What is Laminate Flooring ?

Laminate flooring is a tongue and groove interlocking flooring system that comes in either planks or squares. All of these floors have a wearlayer, a decorative print film layer, an inner core structure, and some type of backing support layer. The decorative print film layer is either fused or glued to the inner core. The print film can be a photo of any real floor. The wearlayer is applied to the decorative print layer to protect the pattern. Melamine resins are the main component of the wearlayer. The melamine surface gets its incredible durability from aluminum oxide. Aluminum oxide is almost as hard as diamonds and provides unsurpassed wear and stain resistance.

A cross-section of a laminate flooring plank

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 fibre 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, like Mannington, have been able to duplicate the old wood floors found only in some old historical buildings.

Wearlayer - is a tough clear melamine layer with aluminum oxide particles. When fused together with heat and direct pressure to the core the wearlayer becomes an incredibly hard, 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.

What is Laminate Flooring ?

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