Laminate flooring was introduced to American in 1994 after years of popularity in Europe. Pergo invented the floors in 1977 as a compliment to their already booming countertop and furniture business. Laminates are an extremely durable alternative to consumers seeking something the looks and acts like real wood, but has the strength to withstand most types of foot traffic.
The strength of a laminate comes from in its construction. They are made by taking a paper-like material with the desired image (usually a wood grain), fusing it to a core made of either high-density fiber (HDF) or medium density fiber (MDF) and coating it with a mixture of poly-urethane and aluminum-oxide. Aluminum-oxide gives the laminated flooring product its scratch resistance while HDF and MDF give the flooring their overall strength. While MDF is an acceptable core for most laminates, the most durable of the laminated products use only HDF as the core for their laminates.
They have come a long way since their introduction to the world in 1977. When they were first released they were installed like a real wood floor and needed a professional flooring installer to insure that they were installed correctly. In the early 1990′s many manufacturers started producing laminate floors with a glueless edge locking system. Some companies used a tab and lock system while others used a click-lock system.
The introduction of the locking system on a laminate flooring product allowed the do-it-yourself to install a laminate floor just as easily as a professional installer would be able to do. When the locking system is made correctly it makes it possible nearly anyone to lay a laminate floor.
Laminate Flooring is rated on a system referred to as the AC rating system. The AC rating scale rages from AC1 – AC5. AC1 laminates are suitable for light residential use in rooms that do not get a lot of foot traffic while AC5 rated laminated flooring materials can be used in heavy commercial spaces with large amounts of foot traffic.
The AC scale rates the laminates in a variety of categories all with the eye toward letting the consumer know exactly what they can expect from the laminated floors they are putting in their homes or businesses. Any reputable manufacturer will adhere to the strict guidelines set by the AC rating system.
When they were first sold they were made to resemble wood products however they were very rarely confused with real wood flooring. However with the advancement of manufacturing equipment many companies now make laminate products that fool even the most astute flooring expert. In the beginning all laminates were made using a low definition picture of a wood grain with multiple strips placed onto a HDF core about 7 inches wide without any beveling.
Laminate flooring is now made on narrower planks with beveled edges making them look much more like a real wood product. Some manufacturers are making laminates that look like travertine or other forms of tile with raised areas to add a realistic texture.
