Explanation of how laminate flooring is made

Laminate Flooring is made up of 4 separate layers with the main component being a HDF core ( high-density wood fibre) . HDF is made from compressed wood fibres extracted from wood chips. Depending on the quality of the floor, the HDF core will vary in a few common ways:

  • Resistance to Moisture
  • Thickness
  • Density

Extra moisture resistance in a laminate floors core can be very welcome in rooms such as kitchens and bathrooms. Waterproof laminate can also be helpful when there are pets around.

A thicker HDF core board will often provide a stronger more robust floor.

Increased density in the HDF will give enhanced protection against chips and premature wear.

 

Each large and uncut HDF sheet is finished with a balancing paper on the underside. This important base layer protects the laminate from warping or swelling easily by adding extra protection from moisture. Some cheaper laminate floors won't have this feature, but it is something that we insist on for all for our laminates at Wood Floor Warehouse

Decor Papers

On the top side, the HDF floor panel is finished with a decorative paper. While these are just paper-based, the decorative prints will differ, displaying a range of colours and patterns. It's this decorative paper that will give the final colour and pattern to your finished laminate floor. Because the decorative papers can be printed with any design, there are tens of thousands of laminate flooring decors available across the world.

Wear Rating

The surface layer of all laminated flooring is the clear lamination sheet. It can vary in strength and so is commonly rated by Abrasion Class or AC for short.  Abrasion Ratings will range from 1-6 with the highest offering the toughest surface which can be used for heavy commercial use. It is identified as an AC5 floor (abrasion class 5), with an infographic which depicts a commercial building and 3 people beside it. Accreditation for laminate flooring can be awarded by the EPLF , an independent organisation who test laminate flooring and award industry-standard ratings.

You can find out more about AC ratings for laminate flooring in our article - What is the best AC rating For Laminate Flooring?

Embossment

After the construction of each layer is completed, the large laminated floorboard is often embossed to provide a textured surface and enhanced resistance to slipping. In a top-rated board, the embossed texture will often follow the pattern of the decorative paper underneath, resulting in a more realistic looking and feeling floor. For example, the embossment may follow the lines of the wood grain on the decorative print below.

The cutting stage can now begin. The large, finished HDF sheets are sliced down to the required size. A common size is 200mm wide and 1200mm long planks.  This size can be easily handled by the end-user. As technology has improved, the range of sizes available has also increased. Long and wide plank laminate flooring and large tile effect laminates are becoming more and more popular. Planks are machined to add a click profile to the long and short end of the board. Often a beveled edge (or V-groove) will be added to the top side of the laminate floor at this stage.

Packaging

Finally, the individual planks are packed into open-top cardboard boxes. These are then sealed with a breathable plastic wrapping to offer protection from moisture. After being stacked on a pallet the floor can then begin its journey to a distributor or sometimes even directly to the end retailer. We always buy directly from factories across the world to enable us to achieve competitive pricing and large stock levels.

Take a tour of the Egger factory in Weismar, Germany in the video below. Egger Flooring is one of the main suppliers to Wood Floor Warehouse.

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