Tag: laminated floors

Laminate flooring. Environment & Ecology

Laminate – the floor with a good ecological profile

Laminate flooring consist of wood mostly. Wood is one of our planet’s sustainable and renewable raw materials, making laminate flooring a product, which is light on resources and even recyclable. And that’s not all. Laminate flooring has a firm, sealed surface which ensures that dust and dirt simply cannot penetrate. That is why they are completely hygienic, easy-care and particularly good for allergy sufferers.

Ecologically produced
Laminate is ecologically produced without any addition of pesticides, organic chlorine compounds or hazardous heavy metals. Thanks to advanced production techniques, laminate flooring has all the positive environmental impact of wood products. But laminate offers more, because thinning material from forests and wood waste from the sawmill industry can be used to manufacture the wood fibreboard, which lessens the environmental impact even further.

The sustainable origin of the raw wood materials used is verified by recognized seals of approval, which also guarantee that – for the protection of human health and of the environment – all product components comply with the strict European Union Chemicals Regulation (REACH).

Protecting the future – respecting nature.
Laminate floors are mostly made of wood fibres and also wood pulp, in other words paper. As wood is a sustainable and renewable resource, laminate flooring is by all means an ecologically low-impact product.

Monitored production
Laminate flooring is manufactured in modern production facilities that are subject to emissions and environmental standards and in many cases have their own energy and heating cycles. As a result, laminate flooring has all the positive environmental impact of wood materials.

Environmental approach
The wood used to make laminate floors comes mainly from domestic and sustainably managed forests. This means there is no environmental damage caused by importing timber from all over the world. The production process uses not only logs but also wood waste from the sawmill industry, so to some extent laminate floors are already a recycled product.

What about formaldehyde?
Formaldehyde is found naturally in wood and is also found in melamine resin, so laminate floors as any other product made of solid wood do contain formaldehyde. But there is no risk to health, because the formaldehyde in the melamine resin is permanently locked into the resin structure during hardening so it cannot be released into the air.

Same values as measured from wood in natural state
Numerous documented measurements of laminate flooring have yielded emission values that correspond to the formaldehyde emissions limit for wood in its natural state, which are far below the legally defined limits. In other words, laminate floors do not pollute the air inside a building with odorous or harmful substances any more than ordinary wood.

EPDs attest excellent life cycle assessment  
One of the impressive features of laminate flooring is its excellent life cycle assessment with extremely positive values for primary energy consumption and global warming potential. It also excels when it comes to indoor air quality assessment. Proof of this can be seen in evidence-based EPDs (Environmental Product Declarations). EPDs provide a strong argument in favour of laminate floors for anyone looking to choose a new floor with environmental impact and sustainability in mind, whether for private or public/commercial use.

Already in 2009, the EPLF was one of the first groups in the flooring industry to prompt the development of special Environmental Product Declarations (EPD) and therefore paved the way towards increased transparency and product safety. And also Architects and designers already value tested environmental quality. Interior design products which have a positive environmental impact and can demonstrate this in specific EPD are now increasingly being used in the commercial construction .

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Where is the best place to install laminate flooring? 

The sales blurb will tell you how laminate is the right choice for every room, but is it true?  

In this flooring guide we’re going to re-examine the advantages of laminate floors and take a look at the pros and cons of it versus other materials. 

Pros and Cons of Laminate Floors 

The main benefits of laminate over other types of home flooring and the reason it is so popular, are affordability, ease of installation and low maintenance. 

Laminate is cheap because it’s easily mass produced. It’s easy to install, you can float it over most existing subfloors. And most importantly, it’s easy to clean and care. 

So why not just use laminate throughout your home?  

Laminate is a great mid-priced flooring option but there are times when a more expensive hardwood floor or a cheaper vinyl floor could be the best choice. 

Laminate Vs Hardwood Flooring 

Two words for it price and style! Laminate floors look great, not as great as hardwood and that’s a fact. But, laminate wood flooring fits perfectly in a space where practicality is your priority. If stains and extreme weather conditions are a part of daily life then laminate flooring is the smart choice. 

 Laminate Vs Vinyl Flooring 

You should think twice about laminate in a damp basement or a bathroom that regularly experiences standing water. Vinyl however, won’t let any water getting through to your subfloor and is your ideal choice in this scenario.  

