re-installing them.

How laminates are made:

The wood is debarked and all knots are removed, then it is ground up and mixed with bonding agents. This process brings the wood to a thickness of 8 inches. Next, it is heat treated and compressed until it becomes a high density fiber board. Which simply means it will handle one ton per square inch. (ex. The customer can place a piano or pool table on the floor and it will not dent). Finally, a photographic image is bonded to the core board, followed by a coating of melamine and aluminum oxide. This makes the board extremely scratch resistant, and easy to clean as well.

Benefits: