Wood laminate flooring is an environmentally-friendly product made to look like solid wood but made with less costly wood fibers. The fibers are bonded together and layered with additional materials to provide moisture resistance, a realistic appearance and a tough, protective surface. Lamin
Wood laminate flooring is an environmentally-friendly product made to look like solid wood but made with less costly wood fibers. The fibers are bonded together and layered with additional materials to provide moisture resistance, a realistic appearance and a tough, protective surface. Laminates vary in thickness but most average between 5/16 and 3/8 inch. In comparison, today's solid hardwood flooring averages from 3/8 to 3/4 inch in thickness.
Wood laminate flooring begins with two layers of moisture-resistant, cellulose paper saturated with melamine plastic resins. Sandwiched between these papers is a core layer of either medium or high density fiberboard (MDF or HDF). Next, a sound-deadening paper layer is sometimes added to provide insulation and resilience. The next paper layer gives laminate flooring its realistic appearance. This decorative material features a high quality photographic image of real wood. Finally, melamine resin protects the image and makes the laminate durable.
Usually, the individual layers of wood laminate are pressed together using high temperature and severe pressure. In some laminates, the decorative image is printed directly on the core MDF or HDF, and then lacquered for strength and wear resistance. Finally, a few manufacturers harden their flooring layers using an electron beam directed at a foil-like surface on laminate boards. Differing manufacturing processes produce wood laminates that vary in thickness while giving the appearance of real wood.
Some wood laminate boards snap together manually while others may require a slight tapping using a rubber mallet and tapping block. A few employ a snap click edge combined with a tap click on the ends of the boards. Read the installation instructions provided with your flooring and follow the outlined procedures carefully to achieve the best results. Remember to account for expansion of the flooring to avoid unsightly heaving and buckling. To cut laminate boards, use a handheld multipupose tool or a handheld cutting tool with a carbide bit or wheel.
Unlike hardwood flooring, that is not recommended for below-ground applications, wood laminates may be installed either above or below ground. Some brands have water-repellent chemicals added to the core layers and paraffin wax added to the joints to resist water penetration. In spite of these precautions, laminates are not recommended for areas that may be exposed to standing water. Wet mopping is not recommended for laminates but an occasional damp mopping is fine.
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