Luxury Vinyl Vs Laminate 

Luxury vinyl flooring is flexible, great looking, reasonably priced option and it matches the durability of laminate. Of course it is better to see luxury vinyl up close and personal before you decide if it’s a good choice.  

 Laminate Vs Engineered Wood Flooring 

In this comparison the pros and cons are the same, laminates tend to be more scratch and impact resistant however engineered wood has much greater longevity.  

The really interesting comparison is price. Both materials are at opposite ends of the most budgets. 

Laminate Vs Tile Flooring 

The biggest difference between these materials is installation. Laminate installation is a breeze compared to the prep, skill and time required to install tile. You can’t beat tile when it comes to durability and longevity. Tile is common in kitchens and bathrooms because it’s resistance to wet conditions.  

 Laminate Vs Carpet 

Between carpet or laminate your final decision will ultimately come down to comfort and cleanliness. In fact the biggest advantage that laminate has over carpet is ease of cleaning and keeping clean.  

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How Laminated Floors are Made

Laminated floors have been around for a long time, but new improvements have added a much-needed feature: waterproofing.

This material is an ideal choice indoor use.

The material’s actual name is Direct pressure laminated.

It is manufactured by fusing four layers together at over 600 pounds of pressure per inch at temperatures of around 400 degrees Fahrenheit. These four layers function as follows:

• The bottom layer is known as the stabilizing or the backing layer, this layer provides strength and stability to the board. To make this material waterproof they have applied a resin-based coat to prevent water from penetrating into the material.

• The 2nd layer is known as the core board and its serves as the structural element supporting the weight and stresses of foot traffic. This layer is typically made of high-density fiberboard (HDF), but sometimes is made from particle board or medium-density fiberboard (MDF).

• The 3rd layer is decorative. It sits on top of the entire structure and its objective is to mimic the surface of a natural material, such as a hardwood veneer or lately any type of tile or other flooring materials that the manufacturer wants to resemble.

• The 4th layer is a resin-based coating designed to resist abrasion and typically made up of several coats of melamine or aluminum oxide (2nd only to diamonds in hardness) which protects the floor from stains, fading, wear and tear. This is the magical layer that makes laminated material resistant to scratches and stains.

Hopefully this information can help you by explaining how waterproof laminated floors are made and why they can be your low price, ideal solution, for your next flooring project.

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Having THIS flooring inside your home can add THOUSANDS to your property’s value

ADDING value to your home can help when it comes to selling it, and having a certain type of flooring inside your property can do just that.

Installing new flooring across your home can increase your house’s worth, depending on what material you use. 

Out of vinyl, carpet and wood flooring, which can add the most value to your property?

Discount Flooring Depot suggests the types of floor you should avoid, and which one you should invest in to up your property’s price. 

The retailer suggests that low quality vinyls and laminates will drag your value down, and it seems most homes are leaning towards wooden floors rather than carpeted floors. The best floor to invest in is a wooden floor – which is better than carpet – as it provides “extra equity” in your home. 

Plus, a high quality floor will last for much longer than a carpet, giving you life time value, as well as increasing house worth. 

Hardwood flooring is ideal, as it’s a luxury that many people associate with money and class. 

But if real wood flooring is out of your price range, you can get high quality laminates. 

Top of the range laminate floors have realist V-Grooves to mimic the feel and appearance of a real board, and they have a wealth of grain variation and knots throughout, just as you’d expect from real wood. 

When it comes to bathrooms or kitchens, hard wood flooring generally doesn’t go – but you don’t have to settle for vinyl. 

You can get water resistant laminate, and it’s not that expensive. 

Discount Flooring Depot’s Hydro Guard Range or laminate floors look like real wood, but without the problems that mixing real wood in a wet environment will often bring.The retailer says spending around £400 to £600 could increase your home’s value by £1,300. 

The colour of your front door can also have a big impact on your home’s sale. So what shades should you go for, and which should you avoid? 

Research carried out by Westbury Windows and Joinery’s found that white was the most popular colour for wood front doors or entrance doors in the UK. 

Natural stained and/or varnished finishes were the second most popular choice with black in third place. 

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Waterproof Plastic Laminate Flooring: Often Discussed, Rarely Seen

Laminate flooring, due to its large quantity of wood content, is acceptable but not ideal for environments with high moisture, such as bathrooms or basements. Even “laminate-friendly” rooms such as kitchens can have sub-zones that are unfriendly to laminate flooring: in front and under the dishwasher, sink, and refrigerator.

