About laminate

What is laminate?

Types of laminate

Features of the use of laminate

 How to choose the right laminate?

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Wikipedia to the rescue!

Laminate (from Latin lamina = layer) is a durable multi-layered floor covering consisting of pressed wood fiber, resin-impregnated layers of paper, and an upper wear-resistant coating.

 What does laminate consist of?

Laminate is delivered in the form of separate rectangular boards, which are connected with locks when laid on the floor.

The upper layer of the laminate is a thin super-strong film containing melamine (sometimes acrylic) resin.

  • The film protects the laminate strip from wear. 

  • Therefore, this layer ensures the wear resistance of the laminate, one of its main characteristics.

  • The quality of this layer determines the level of abrasion resistance of the laminate. 

  • Also, this layer gives the laminate panel mattness or the presence of gloss.

The decorative layer of the laminate is a decorative paper with a printed pattern, which primarily determines the color and structure of the laminate design.

Each applicant chooses the color and "material" of the design at his discretion.

The main, supporting layer of the laminate is a high-density fiberboard.

  • This plate determines the thickness of the laminate, takes on the main bearing load, contributes to heat and sound insulation, as well as strength. 

  • There is a lock in the plate to connect the laminate boards together.

The bottom layer of the laminate is, in most cases, specially treated paper.

This layer increases the rigidity and stability of the panel so that the laminate does not deform.

 Let 's consider the laminate floor covering, based on the experience of the global manufacturer Tarkett.

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Laminate for an apartment

The main advantages of laminate

  • A huge assortment of designs, collections with various, including unique sizes of bars and added values ​​for the consumer - deep embossing in the register, four-sided chamfer and other possibilities;

  • The effective system of TC-lock locks provides the opportunity to use the laminate for many years;

  • Use of high-quality raw materials: before the raw materials enter production, the manufacturer measures 8 characteristics for compliance with our standards.

  • In case of deviation from the standards, the raw material is not allowed for production;

  • Unique quality control – from raw materials to the finished product.

How would I choose a laminate for myself?

Heading "Subjective reasoning of the ordinary consumer"

Important criteria for floor covering, for me.

  • Wear resistance: long-term operation without repairs and additional financial costs.

  • Design: to please the eye.

  • Safe for others: it did not smell, was environmentally friendly and not slippery.

  • Easy to clean.

  • A fair price: everything costs money and you have to pay for everything. But without fanaticism.

Commonly accepted basic criteria for laminate selection

How to choose a laminate for an ordinary buyer?

  • Design (combination of pattern, color and structure).

  • Usage class.

  • Geometric parameters.

  • Additional valuable effects (embossing in register and chamfer).

  • Environmental safety.

  • Laminate design.

  • Exclusive laminate.

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Designer laminate

Laminate design  includes:

  • decorative pattern of material with color shades;

  • material texture with surface treatment effects.

Laminate decors are very diverse - they create different types of materials: different types of wood, tiles, stone.

  • The most common and popular is wooden decor, as most buyers want to see a wooden floor in the room.

  • Among wooden designs, the most popular, in turn, is the 1-strip format, which resembles a 1-strip parquet board or a wooden array.

  • You can also find 2-strip and 3-strip decorations that imitate the corresponding parquet board.

  • For a more natural and effective reproduction of wood, the color of the laminate slats, in the same design, often differs slightly from each other, can be accented with the color of the knot.

  • Just as in natural wood - in a living material with certain properties, conditions of growth and processing, the color of the material differs from one another.

  • This, in particular, is explained by different climatic conditions, different options for sawing the trunk, the presence of knots that stand out in color, sometimes sapwood (for example, in rustic country style designs), etc. 

  • Such a color difference between the slats or a smooth transition of color within the slats can be seen in many rooms where a parquet board or array is laid. 

  • Designers are trying to create the same naturalness in laminate.

  • To adapt the laminate to natural wood, various types of surface embossing are used, which additionally emphasize the texture of the material.
  • It can be a simple embossing in the form of strokes and in the form of highlighting wood fibers or applying wood rings (which resembles brushing in parquet). 

  • With the help of various types of surface embossing, a relief, rough surface is created, for example, more complex effects of aging, manual processing, disc sawing, the presence of dark or light pores are added. 

  • To convey the effect of covering the surface of a parquet board or massif with oil or varnish, slats with a matte or glossy surface are created .

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Embossing in the register is a special and advanced type of surface treatment that replicates the natural texture of wood.

  • In general, the more complex embossing is used, the more natural the laminate strip looks, and the design itself is more premium.

  • At the same time, in an effort to create a classy, ​​stylish design with a deep structure, one should not forget about the technical characteristics of the laminate and their correspondence, where one of the most important is the class of use of the laminate.

  • Also, a not insignificant factor when choosing a laminate depends on the bearing screed or leveling mixture.

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Laminate for a children's room

Laminate application class Laminate class

Laminate is divided into classes of intensity of its use, exploitation.

  • The class of the laminate is a general indicator of consumer characteristics of the laminate. 

  • It is determined on the basis of wear resistance, impact resistance, resistance to pollution, resistance to moisture (swelling in thickness in 24 hours), etc.

  • The main classes of laminate that are used today: 31, 32 and 33. 

