Laminate Floor Construction – The Anatomy of a Laminate Floor
Laminate floor construction consists of 4-5 layers. While a laminate floor may look very much like a solid wood floor or engineered wood floor, laminate floor construction is different. Perhaps the biggest difference in laminate floor construction is that what you are actually seeing with a laminate floor is not the natural wood grain it is a photograph that is printed on a paper-like product. The North American Laminate Flooring Association states, “NALFA Certified laminate flooring is comprised of a hybrid of materials fused together through a unique lamination process.”
A Laminate Floor consists of:
A – Surface Layer – The surface of the floor is a thin film that is usually made form melamine plastic and/or aluminum oxide. This layer gives the floor its scratch and moisture resistance.
B – Print Layer – The print layer is a digital image of wood or an object other than wood such as in a laminate that appears as tile or stone.
C – Core – The core which is the thickest part of a plane is usually a HDF (high density fiber) board. or MDF board. HDF is a step up from MDF (medium density fiber) board and is much harder. The core layer support the weight and stress of foot traffic.
D – Backing – Most all laminate floors have a backing on the bottom. Like the wear layer the backing is usually made of melamine but is thicker and not clear. The backing provides a moisture barrier and stabilizes the planks.
E – Underlayment (which may or may not be built into the laminate floor product) is a requirement for any installation.
Tongue – On one side of the plank you will have a tongue. The tongue locks into the groove of the plank that it joins. There are a number of locking configurations for the tongue and groove.
Groove – See Tongue above.
Fusing the Layers
With laminate floor construction the elements that make up the plank layers are fused together by one of two processes.
- DPL (direct pressure laminate): The layers are fused by the use of a pressure treatment.
- HPL (high pressure laminate): The layers are glued together only after the decorative layer and the wear layer onto an additional layer of high strength paper by means of high pressure.
Sheets are pressed and cooled to ensure that they fully cure and to prevent any surface imperfections.
Sheets are stacked and stored and allowed further acclimation for stability of the product.
Acclimated boards are milled or cut into planks and the tongue and groove created.
As part of the manufacturing the planks go through multiple inspections though one cannot be assured that all defects will be identified during these inspections.