The other "hard surfaces" I wanted to cover are Laminate and Resilient
Laminate flooring represents the most significant flooring entry in the past twenty-five years.
The product we know today as laminate flooring was originally developed as another possible use of high-pressure melamine laminate. This occurred in Sweden in the early eighties. A product was created with a base of several layers of paper impregnated with special resins which were pressed together under high pressure into a highly
wear resistant composite material. The decorative paper determined the design. The finished laminate was then glued onto a carrier and cut into sections with extremely exact dimensions.
Decorative laminate was a product that was widely used on kitchen
countertops, tables or wall paneling, but obviously not as yet for floors. This clearly created an opportunity, but a flooring application brought new technical challenges. The initial concern to be solved was the wear factor. It is obvious that floors are walked on and therefore suffer a lot more normal abuse than furniture or counter tops. A laminate floor clearly had to be more durable. A reinforced laminate that was approximately ten times stronger than counter tops was created and the first flooring began to be sold. As research grew, the relative strength of flooring laminate increased dramatically to at least twenty times that of
countertops.
Important parallel developments were also taking place during these early days. Packaging was one. Wood flooring
at the time was normally sold in long strips of approximately eight feet and installed only by a skilled professional. Laminate flooring was different right from the beginning. It was packaged eight planks to a carton that was approximately half this length (about four feet). The easy to handle carton was fairly lightweight and could be transported by car or in an elevator with ease. Its carton contents equaled approximately twenty square feet (two square meters). Because of these revolutionary factors and ease of installation, a large do-it yourself market was created in Sweden that exists today. In fact, over ninety percent of laminate flooring in Sweden still is self-installed!
Reasons for Acceptance
The system of gluing, using a tongue and groove method that, when done properly, creates a single unit that is impervious to normal household spills or tracked in rain or snow. This single unit expands or contracts with changes in humidity. (This movement, by the way, cannot be seen). The strength of the bond in creating the single unit permits heavy objects, such as refrigerators or bookcases to be placed directly on the flooring.
Provided that the glue is app
lied correctly, there is no problem with gaping. This process of installation is called a floating floor. The laminate floor can be laid or "floated" over the existing floor without being glued to the surface. This system also encapsulates the original floor. In most cases, (with the exception of textile), the older floor is not removed. This further saves time and installation costs!
Both the professional installer and the do-it-yourself customer quickly embraced the floating floor method because of the simplicity of installation and removal as compared to a glue down (to the sub-floor) floor. An easy removal process replaces the laminate floor at which point it can be destroyed with no danger to the atmosphere. Laminate floors contained insignificant quantities of elements that affected indoor air quality, plus it could be installed in a minimum amount of time.
The final success ingredient (and an important one) is in the aesthetics of the floor. In the beginning virtually all the floors replicated were wood species. Why? Simply because these patterns were desired by the public. As laminate flooring grew in popularity, other looks were introduced, including marble and stone. One of the interesting aspects of laminate flooring is that the designs are limited only by the imagination of the producers. This has resulted in a product that is now recognized by the design and decorating community for its ability to create an atmosphere of great beauty along with durability.
The European Spread of Laminate Flooring
Three important attributes - durability, design and installation ease now assured the popularity of laminate flooring in Europe. Following the early success in Scandinavia, other northern European countries, primarily Germany and the Benelux countries began to market laminate flooring. Distribution then spread quickly throughout the rest of Europe and continues today. Standards in Europe are being created by the
CEN (
Comité Européen de Normalisation or The European Committee for Standardization) group and will have the force of law.
NALFA maintains a relationship with this important committee as well as
EPLF (European Producers of Laminate Flooring). The interchange of ideas and technical data is viewed by
NALFA as one of the most important areas of contribution.
Into North AmericaLaminate flooring crossed the Atlantic to North America in the early nineties and was brought quickly to the market. The results of this introduction surpassed even Europe.
