Laminate flooring (also called floating wood tiles in the United States) is a multi-layer synthetic flooring product combined with a laminate process. Laminate floors simulate wood (or sometimes rock) with an applique layer of photography under a clear protective layer. The inner core layer usually consists of melamine resin and fiber board material. There is No European Standard. EN 13329: 2000 specifies the requirements of laminate floor coverings and testing methods.
Laminate floors have grown significantly in popularity, perhaps because it may be easier to install and maintain than more traditional surfaces such as hardwood flooring. It may also have less cost advantages and requires less skill to install than alternative flooring materials. It's quite durable, hygienic (some brands contain antimicrobial resins), and are relatively easy to maintain.
Video Laminate flooring
Installation
Laminate flooring is easy enough for DIY homeowners to install. Laminate flooring is packed as a number of tongue boards and grooves, which can be clicked on each other. Sometimes glue support is provided for easy installation. The installed laminate floor usually "floats" above the sub-floor above the foam/film layer, which provides moisture and sound-reducing properties. A small gap (1-10 millimeters (0.039-0.394 inches)) is required between floors and immovable objects such as walls, this allows the floor to extend unobstructed. The base board (skirting board) can be removed and then reinstalled after floor laying is completed for a neater settlement, or the pedestal can be left in place with the floor punctured into it, then trim small beads such as shoe molds or larger quarters molding -bulbs can be attached to the bottom of the baseboard. Cutting saws on a board is usually required at the end and around the entrance cabinets and doors, but professional installers usually use a cutting door sawing sill to cut the space to a height that allows the floor to fit under the door of the jamb & amp; casing to make it look cleaner.
Improper installation can lead to peaking, where adjacent boards form a projected V shape from the floor, or gap, where two adjacent boards are separated from each other.
Maps Laminate flooring
Cares
It is important to keep the laminate clean, as dust, dirt, and sand particles can scratch the surface from time to time in areas with high traffic. It is also important to keep the laminate relatively dry, because sitting water/moisture can cause boards to swell, curve, etc., Although some brands are equipped with a watertight coating. Water spills are no problem if they are quickly removed, and are not allowed to sit for long periods.
Bearings that feel like adhesive are often placed on the furniture legs on the laminate floor to prevent scratches.
The inferior glueless laminate floor may gradually become separate, creating a visible gap between boards. It is important to "knock" the board back together using the right tool as the gap to watch for to prevent dirt from filling the gap, making it more difficult to put in place.
The glueless quality laminate floor uses a coupling mechanism that holds the board together under constant pressure that prevents dirt from entering the joint and does not need to "knock" back together.
Advocacy
The North American Laminate Flooring Association (NALFA) is a trade association of laminate flooring manufacturers and manufacturers of laminate flooring manufacturers in the United States and Canada. This is a standard development organization accredited by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) to develop voluntary consensus standards for laminate flooring, and has established the test and performance criteria used in North America.
NALFA issued a certification mark called the NALFA Certification Seal which signifies that the product has passed 10 performance tests, has been proven to meet this standard by an independent third-party testing laboratory, and has been manufactured in North America. Certification review includes:
- Static Load - Measures the ability of laminate flooring to hold residual indentations generated from static loads.
- Thickness of Thickness - Measures the laminate floor ability to withstand thickness increases after exposure to water.
- Light Resistance - Measures the ability of laminate flooring to retain its color when exposed to a light source that has a frequency range close to sunlight through a window pane. This is not intended to demonstrate resistance to sustained exposure to outdoor weathering conditions.
- Cleanability and Stain Resistance - Measures both the ease of cleaning and resilience of laminate floor stains against common household substances.
- Big Ball Resistance - Measures the ability of laminate floors to withstand fractures due to large-diameter ball impact.
- Slow Balls - Measures the laminate floor ability to withstand fractures due to small-diameter ball impacts.
- Water Resistant - Measures the surface ability of the laminate floor to withstand abrasive wear through the dÃÆ'Â © cast layer. Dimensional Tolerance - Measures the dimensional variance between the laminate floor tiles in free standing form (unlimited) in terms of thickness, length, width, straightness, and quadity.
- Castor Chair Resistance - Specifies methods for determining changes in the appearance and stability of the laminate floor, including connections, under the movement of the castor chairs.
- Bond Surface - Measure the force required to devalue or separate the surface of the board or laminate floor tiles.
Potential health effects and LEED status
Floor laminates are often made of melamine resin, a compound made with formaldehyde. Formaldehyde is more closely bound in MF than in Urea-Formaldehyde, reducing emissions and potential health effects. Thus, LEED v2.2's EQ Credit 4.4 blocks the use of UF, but allows the use of MF.
Laminated flooring is usually used in residential and commercial LEED applications.
History
Laminate flooring was created in 1977 by Swedish company Perstorp (company), and sold under the Pergo brand. They have made floor surfaces since 1923. The company first marketed its products to Europe in 1984, and then to the United States in 1994. Perstorp separated the floor division as a separate company called Pergo, now a subsidiary of Mohawk Industries. Pergo is the most widely known laminate flooring manufacturer, but PERGO trademark is not identical for all laminate floors.
The Glueless laminate floor was discovered in 1996 by Swedish company VÃÆ'¤linge Aluminum (now VÃÆ'¤linge Innovation) and sold under the name Alloc and Fiboloc. However, the system for deploying floor panels together was also developed in parallel by Belgian Unilin company released in 1997 and sold under the name of the Quick-Step floor.
Both companies have experienced many legal conflicts over the years, and currently most, if not all glueless locking floors are made under license from VÃÆ'¤linge, Unilin, or even a combination of both.
Benefits
There are many benefits to choosing laminate flooring over other floor types. Laminate floor is quite flexible and durable. Since laminate flooring becomes a vinyl printed strip on a composite board many textures and floor styles can be replicated. Recently laminate flooring has been successful in simulating the pattern of stone and tile as well as wood.
Cleaning the laminate floor is very easy and comparable to cleaning other hard surfaces such as hardwood flooring. It is generally not advisable to mop laminate flooring as this has been proven to cause damage by soaking into composite parts allowing warping over time. Most manufacturers recommend using a dry method such as a broom to clean with occasional wet cleaning with more specialized types of mops that do not leave excess water on the floor.
Installation is a great benefit of choosing laminate flooring. A generally useful person is well equipped to install laminate flooring since the locking and laminate flooring aspects are mostly clear. Also, due to the ease of installation, having a professional floor contractor installing this type of floor is cheaper than other types of flooring such as tile or hardwood.
References
External links
- North American Laminate Flooring Association
- World Floor Covering Association
- Association of Floor Contractors
- Dual Laminate Fabrication Association
Source of the article : Wikipedia
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