  • Of them, the most popular for use in residential premises are classes 32 and 33.

Brief description of laminate classes

  • Class 31 laminate – for use in rooms with low traffic.

  • Laminate class 32 - for use in rooms with medium load.

  • Class 33 laminate – for use in high-traffic areas.

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Laminate for the kitchen

Laminate parameters and dimensions

When we talk about the geometric dimensions of the laminate strip, of course, we are talking about the thickness, length and width of the strip, measured in mm.

The thickness of the laminate is the main geometric dimension that buyers pay attention to.

  • The thickness of the laminate varies from 6 mm to 14 mm.

  • The most popular laminate is 8 mm and 12 mm thick. 

  • The Tarkett company produces laminate from 7 mm to 14 mm thick. 

  • At the same time, Tarkett is the only company in the CIS that produces 14 mm laminate.

The length of the laminate is the most common slat length, ranging from 1,200 to 1,300 mm, but slats with a length of about 2,000 mm (two meters) are occasionally found.

There are options with short slats, similar to artificial parquet.

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The width of the laminate strip is standard in the range of 180 mm - 200 mm.

  • This width can be called classic or standard. 

  • There are also wider slats (> 300 mm), narrow ones - 150-160 mm and very narrow ones - 110-130 mm.

  • Narrow and very narrow bars visually expand the space. 

  • The Tarkett assortment includes many different collections with standard widths.

  • As well as a wide range of already popular collections with a narrow and very narrow bar width: a novelty of 2018 - the Cruise collection, as well as Pilot and Regata - all with a width of 159 mm; new 2018 Gallery Mini, like Gallery with a width of 116 mm.

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Laminate for a private house

Embossing in the register | Embossing of the laminate

  • To give an even greater effect of natural wood, the technology of embossing in the register (or synchronous embossing) is used. 

  • This is the addition of a texture reminiscent of the natural texture of wood to the surface of the slats with the help of specially developed press matrices. 

  • At the same time, the texture of the surface coincides with the decor applied to the decorative layer of the laminate strip.

  • Embossing in the register helps to recreate the natural relief of the tree species, to better convey the pattern of tree rings, knots, core rays and other features of the tree. 

  • The deeper the embossing, the more effectively it conveys the texture of the wood, gives it volume, and the more realistic and exclusive the laminate looks, as much as possible reminiscent of a parquet board and solid wood.

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Laminate for the hall

Chamfer | Laminate with chamfer

  • Laminate chamfers are small recesses at the junction of panels, either along the entire perimeter of the laminate slats or along two long sides. 

  • Correspondingly, laminate with a four-sided or two-sided chamfer is distinguished.

  • The chamfer allows you to clearly distinguish, separate one strip of laminate from another, give additional expressiveness to the design and greater similarity of the laminate with natural parquet or solid wood, in which the strips are also separated by chamfers.

  • Also, the chamfer hides minor cracks or irregularities at the joint of the slats, which may arise due to unevenness of the floor (at the same time, the presence of a chamfer does not cancel the requirements for preparing the base for laying), and also delays the formation of possible chips along the edges of the laminate slat, which may appear over time time

  • Discussing additional value effects, perhaps it will not be an exaggeration to say that the presence of embossing in register and chamfer is now mandatory for more refined and stylish designs and collections in laminate.

  • Laminate with a chamfer and embossing in the register is an excellent tool in the hands of a designer to create an exclusive, spectacular space.

  • Tarkett's assortment includes a large number of designs with register embossing, 4-sided chamfering and other effects. 

  • Among the most famous and popular collections among buyers are, for example: Estetica, Navigator, Gallery, Pilot, Cinema, in a number of designs of which some of the most impressive and deep wood textures on the laminate market have been recreated.

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Ecological laminate

Ecological safety Laminate safety

  • Being the industry leader in the field of development and production of floor coverings, Tarkett is aware of its responsibility to society and the environment, pays special attention to product quality and ecological business principles.

  • The Tarkett company is the only manufacturer of floor coverings in the CIS on the market of finishing materials, which has passed the procedure of voluntary product certification and received the international ecological label "Leaf of Life" for laminated floor coverings.

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Laminate for the dining room

What's great about laminate?

  • Tarkett laminate offers a wide range of designs.

  • From classic designs, reproducing wood fibers, to original unique textures, with a pronounced structure of wood, contrast highlighting.

  • A vivid example of such designs is the CINEMA vintage collection.

  • Especially for lovers of bright design ideas in floor coverings, Tarkett develops the theme of non-standard solutions in Laminate.

  • In the GALLERY collection, narrow slats of 116 mm will visually expand the space of your room.

  • In one of the most popular NAVIGATOR collections on the market, a 12 mm plate is used, which provides greater stability of the board.

  • Exclusive on the market, the length of the board is 855 mm, presented in the GALLERYMini collection. 

  • The uniqueness of the slat length in combination with an ultra-narrow width of 116 mm and a variety of designs and effects (the collection includes deep embossing in the register, a four-sided chamfer, give the designs the maximum similarity with artificial parquet, natural massif, visually expanding the space and creating a truly unique and stylish atmosphere.

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Wear-resistant laminate

With the help of our resource, you can choose the necessary laminate model, with the necessary characteristics, by following the links. 

"Choose a cool laminate for your home"

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