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How laminate flooring is manufactured

Views: 7     Author: Site Editor     Publish Time: 2022-05-26      Origin: Site

How laminate flooring is manufactured


Laminate flooringis a hard surface floor which provides versatility, durability and high end style with the look of natural hardwood floors. Laminate flooring is manufactured with a layered construction using numerous layers pressed together, creating a wood-look floor. The lamination process uses heat and high pressure to fuse the materials together, resulting in a solid piece of flooring. With a visual "picture" layer and a matching textured topcoat, laminate flooring mimics the look and feel of solid hardwood flooring.



laminte floor

Laminate Flooring Layers

Bottom Layer: melamine backer layer provides a foundation and water resistance

Core layer: made of high density fiberboard (HDF), helps provide stability and water resistance

Visual layer: uses a high-resolution photographic image of natural wood planks

Topcoat: a clear coating of extremely durable resin and cellulose, often textured to match the visual

wood grain of the visual layer, to protect the layers below and help retain its wooden look.

Underlayment: a composite of filaments and fibers laid under the laminate flooring to help protect it from moisture.



BOTTOM LAYER

The bottom layer of laminate flooring is composed of melamine backer, which aids in moisture resistance. This backer helps to balance the overall structure of laminate flooring by making the top layer and the bottom layer the same weight. The materials used to make the melamine backer are similar to the material used in the topcoat, which help the planks remain consistently flat.


Paper is sometimes used as a backer with laminate flooring, but melamine is a stronger material. With the added ability to prevent cupping and twisting, melamine backer adds additional support and overall strength to laminate flooring that paper backing lacks.


CORE LAYER

The core layer is perhaps the most important (and largest) part of laminate flooring. It is constructed using high density fiberboard (HDF), which is made of compressed wood particles, resins, polymers and plastics.


The resins and plastic in the core layer help offer higher water resistance. The level of resin used in the core layer of laminate flooring allows it to acclimate more easily to temperatures and humidity levels. Furthermore, higher levels of resin help prevent boards from adjusting and creating gaps or peaks once installed. Resin also can reduce some of the noise heard when walking on laminate floor. This type of prevention gives laminate flooring an edge over hardwood flooring, which can be more susceptible to humidity and temperature changes.

The core layer of high density fiberboard is constructed using both hard and soft woods. The natural resins found in soft woods aid in the bonding of the fibers in the board once compressed.

HDF is often constructed using recycled materials. The wood particles from hard and soft woods are processed into small particles and glued together. Since the pieces are small, scraps of wood from other building and manufacturing can be used to create HDF.

The use of high density fiberboard in the core layer stabilizes the laminate and helps to increase overall impact resistance. HDF is dense in nature and helps reduce the level of sound in a room.


VISUAL LAYER

The visual layer, or image layer, of laminate flooring is mainly decorative. This layer, along with the topcoat, has advanced in recent years to create a more realistic wood-look surface. The visual layer is created using a high resolution 3D photograph of real, natural wood grain. Multiple pictures are taken using a variety of grain patterns to provide a non-repetitive look. This accounts for the differences between the textures of planks of hardwood flooring – where no two boards are exactly the same.

These realistic images are then glued to the core layer to give the look of real wood texture. Some planks may have images of two to three narrower "planks" in a row to create the look of a number of planks on a single strip of laminate.

The intricate process of photographing real wood using the latest technologies produces a laminate flooring product that mimics the unique look of genuine hardwood floors.


TOPCOAT

The topcoat layer of laminate flooring is a translucent, clear finish applied to help protect the other layers and to enhance the durability of laminate flooring. The melamine, urethane-based aluminum oxide finish resists fading caused by UV rays, abrasions, everyday wear, and stains from accidental spills. The mixture of the materials used and the process to create them results in a product with a strong surface, which can be textured to mimic the imperfections of a genuine wood surface.

Consult Your Flooring Production Line Experts

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