If you’re wondering how laminate flooring can look and feel so much like wood
and tile, yet be so durable and worry-free, the answer lies in its manufacturing
process.
Think of the ultimate four-layer cake.
Today’s laminate floors are available in a multitude of designs, patterns,
and textures, yet they all consist of four main components that are bonded together.
- The bottom layer, or backing, is a melamine plastic layer that lends dimensional
stability to the planks and also helps guard against moisture from the sub-floor.
(Moisture infiltrating any flooring is the enemy.)
- The next layer is a core board, generally made from high-density fiberboard
or particleboard, which may also contain melamine plastic resins that help improve
the moisture resistance of the core.
- Then a decorative layer or print film is adhered on top of the core board.
This decorative layer is a printed, high-resolution, photo-reproduction of wood
grain, natural stone or ceramic tile pattern.
- And the frosting? On the top of our “cake” is a durable wear
layer, providing added protection and stain resistance.
Many wear layers also contain aluminum oxide and melamine resin, which create exceptional
durability, the kind that will stand up to the most active household – even yours.
All four layers of our “cake” are then combined and constructed using
either a two step high pressure laminate process (HPL) or a one-step direct laminate
process (DL).