By Katherine Salant
If you dreamt you were dancing on an enormous kitchen countertop that seemed to float across the ballroom, your subconscious was not as far from reality as you might think.The floor was probably laminate, which has a wear surface and look that is similar to the plastic laminate used in kitchen counter tops. But compared to the counter top, laminate flooring is much harder and more durable. You couldn't dance on it in tap shoes without mishap, but you could do a mean rumba in high heels.
Another significant difference between laminate counter tops and laminate floors is how each is attached to the surface underneath it. The counter top is securely glued, but the floor is neither glued not nailed. Instead, it "floats" (that explains the other part of the dream). This apparent bit of flooring legerdemain is easily explained.
Laminate flooring is manufactured in planks with tongue in groove edges. When properly glued together, the flooring pieces become a single unit, essentially a floor above a floor. This type of floor can be easily installed over a concrete slab, making it a favorite with apartment dwellers. It can also be installed over an existing floor, a great advantage in remodeling.
In most cases, the laminate is fused to a core layer made of high or medium density fiber board. The underside of each plank has a backing which provides dimensional stability so that once installed the plank won't bow or "banana up," creating an uneven and unsightly floor surface.
Widely used in Europe since the mid 1980s, laminate flooring was introduced in this country in 1994 by Pergo, the European firm that invented it. Two years later, two American firms that also make laminate counter tops, Wilson Art and Formica, began manufacturing and selling laminate floors. There are now a number of firms manufacturing this type of flooring, but I only looked at these three.
Laminate flooring was initially marketed as an alternative to sheet vinyl flooring for kitchens and bathrooms. But because of its distinct look, as well as its other properties - easy maintenance and resistance to stains and fading - it was soon regarded as a flooring alternative for the entire house.
Most of the laminate flooring patterns mimic natural materials such as stone, ceramic tile or hardwood. It makes for a nice looking floor, but it does not, in my estimation, look like the real thing - the almost eerie smoothness of the surface and the subtle repetition of patterns and joints at regular intervals are the giveaways. The degree to which these are noticeable depends of course, on the pattern chosen and the visual acuity of the observer.
As with every other type of flooring, laminate flooring comes in different grades. Besides price, the distinctions between grades for the Pergo, Wilson Art and Formica products include durability, water resistance and warranty period - 10 years for the "good" or builder grade, 15 or 16 for the "better" grade, and 20 or 25 for the "best," intended for commercial installations with huge amounts of foot traffic.
The first difference between grades that most buyers will notice, however, is the number of pattern choices. The "good" or builder-grade category has only six to ten, depending in the manufacturer, but the upgraded "better" category can have 25 or more.
From a use standpoint, however, the other differences between grades are more significant. With "good" - Pergo's Living, Wilson Art's Welcome Home and Formica's Standard - the wear layer is less hard and more susceptible to dents. More importantly, only Pergo warrants their low end product against water damage. If you're using either of the other two, it should not be installed in a kitchen, bathroom or laundry room. If you want to put a Wilson Art or Formica laminate floor in any of these rooms, you need to upgrade to their "better" grade - Wilson Art's Classic, and Formica's Formica.
Within the "better" grade, however, Formica goes the farthest in its claims for water resistance, warranting its Formica against "ANY water damage." The firm is so confident it displays an overflowing bathtub with water continuously cascading down over several levels of flooring at trade shows. With all three manufacturers, the "better" grade also has a harder wearing surface that is enhanced with aluminum oxide (Wilson Art calls this the "fourth hardest known substance" and Pergo says it's "nature's second hardest substance behind diamonds").
Since the core material of all three laminate floors is made of wood fibers, which can swell if they become saturated with water, the installation is critical, especially in bathrooms. Not only must each piece be glued correctly, the edges must be carefully sealed with a silicone sealant. Proper installation also prevents water from getting underneath the floor and causing mildew, which can eventually create indoor air problems, said Michael Walker, manager of installation services at Pergo.
Buyers who like the idea of a laminate floor for their bathroom, but are concerned about the water damage to the core, should consider Wilson Art's Performance ProFX, the firms "best" grade. With this product, the core material is 100 percent plastic.
Because the installation is critical and laminate flooring is still a relatively new product, Pergo established an Endorsed Installer Training Program. If a graduate of this program installs a floor, Pergo warrants both the floor and the installation for the life of the warranty. Wilson Art and Formica warrant the flooring material but not the installation.
Another unusual characteristic of laminate flooring that buyers will note is the hollow sound made when anyone walks across the floor in a heeled shoe. The sound is not loud, just different, but many people find it disturbing. To dampen the sound beyond what Pergo's and Wilson Art's standard underlayment provides, you must upgrade. Formica has only one underlayment, but it provides both cushioning and soundproofing.
Scratches are another issue with laminate floors. The surface is very hard, but it's only scratch resistant, not scratch proof, said Good Housekeeping Institute engineer Steve Zara, who tested 13 laminate floors in the good, better and best categories from 9 firms, including the three discussed here.
If the floor becomes scratched, it cannot be sanded or buffed out. The only solution is to replace the plank. For this reason, Doug Carlson of Merkel's Carpet One in Ann Arbor, Mich., who has supervised the installation of hundreds of laminate floors, urged buyers to consider their particular circumstances as well as how the space would be used. In his experience, laminates do not work for every household.
"Any of the laminates will hold up fine if you have clean foot traffic on it. But if you have a gravel driveway, for example, everyone in the household will track in grit, which is like having sandpaper on your shoes. It will mar the surface of a laminate floor in no time. In this situation, the homeowners will never be happy with a laminate and probably shouldn't use it."
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