Laminate: layer cake and stacking technology

Many of us, making repairs in our home, did not even think about what this or that material consists of. For example, what is a floor like laminate made of? Why is it so strong and durable? This is what this article will be about. Let’s look inside the laminate.

At first glance, it may seem that the laminate is an ordinary wooden board covered with varnish. I want to disappoint you – this is far from the case. This coating is built on the principle of a puff pastry and consists of four main layers (sometimes more, but this is very rare).

The top layer is a film (actually, this is where the name “laminate” came from) made of acrylic resin. There can be one or many layers of film. When there are many layers, then such a laminate is called composite. This layer protects against external influences. It is moisture, most chemicals and dust resistant. It should be noted that the better the topcoat, the more expensive the laminate.

The next layer is responsible for imitating a particular type of wood. It consists of special paper or furniture foil. There are a lot of types of this material, depending on what texture you want to simulate..

Next comes the most important bearing layer, which is a fiberboard (fiberboard). This is not ordinary fiberboard, but high strength. High strength is achieved by pressing the fibers. One of the main requirements for this material is the ability to resist moisture. The better this indicator, the better the quality of the laminate is..

There is another layer at the bottom of the board. It is a resin impregnated paper (unrefined paper) that is attached to the fiberboard. The main function of this layer is to protect the carrier material from moisture and level the overall geometry of the board..

Thanks to the technologies and structure used, laminate is a fairly durable and reliable floor covering. In the past few years, its use has become more and more popular. This is primarily due to its availability and ease of installation..

Laminate laying technology

If you are doing repairs, then this article will be useful to you. Here we will tell you about the technologies and methods of laying laminate flooring. Let’s say right away that this is not so difficult and it is quite possible to master it yourself and not hire a team of workers for this.

The styling technology is quite simple, it is somewhat reminiscent of a children’s designer. The boards are easily joined together. But this lightness depends not only on the quality of the parquet itself, but also on the quality of the rough surface on which it is laid. Before laying the laminate, it is imperative to level the surface of the subfloor, otherwise the work will probably have to be redone later. The floor will creak, hump and gaps will appear at the joints of the boards. You can learn more about the installation process from the instructions that come with the set of laminate boards. But its main essence is that a spike on one board should fall into a groove on another..

An important requirement of the laminate laying technology is the observance of the indents from the walls, pipes and risers. The size of the indentation can be different and vary from 5 to 10 centimeters. It depends on the degree of expansion of the laminate material. And the expansion occurs under the influence of temperature. The higher the room temperature, the more the laminate will expand. A classic moment in installation technology – the direction is mandatory from window to door.

The technology described above is without glue. It has a number of advantages and disadvantages. Such a floor can be easily disassembled and moved, say, to another room, or a damaged area can be replaced. However, it is not resistant to moisture. If the working surface of the board is well protected, then the seams are extremely vulnerable to water. With glue technology, you will need to spend money on glue and hire a team of workers. However, such a laminate will serve you
longer and he will not be afraid of water.

A high-quality laminate, subject to the technology of installation and proper care, can serve and remain beautiful for a very long time. Do not use soapy water for care. It is better to use alcohol-containing substances. It is better to put rubber pads under the furniture legs.