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LAMINATE FLOORING
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 laminate 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, tile, or stone floors.
You can choose from natural colors, dark wood grains as well as warm or
cool color tones to compliment any room decor. Many hardwood plank designs
are offered, including rare, exotic wood species. Stone and tile patterns
will give you the elegant look of tile, but without the concerns about
grout cleaning or cracking tile.
Laminate floors are never secured directly to the subfloor, instead
they are floated over the subfloor. This allows laminate flooring to be
used over a wide variety of subfloors, including wooden subfloors,
existing floors and even concrete slabs.
Laminate flooring comes in several different forms: Glueless laminate flooring
No mess, glueless installation
makes these floors quick and easy-to-install. They come in a variety of
ceramic and wood designs and colorations, as well as some manufacturers
offer a real, hardwood veneer instead of a printed layer. These floors
come in both planks and squares. An thin, plastic underlayment is needed
to seal out moisture from below.
Note: Most laminate floors require a plastic underlay sheet (4 mil
poly) be installed directly underneath the laminate planks or tiles. This
helps the floor float freely over the subfloor. Another option is to add a
vapor barrier or noise reduction underlay before installing the laminate
flooring. Laminate flooring with attached underlay
These floors come
with several different types of tongue and grooved locking systems and an
attached underlayment to reduce noise levels. Glued laminate flooring
These are the original laminate
floors that do require a special formulated glue to be applied to the
tongue and grooved areas for each plank. Once the glue is dried the planks
are almost impossible to pull apart. These floors are offered in both
planks and squares. Pre-glued laminate flooring
No mess, because the glue is
already applied to the tongue and grooves which makes these floors quick
and easy-to-install. An thin, plastic underlayment is needed to seal out
moisture and prevent the glue from sticking to the substrate.
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 later on, if desired.
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LAMINATE FLOORING CONSTRUCTION
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.
- 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,
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.
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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 to prevent
the glue from sticking to the substrate. Some underlayments give
additional benefits such as reducing sound transmissions or acting as a
moisture barrier. Some of the newer laminate floors have a mechanical
locking system that allows the floor to be installed without using any
glue at all. The tongue and grooved edges of these floors are sealed to
prevent moisture from attacking the inner core structure.
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.
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- Glue- most laminate floors require a special glue to
secure the planks together and help seal moisture from penetrating
the core.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
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TRIM AND MOLDINGS
Custom finished wood mouldings will give your laminate flooring a
finished touch. The color coordinated moldings are all precision
matched to accentuate the design of your floor. |
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Reducer Strip is used to create a smooth transition
between two floors of different heights, as well as protect the
planks exposed edge from damage caused by foot traffic. |
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Overlapping Stair Nosing this is similar to a flush stair
nosing except the nosing overlaps the exposed edge of the floor. The
overlapping stair nosing is secured to the sub floor and not to the
laminate floor so the floor is free to move. Never butt the nosing
tightly to the laminate flooring. |
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T-Molding are used to bridge two areas of flooring that
are the exact same height. The T-Molding overlaps the exposed edges
of the floor and is secured only to the sub floor, never to the
flooring itself. Generally this trim is used as the transition piece
between rooms, or as the expansion piece for areas that exceed 30
feet in length. |
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Universal Edge is also called a Square Nosing and
is used where the laminate flooring butts up to carpeting, or
various vertical surfaces where the edge will be exposed, such as
along a fireplace. |
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Quarter Round give the floor a finished look and protects
the edges of the laminate flooring. Never secure the quarter round
to the laminate flooring. Instead, the quarter round should always
be attached to the vertical wall. |
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Building Materials Catalog 
