Laminate, or laminate flooring, consists of several layers with a medium to high density fibreboard (MDF) as the core coated with strong melamine or acrylic resin based polymer film.
There are many options of laminate. Some options differ in price by an order of magnitude. Which one to choose? The choice should take into account the following properties of this finishing material.
Coating
Standard laminate: decorative patterned paper layer with a protective coating.
Cork laminate: soft, resilient, nice to the touch. The top cork layer is a good heat retainer, while poor static charge accumulator and good noise reducer.
Vinyl laminate: coated with vinyl which is moisture resistant and flexible, neither chargeable nor slippery.
Quartz vinyl laminate: more durable than vinyl, resistant to mechanical stress, fire-resistant, will not fade in the sun, environmentally friendly and practical flooring.
3D laminate: flooring with 3D pattern and peculiar design.
Usage class
There are 7 usage or wear classes generally used today: 21, 22, 23, 31, 32, 33 and 34. The first number defines the recommended applicability scope: 2 for low-traffic areas, like living rooms; 3 for high-traffic/load areas, like commercial and public premises, shopping malls, sports venues, etc. Nevertheless, Class 31 or above is recommended by the experts even for home use.
Respectively labelled eco-friendly flooring should be selected for children’s rooms.
Moisture resistance
The higher density of the laminate core, MDF board, the better resistance to moisture.
Board thickness is also an important property: the thicker the board, the more durable the coating and the better water resistance.
Moisture resistance index of a high-quality laminate should not be above 18%.
Board size
The standard board length is 300 to 1845 mm, width – 90 to 330 mm. The shorter and wider individual elements, the fewer off-cuts and less waste.
The board size is also significant for moisture resistance. Glue is always better then click to waterproof the laminate joints, but click joints allow for repair of certain sections.
Design of decorative layer
There is a great variety of colours and textures available for laminate, from the simplest plain and whole-coloured to complete imitation of natural materials: rock, wood, cork. In the latter case the uniqueness, individuality of the pattern matters. This characteristic is indicated with a numerical ratio on the label, e.g. 1:10. The lower the ratio, the lower the pattern recurrent rate, which makes the finished flooring look more organic.
Besides, laminate board shape may be different: either with chamfer (on four or two sides) or without.
