Laminate is used everywhere. It is durable, does not require special care and looks like real wood. In addition, the closest alternative is parquet, which is much more expensive. Today we will talk about the technologies of laminate flooring production.
An excursion into history
Laminate flooring appeared later, in 1977. Twelve years later, direct pressing technology was invented, which most people still use today. At the turn of the millennium, new design styles began to appear. The most popular was laminate that looked like stone. At the same time, the material began to be made soundproof, and a texture resembling wood was applied to the surface. There have not been such large-scale improvements in technology since then. It is worth noting, however, that production and materials have become more environmentally friendly over the years.
Laminate production
When manufacturing laminate, individual layers are first prepared for pressing. The bottom layer is a rigid layer. It prevents deformation of much more elastic wood. Soundproofing also goes there. The next layer is fiberboard (fiberboard). It consists of pressed and dried small sawdust. The thickness of the board can be more than a centimeter. The wear resistance of the coating depends on this. For example, that same centimeter of thickness is necessary for use only in commercial real estate with a high load – for example, in a gym. At home, the thickness of the entire laminate is unlikely to exceed 6 mm.
The third layer is the drawing itself. This is the easiest part of the laminate to produce, since it is essentially a regular layer of thick paper on which something is printed – the texture of wood, stone or whatever the customer wants. The top layer provides protection from physical damage – from moving a sofa, from spilled water, from a dropped match. This transparent layer is made of polymer resin.
When all the layers are ready, the entire construction sandwich is sent under the press. If necessary, the desired texture is imprinted on the top layer, usually imitating wood. The slabs are later cut at the same production facility, and then it’s just logistics.
Alternatives
High-pressure laminate is produced when the strength of the usual one is not enough. It is used in places with high traffic – in shopping centers or airports. The top layer is pressed at high temperature and load pressure of several tons. The strength, compared to direct pressing, is several times higher, but this affects the cost of production. The price of such laminate is comparable to the prices for parquet.
There are several other technologies that remove the layer of printed paper from laminate. Both involve printing directly onto the plate. The difference is that one method uses more standard printing, while the other uses powder printing. The second option also strengthens the surface and may become a cheaper alternative to current methods in the future. However, both methods are not yet cheap enough to become popular on the mass market due to their novelty.
Laminate is now the optimal flooring solution for most living spaces. We recommend not using it only in the bathroom, so as not to subject it to frequent water tests.