That’s Laminate?

For generations, futuristic movies have shed light on producers’ perceptions of modern life. Flying cars, living on the moon, warp speed, all-the-rage silver outfits. But in our current realistic day and age, flooring, has come a long way from when it all started.

Homes can now be upgraded with solid, engineered, exotic hardwood and laminate. Solid hardwood is the classic, timeless tradition that helped shape the future of hard floorcovering. Within those four categories though, can be found a broad variety of textures, widths, lengths, and thicknesses; not to mention the constantly updated database of colors!

Laminate has really come a long way from it’s humble beginnings. Contrary to the visuals of many modern Laminate products, this flooring is not made of actual wood. Laminate is made up of many layers put together, topped off with a veneer and printed to represent any species and style of wood. Most Laminate has four layers:

• Wear Layer
  A surface usually made from cellulose paper saturated with resins for a scratch-resistant top layer. You actually walk on this layer!
• Design Layer
  The visual aspect of the laminate, veneer, is also known as the design layer. This is a photograph or print that also uses cellulose paper. Thanks to the wear layer, this layer cannot get scuffed or scratched.
• Core Layer
  Much like particle board, this layer is the backbone of all laminate flooring products. They are available in varying strengths and thicknesses for different stability and durability levels.
• Stabilizing Layer
  The final, and bottom, layer for laminate holds everything into place, the stabilizing layer. Mostly made from resin-saturated paper it is the layer that lays on top of the sub-floor.
• Underlayment*
  Once in a while you will find some products that feature attached underlayment beneath the stabilizing layer. These laminates tend to be seen as classier, available at a higher price than other laminates.

Thanks to the entire makeup of Laminate we can now offer installation options never before thought possible with solid or engineered wood alone. Because of water issues in bathrooms, solid and engineered hardwood tends to be avoided, period. BUT now, Laminate can be a wood-like option for your bathroom floor.

Breakthroughs for the Design Layer have improved the overall look of Laminate, offering less of an exact match for each plank. Because solid and engineered woods are natural products, individual planks will most likely never look the same. Before, you couldn’t obtain the same feel or ambience with Laminate, because it is a photograph underneath the Wear Layer.

Layer Information Borrowed from:
The Laminate Flooring Site, 2011, http://www.thelaminateflooringsite.com/how-laminate-flooring-is-made.aspx