Laminate Floor Overview

Laminte flooring is very durable

Do you want the beautiful appearance of a real hardwood floor but with exceptional performance that will holdup from the wear and tear from kids, pets, and spills? This question is in the minds of many American homeowners when shopping for a new floor. The answer many flooring shoppers have found is choosing one of the many laminate floors. These floors are similar in construction to the Formica kitchen counter tops but with some added performance features.

Laminate floors originally came from Europe where they have been used in homes for over 20 years. Although most of the laminate floors are imported, a few of the laminate brands are made here in the U.S.A.. The performance differences between the brands appears to be minor even though the construction methods that are used may be slightly different. All the laminate floors have good performance characteristics and are often confused with real hardwood floors. Even though these floors resemble real wood floors they are not wood. Our cross-section diagram of a laminate floor should help you better understand the differences between wood and laminates.

Laminate floors offer many benefits for homeowners, including:

• Exceptional durability
• Easy to clean surface
• Superior stain resistance
• Superior fade resistance
• Install in on all grade levels, even below grade
• Install over many different types of subfloors
• Great impact and indentation resistance
• Exceptional realism at affordable costs
• Easy to replace latter on, if desired.

Laminate Flooring Construction

Laminate floors come in either planks, or squares and are designed to replicate real flooring materials, such as wood, stone or ceramic tiles. These floors are actually several different layers of various materials that are sandwiched together to form each plank. A printed film gives the floor the look of a real wood, or tile and is protected by a tough, durable wearlayer. The resins used in the wearlayer are said to be almost as hard as diamonds and provides unsurpassed wear and stain resistance.

The inner core, which is generally made from high-density fiber board is used to form the tongue and groove. The core is also the base that all the upper layers and the backing material are fused to. Some manufacturers treat the inner core with melamine resins, or water-resistant sealers to help protect the inner core from moisture.

The planks are usually fused together in either a one, or two step process. In the two-step process several layers are first glued together and then these layers are combined with the remaining materials and than glued and fused into a plank. This method is called High Pressure Laminate (HPL). The other method is where all materials are fused together in one step. This is called Direct Pressure Laminate (DPL).

The individual planks are secured together to create the floor in a similar way to how wood floors are installed. The tongue and groove of each plank is interlocked to the adjacent planks. Laminate floors are secured together using either a specially formulated, water-resistant glue that is applied to the tongue and groove, or some sort of specially designed, glueless locking system. The two main glueless locking systems either involve a tongue and groove that is reinforced from underneath by an aluminum locking system, or a tongue and groove system that is specially designed to snap and lock the planks together.

• Backing - is usually a melamine plastic layer used to give additional structural stability and added moisture protection to the planks.
• Core - generally made from high-density fiber board (HDF), particle board, or plastic, the core adds impact resistance, and forms the tongue and groove locking system. Melamine plastic resins are also impregnated in the core by some of the manufacturers to improve the moisture resistance of the core.
• Melamine - is a plastic-type resin used throughout the construction process to add durability, and stability to the laminated planks.
• Print Film - which is also called the decorative layer gives the floor the appearance of a real hardwood or tile. Some manufacturers, have been able to replicate the old wood floors found only in some old historical buildings.
• Wearlayer - is a tough clear melamine layer with aluminum oxide particles. Using heat and pressure the wearlayer becomes an incredibly hard and durable finish. The resin-filled wearlayer is so dense it becomes extremely difficult to stain, scratch, or burn.
• Underlayment - is a clear thin plastic sheet that is installed over the substrate before the laminate floor is floated. The plastic sheet helps the laminate floor to float freely above the substrate.

Laminate Flooring Installation

Laminate floors are meant to be floated over a variety of subfloors and never glued directly to any substrate. In other words, the floor just lays on top of the subfloor, which can be wood, concrete, or an existing floor. This allows the laminate floor to expand and contract freely as the room environment changes. Laminate floors come in planks and squares of various sizes and shapes. All four sides of each plank have a tongue and grooved edge for connecting them together. For most laminate floors glue is applied along the tongues and/or grooves to lock the planks together.

A "floating floor" installation means the floor is a not anchored to the subfloor underneath. Instead a bead of specially formulated, water-resistant, glue is placed between the tongue and grooves of every plank to lock the planks together and to seal all the edges of the planks from moisture. A special polyurethane underlayment is laid down prior to the new laminate flooring being installed

Below is a general outline of the various tools used to install a laminate floor. Always follow the manufacturer's installation instructions and use the manufacturer's recommended installation tools.

1. Glue - most laminate floors require a special glue to secure the planks together and help seal moisture from penetrating the core.

2. Fillers & Sealants - some laminate manufacturers have added color coordinating fillers and sealants. The colored fillers are to fix seam gaps between planks and the sealant is used around the perimeter where moisture may enter.

3. Straps - straps work much better than clamps at pulling plank rows together. Normally you need a strap set for every four feet in the starter rows.

4. Tapping Block - the tapping blocks are used to lightly tap two planks together. Most blocks are designed to fit a specific manufacturers tongue and groove design.

5. Wedges - the V-shaped wedges are used to insure a minimum gap is left between the laminate floor and all vertical walls. Consult manufacturer's installation for required gap distances.

6. Pulling Bar - the bar is used to help pull two pieces of laminate together. Care must be used with these bars so as to not chip the surface of the laminate plank.

Floor Care for Laminate Flooring

Laminate floors will give years of performance if you follow some regular maintenance procedures. Even though these floors are extremely durable they can be scratched so protect your floor from grit and sharp objects.

• Use felt pads, or wide based casters underneath all chair and furniture legs.
• When moving heavy objects across the floor always use extra care and place walk off mats by all exterior doorways.
• Vacuum your floor regularly using soft brush attachments and wipe with a damp cloth or mop when needed.
• Do not polish or wax these floors.
• Never try to refinish or sand a laminate floor.
• Do not use steel wool or any harsh abrasive cleaners on the floor.
• For additional care procedures always refer to the manufacturer's care and maintenance instructions and recommendations.

Laminate floors will give years of performance if you follow some regular maintenance procedures. Even though these floors are extremely durable they can be scratched so protect your floor from grit and sharp objects.

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