The North American consumer discovered that she could have a product of beauty with incredible wear and unmatched stain resistance. American and Canadian kitchens quickly became the primary room for laminate floors. Our consumer found out that virtually nothing could stain this beautiful floor, nor would sun or ultraviolet cause fade; and wear patterns were a thing of the past. And yet there were more discovered benefits. The resis
tance to indentation from heavy objects or shoes was far greater than popular existing wood or vinyl floors. The floor was incredibly easy to clean - vacuuming or damp mopping are needed. There is no need for waxing or stripping of the old wax buildup.
The retailer enjoyed unexpected ease of stocking and servicing. Dye lots, found in ceramic or textile, are non-existent in laminate flooring. This retailer benefit also assured the consumer of exact match in tone and color, even if additional matching flooring was purchased and installed a year later!
Besides importers, US and Canadian manufacturing operations began to produce the product. Laminate flooring was on its way to another success. North America took to this new category of beautiful flooring with its remarkable qualities in unparalleled numbers.
Today, laminate flooring continues its remarkable growth. Virtually every room of the house, including bathrooms is benefiting from a laminate floor application. The commercial marketplace is now exploring the aspects of laminate flooring for its demanding situation
This information came from
NALFA web site.
My Opinion:
Laminate is a very practical flooring. It is much more resistant to rips, tears, gouges and scratches than say wood or vinyl. However as I have said there are no perfect products. Always remember when you read a laminate warranty they only cover 3 things, wear(this means walking through the melamine layer into the photo), fade(bleaching by the sun), or stain(you cannot stain this product with anything). Some laminates will have a "water warranty",understand this is for only topical water, like a glass of water that you mop up in a timely manner. I do think the pros outweigh the cons. If you have pets and a family it will take the abuse pretty well.
The style and color is getting better every year with new technology. Some of the newer items include tile, handscraped looks, french bleeds, and piano finishes.
Resilient flooring
Resilient flooring refers to flooring materials which have a relatively firm surface, yet characteristically have “give” and “bounce back” to their original surface profile from the weight of objects that compress its surface. It has long been the most popular hard surface flooring in the United States
Resilient flooring materials are made in various shapes and sizes including both tile and roll form. Common types of resilient flooring include:
Vinyl composition tile
Vinyl tile and sheet flooring
Linoleum tile and sheet flooring
Rubber tile and sheet flooring
Cork tile and sheet flooring
Because of its durability, comfort under foot, aesthetic appeal, long lasting beauty, and cost effectiveness, resilient flooring is used in a wide range of commercial and residential applications. The ease of cleaning and removing spills as well as the overall moisture resistance are important reasons why so many homeowners and commercial building owners select resilient flooring.
In residences, resilient flooring is commonly used in kitchens, bathrooms, entryways, family rooms and increasingly in other areas of a house or apartment where rugs are used in conjunction with resilient flooring. In residences occupied by hypersensitive persons, resilient flooring is commonly used because these floors can be easily cleaned and do not tend to trap dust, which when combined with moisture, can produce microbial contamination.
Commercial resilient flooring has long been the most popular flooring used in schools, health care facilities, and mercantile settings. In schools, resilient flooring offers a cost-effective floor, which is easily and economically maintained and can last for many years before needing replacement. In health care facilities, resilient flooring is commonly used because it is impervious to water, resists stains, and can easily be disinfected, thus providing significant sanitary advantages over other types of flooring surfaces. Because of its durability and the availability of a wide range of colors and designs, resilient flooring has long been a favorite of stores and shops in creating design statements.
Because of its performance attributes and wide variety of colors and designs, resilient floors are frequently used in laboratories, clean rooms, computer rooms, lavatories, super markets, drug stores, lobbies, storage areas, spas, dormitories, libraries and restaurants.
This information is from the RFCI web site.
My Opinion:
Every style of floor covering can have it's place. In the past vinyl has gotten a bit of a bad wrap due to poor durability IE: ripping, tearing and gouging when you move a stove, washing machine or refrigerator over it. This is a simple fix, put down cardboard and move your appliances on that. Resilient can be really beautiful and very affordable. Overall, the types of products mentioned have their pros and cons. Remember they mimic natural product such as wood and stone and will never totally match them. But affordability, warmth, durability can be more important than having wood or stone.
