What is Laminate Flooring? Is It Durable?
Laminate floor materials are used for covering the floor, which consists of particleboard wood base, which is topped by a certain image layer and also a transparent wear layer. For living areas of the home, dining areas, bedrooms, kitchen, hallways, and a few other areas where it will not be subjected to excessive moisture this flooring can be installed.
In 1977, laminate floors were first developed by one Swedish company who created an idea to use up waste wood material by subjecting them to intense heat, high pressure, and binding chemicals. This resulted in a usable floor covering. After that, many other manufacturers started making laminate floors.
What is laminate flooring made of?
There are four layers available in the laminate flooring that are as follows, and each of its layers will serve a distinct objective and are fused by using intense pressure and high heat.
- Wear layer
It is the top layer, which is a clear layer made out of aluminum oxide for protection against fading, surface burns, and stains. - Back layer
It is the bottom layer that is responsible for protecting your plank against any moisture and will balance the floor. - Core layer
Just above the back layer, there is a durable and high-density board for protection against moisture and indentations. - Design layer
Just above the core layer, it will have a high-resolution photograph showing the surface appearance of the floor.
How durable is a laminate?
Laminate can be a very durable product due to its multi-layer construction. It is resistant to fade, scratch and quite easy to clean. The durability of the laminate can allow for the absorption of any heavy traffic and thus make it an ideal choice for flooring for any active families having pets and young kids running all around.
This product can also be a good choice for kitchens and baths by taking proper precautions only. You must put it in such a place where there must be a moisture barrier. This product is, however, not recommended for those areas where high moisture is present. If you take proper care, then this laminate will appear like it was during the time you installed it.
Laminate flooring can also be installed over any existing floor
Once a dealer for this flooring material was interviewed for a certain article to be published in any Floor related magazine. He had shared an interesting observation about the advantages that laminate can offer, where he mentioned that they can easily be installed over any existing floor.
He insisted that customers who want to change their floor need not install any subfloor. This means that they will be investing their money for such a product, where no need for wasting your money on any subfloor.
Laminate flooring can resist stains
One more advantage of this laminate flooring is that this flooring material is very highly stain-resistant. So, you can prefer to install them in such places that can be highly prone to get stained very easily. Even hair colorant will also not stain these laminate floors.