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About Laminate Flooring
Laminate has been sold in Europe for approximately 20
years, however, it was not sold in the United States until 1996. Many
people do not even known what laminate flooring is, although, most
people have heard of Pergo flooring, which is actually laminate
flooring. In fact, Pergo was the first brand of laminate as its company
actually created laminate flooring. There are now approximately 40 other
brands of laminate flooring.
Laminates are composed of three essential layers: the surface wear
layer; the core; and the backing.
An exceptionally strong aluminum oxide makes up the surface layer. A
pattern is seen as you look at the floor. This pattern is actually a
printed photograph that has been applied to the clear surface. The
pattern is considered part of the surface layer, but many people believe
it to be an extra layer. Laminates look like wood floors, when in fact,
they are actually photographs of wood floors applied to melamine
laminate. Photographs for laminate floors also come in stone, brick, or
tile, in addition to wood.
The core board (also known as the carrier board) is composed of many
different materials. Most of them are a medium density fiberboard (or
MDF). This product is a tough engineered wood product; it also is
resistance to moisture. Other core boards may be wood particle core, but
the MDF is a little stronger. However the particle core board absorbs
glue better along the joints. Either type of core is fine provided it is
manufactured by a reputable company.
The backing board is dependent on the manufacturer. It could range from
a mere paper layer to an entire plastic laminate layer. Those backings
that contain laminate or Malamine hold up better if they encounter water
damage than are those with paper backings. All backings utilize heat and
pressure to fuse the layers.
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