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Laminate flooring has become one of the best selling and fastest growing types of floor coverings due to its cost and incredibly durable and available look of many different woods and tiles. Laminate flooring is a tongue and groove interlocking flooring system which clicks into position. It is installed over the top of the existing substrate and simply “floats” there. “Floating” or “float-in” is a flooring term that means the new floor is not attached to the floor underneath which adds a vapor barrier and aids in noise reduction. In a typical floating installation, only the joints are glued or attached. The body of the floor rests unattached to an appropriate floor underneath. Plywood, concrete slab, sheet vinyl flooring, hardwood flooring, or virtually any other basically flat hard surface is suitable for a “floating” laminate installation.

Most people in the United States and Canada are familiar with laminate counter tops, such as Formica. Many never envisioned a laminate suitable for walking on. Laminate floors are beautiful, extremely durable and easy to clean. It is well suited for high-traffic areas, busy family kitchens and homes with children and pets. Like hardwood, laminate is available in various widths and lengths and is less expensive than real wood. Wood-lock laminate flooring is made to look like real wood but the decorative layer is actually a photograph. Tile-lock laminate flooring can even show the texture of ceramic and stone.

Laminate flooring consists of four main components that are bonded together:

back layer - is reinforced with melamine for structural stability and moisture resistance.
fiberboard core - provides impact resistance and stability. It also features an edge sealing treatment that provides even further structural stability.
decorative layer - is the floor's beauty, the decorative layer is actually a highly detailed photograph that gives the laminate the appearance of wood or tile.
wear layer - is a melamine tough, clear finish reinforced with aluminum oxide, one of the hardest mineral compounds known to man, to resist staining, fading, surface moisture and wear.

Most brands of laminate flooring suggest the joints be glued with a specially formulated, water-resistant glue. It is placed between the tongue and grooves of every plank. There are variances in how much glue is used. On one extreme, Pergo requires a lot of glue - enough to completely fill the entire groove and the excess squeezes out when the tongue and groove are interlocked. Pergo's unique Percore is designed to soak in the glue. On the other hand, some such as Pickering require only a 1/16" bead of glue on a specific location of the groove. Formica requires a 1/8" bead on 2 specific locations of the groove/tongue. They all accomplish the same thing, but in different ways. ALLOC has a patented glueless interlocking system.

Other noteworthy features of laminate flooring:

Laminate flooring is incredibly durable and stain resistant. Such problems spills as nail polish, grease and sauces simply wipe off.
Patented tongue-and-groove locking technology eliminates unsightly gaps at the seams.
Ultra durable flooring planks can be taken apart and reassembled if necessary.
No waiting ... you can walk on your floor immediately after installation is complete.

By using the counter top technology and adding considerably more resin to the wear layer, laminates have become an ideal floor covering. In fact, some laminate floor manufacturers boast that their laminate floors are now 10 to 20 times harder than laminate counter tops. Since this resin filled wear layer is so dense, it becomes extremely difficult to stain, scratch, or even burn with a cigarette. It is possible however to scratch any floor.