Laminate Wood Flooring

Laminate wood flooring was invented in 1977 by a Swedish company called Pergo AB. This company was originally a part of a larger company named Perstorp AB that is more than a century old and it is the company that discovered how tabletops could be made out of laminate materials in the early 1920s. It wasn't until the middle of the 1990s, however, that Pergo AB's wood laminate flooring found its way to the United States of America.

Laminate wood flooring is a flooring product that is very durable and can be manufactured to look like genuine stone and, of course, wood. The flooring is made out of an array of layers that are bonded together to form one product. Wood laminate flooring is made out of the following layers:

The Underlayment Layer: This layer is the bottom layer of the wood laminate flooring. The underlayment layer was made to absorb sound and to cushion the flooring itself, making it easier to walk on (without making a bunch of noise). This layer is usually made of foam though sometimes it can also be made of cork or felt.

The Stabilizing Layer: The stabilizing layer is the layer of laminate wood flooring that holds all of the other layers together. Usually this layer is made out of paper that has been coated in resin.

The Core Layer: The core layer is literally the core of wood laminate flooring. It is in this layer that particle board of some kind has been processed. The core layer can be found in different strengths and thicknesses.

The Design Layer: This is the layer that gives your floor the look you desire. The design layer is a print or a photographed pattern that is reproduced onto cellulose paper. It is actually the second layer of the laminate flooring which means that it cannot fade and it will not be scuffed or marked up in any way.

The Wear layer: the wear layer is the layer of laminate wood flooring that you actually walk around on. This layer is made from cellulose paper that has been saturated with resins made of melamine plastic. It is this resin that makes the floor so resistant to scratches.

Laminate flooring can be assembled in two ways. The first way, also the most common method of assembling laminate flooring is through direct pressure. With this method of assembling the flooring, all of the layers of the tiles and the underlayment are put together at the same time and then are warmed up and pressed so that they form a bond. The second, and newer, method of making laminate wood flooring is a method by which the bottom and top layer are melded to the core layer under extreme amounts of pressure.

Wood laminate flooring is a fantastic way to get hard wood floors at a fraction of the cost of real hard wood floors. Laminate wood floors will last longer and hold up better than almost all other types of flooring.

Installing Laminate Flooring Tip #1

Not all house walls are perfectly straight. In order to get a good fit on your first board, you may have to cut it to match the curve in your wall.

Installing Laminate Flooring Tip #2

Unlike most hardwood flooring, laminates are virtually dent resistant, but remember you can find a good selection of matching fillers online in case of any gouges or dents.

Installing Laminate Flooring Tip #3

Make sure you clean your floor thoroughly before you start working, use either a vacuum or a stiff bristled broom. Once your floor is clean and clear of debris you will be in a good position to determine if your floor is even or not.

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