What is laminate: photo

For those who have purchased an apartment in a new building or decided to undergo another renovation, the question inevitably arises of installing or replacing flooring. The modern construction market offers consumers a wide range of materials, but the most popular of them is laminate.

What is laminate

Laminate is a floor covering consisting of elements made in rectangular and also square shapes. It was invented in the 70s of the last century in Sweden and was initially used in the production of kitchen furniture. The main raw materials used are fiberboard, chipboard, and very rarely MDF.

The edges of the laminate panels have profiles with which they are connected to each other. The connection takes place like a puzzle with subsequent gluing or special locking systems.

Attention! For preventive purposes, it is recommended to use interlocking rather than adhesive laminate to cover the floor in a child’s room, as the most environmentally friendly option.

What does laminate look like?

The structure of the laminate is multilayer. The strength of the board under pressure and load is given by the core part - fibreboard or chipboard.

From below it is covered with various substances at the manufacturer’s choice: melamine, paper impregnated with paraffin or resin. Their function is to increase the rigidity and resistance of the material to humidity and temperature changes.

A decorative layer is applied to the “core” of the laminate panel.It provides the appearance of the coating and consists of patterned paper containing melamine.

The top laminated layer is a transparent, strong acrylic or melamine film. It protects the panel from mechanical, ultraviolet, chemical influences and protects the graphic part of the board from abrasion.

The total panel thickness ranges from 6 to 12 mm. Each layer can be additionally lined with paper impregnated with synthetic resins, which increases the wear resistance of the material.

Important! The thicker the laminate, the better it “absorbs” sounds and the easier it is to install.

Modern production technologies make it possible to create laminate boards imitating natural wood, brick, masonry, parquet, tiles, and mosaic tiles.

The advantages of such flooring

The most important advantage of laminate is the ideal ratio of cost and quality. The material has an affordable price, and at the same time has such characteristics as: strength, wear resistance. According to the degree of wear resistance, laminate is divided into 10 classes. It is a worthy replacement for wood and parquet.

The board is easy to install. Installation is accessible to anyone, even those without experience in repair work. If an error occurs during installation, the coating can be disassembled and re-installed. This allows you to save your family or production budget.

Important! When laying laminate flooring, you must first level the floor surface.

The patterned variety of the coating allows everyone to choose it according to their taste and in accordance with the design of the room.

The material is fire resistant, suitable for installing heated floors, and is harmless to health. Does not require labor-intensive maintenance, just wipe the floors with a damp cloth.

The basic rule for caring for laminate flooring is to keep it from getting wet. Water entering through the joints of the boards deforms the coating, it loses its appearance and begins to collapse. If such situations arise, you should promptly wipe the floor dry.

If the rules of operation and installation are followed, the coating can serve the owner of the premises for about 10 years.