Laminate Flooring – A Simple Understanding

Laminate flooring is a photographed wood board designed to look very alike a wood. However you can easily tell the difference when you look close to it. Because of it’s eco-friendly properties and it being a less expensive option than having real wood to the home, it has popularity among many home owners.

Its floor board structure is made up of at least 4 layers that has its own individual function. The outer layer is made up of aluminum oxide which prevents the floorboard from scratches and abrasion. The photographed wood layer is the 2nd layer, which portray the outlook of the floor. The foundation or the skeleton of the floorboard is on the 3rd layer, which is usually the high density form (HDF) board that is durable and strong enough to make the floorboard stable. The “back” layer is made up of resin paper or plywood, which is used to prevent air trapped between the ground and the floorboard.

In today’s society, many end users have been using laminate flooring due to its eco friendliness and of course, it’s cost effective. You do not need to spend huge amount of money and you can still have a comfy wooden floor look at your homes.

Since 1977, its first floor board is created in a Swedish vinegar store, which today is know as Pergo. Years later, a glueless installation method, known as “snap and clip” has also been introduced and patented for its technology. Within a few years time, new industry players such as Tarkett and Parador, began to surpass its predecessors by manufacturing better quality and safer laminate flooring products.

The resin layer inside a laminate floor board contains a certain amount of melamine and formaldehyde, which when reacts with the surrounding, can create a harmful oxide that is detrimental to the human health especially to children. This occurs typically in many mass produced low quality laminate flooring boards.

One major breakthrough in laminate flooring’s history is Parador’s Pro Air System. When the floor is in contact with surrounding, it creates a harmless organic protein, which is known as protectin. This will in turn purify dirty air as well as tobacco smoke.

As more and more people are living longer and also getting more health conscious, especially thinking for their children; getting a high quality laminate flooring with close to zero formaldehyde emission is a must have when selecting the right laminate floor for their homes or workplaces.