What is laminate wooden floors?
Laminate wooden floor is a type of artificial floor covering, which is a less expensive alternative to traditional hardwood floors. In addition to relative costs, there are many advantages of using laminate wooden floors instead of real floors. Laminate wooden floors also have some disadvantages, but before exploring their advantages and disadvantages, it is necessary to understand what modern laminate is built of. The bottom layer of the laminate is composed of melamine plastic, which makes laminate boards more stable than all types of traditional hardwood. In addition, melamine plastic helps to withstand moisture that can come from the substrate. Most laminate manufacturers produce their inner core of the pressed particle plate or with a high density Fiber board. Different core density helps to distinguish budget laminates from the best wood laminate products on the market.
on top of the core of the laminate woodis a decorative layer. The decorative layer is a photograph of wood. The photo is a very high resolution, so the image mimics the real hardwood floor. Like the core, the best products on the market look just like their real wood counterparts. In some cases, the photographs are so spectacular, floor experts have difficulty telling the difference between laminate and real hardwood. Because laminate floors are not real wood, artificial versions of exotic hardwood are readily available.
The last layer is a layer of wear, which is the coating of aluminum oxide mixed with melamine resin that creates extra durability. According to the scale of hardness, the aluminum oxide is a more difficult natural surface known to man next to diamonds. Aluminum oxide protects laminate from scratches and exposed to shoes, furniture and dropped objects.
Unlike hardwood flooring, laminate wooden flooring is relatively water -resistant and can beUsed in areas with high humidity such as bathrooms and cellars. In addition, the laminate floor is more resistant than real hardwood. Aluminum oxide coating helps with stain resistance and also reduces fading that can occur in sunlight. Laminate floors are most often installed as free floating floors.
Along with all its advantages, laminate floors have several disadvantages. Due to the construction of laminate floors and the way it is installed, walking on the laminate emits the sound of the echo. This sound can be reduced by a special base, but it is still higher and different from walking to the traditional hardwood floor. The laminate may never be specified. Once damaged, it must be completely replaced. Although the laminate is resistant to moisture, it can still be deformed in areas with high humidity, even cause the first two layers to peel off from the board.