A type of laminate flooring called waterproof laminate, made entirely of plastic, allows you to install this product in such places.

While this product truly is water-proof, it has significant limitations that may encourage you to seek other types of flooring.

Laminate’s Solution for Dealing With Water: Avoid It Altogether

One solution has been to ask homeowners not to install the product in moist places, such as basements or even children’s bathrooms.

Slightly more effective solutions have been to develop tighter seams between the boards and to introduce more melamine resins in the fiberboard mix.

But none of that matters when your dishwasher overflows. This is the reason behind the “topical spills” clause in most laminate flooring warranties.

A typical industry warranty (Armstrong) notes that its laminates are covered under warranty and “[w]ill resist topical water damage, meaning that planks or tiles will not swell, delaminate or peak at the seams due to topical spills, provided that the liquid is wiped up and the floor is allowed to dry.”

Topical spills means a dropped glass of water, not an overflowing clothes washer. Even though topical does not mean “top,” it could: all spills which remain on the plasticized wear layer, with perfectly seamed boards, and with 100% silicone caulk added in problem areas (around bathtubs), should remain free of damage.

What Happens to the Fiberboard Core?

The problem is not with the top layer, but with the core. Laminate flooring’s core is little more than a dense type of fiberboard. If you’ve ever seen a sheet of particle board get rained on, you’ll know how it bubbles up and crumbles like a wet soda cracker.

One little-known aspect of this moisture-and-laminate issue is that the moisture problem actually starts in the factory, not in the home. Flooring manufacturers have found that high moisture content in the fiberboard particles in the factory can result in poor adhesion of the top melamine wear layer.

Waterproof Laminate Brands

Today, Parcolys NV, a Belgian company that is the parent of Aqua-Step, is the main manufacturer of waterproof laminate flooring. With 23 woods and 3 stones, Aqua-Step does not have the wide range of styles homeowners might expect from the non-waterproof market.

But the good thing is that Aqua-Step is truly 100% waterproof–no need to lay down a moisture barrier. Planks join by way of a click-and-lock method. Conventional laminate needs expansion joints to allow for the product to expand and contract according to room humidity. Aqua-Step absorbs no water at all, so no need for expansion joints.

Dumaplast Dumafloor is another one, also from Belgium. Dumafloor has been in production since 2007.

Expansion Profiles Unnecessary

One unexpected benefit of installing waterproof laminate is that it does not require expansion profiles. These are intermittent gaps that are imposed on a large field of conventional laminate flooring to allow for natural expansion and contraction of the flooring. Waterproof laminate is 100% unaffected by moisture, thus it needs no expansion profiles.

Luxury Vinyl Flooring as an Alternative

Most of the waterproof laminate market has been siphoned off by an upstart called luxury vinyl flooring (LVF).

LVF is thicker than ordinary vinyl flooring; has better embossing (texture); and looks more like real stone or wood.

LVF manufacturers have been pumping out tons of exciting wood species and stones, such as teak, bamboo, travertine, and bamboo.

It is 100% waterproof, too. You can drop LVF in a tub of water for weeks and it will come out having absorbed no water.

One downside of LVF is that it is not as thick as waterproof laminate. Aqua-Step clocks in at 8 mm; for LVFs, 8 mm would be considered very thick and very expensive. Average thickness for LVF runs around 3-5 mm.

Is Mannington ICORE Indicative of the Waterproof Laminate Market?

In 2003, Mannington Mills patented a new type of waterproof laminate that bypassed many of those previous solutions. Their product, dubbed ICORE, had some of these features:

Thermoplastic Core, Not Fiberboard – The key aspect is that ICORE did away with the fiberboard and replaced it with a “plastic” core made of PVC. As you can imagine, PVC (which is also used for water pipes) is quite waterproof.

Print Layer and Overlay – This is just like conventional laminate flooring. Separate layers are required for better print adhesion, rather than printing straight onto the thermoplastic core.

Honeycombed “Cells” Inside – “Foot feel” is important with laminate flooring, because it is so thin. Walking on laminate flooring can be difficult because it has little “give.” With waterproof laminate such as ICORE, interior channels or cells made for a springier feel.

Then, Mannington pulled the plug on iCORE, no reason given but presumably due to poor sales.

Original Source By Lee Wallender