New laminate flooring

Laminate flooring represents the most significant flooring entry in the past twenty-five years.

Laminate flooring is becoming the alternative of choice for homeowners looking for good looks, durability and low price. In 1923 Pergostorp developed a process for manufacturing decorative laminates for tabletops, a market which Perstorp AB quickly dominated. By 1950, the Perstorp company had greatly improved its laminates and was now churning out a wide variety of decorative laminate surfaces. Laminate flooring was invented in 1977 by the Swedish company Pergo and introduced to the US market in 1994. Since its release, then name “Pergo,” has become synonymous with laminate flooring.

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.

Recent introductions of glue-less laminates are again revolutionizing the floor covering industry. Unilin Industries of Belgium have introduced Quick-Step into the US market. Quick-Step utilizes the patented Uniclic joint system. Several other manufacturers (Pergo, Columbia etc.) have bought licenses to use the Uniclic joint thereby acknowledging Uniclic as the industry standard for Glue-less technology. It has been predicted that by the middle of 2002, two thirds of the laminate flooring industry will be glue-less.

As laminate floor producers continue to expand colors, styles and increase quality, the incredible growth of this product will continue. As growth increases, even more will be funneled back into research and development to continually raise the bar for laminate flooring. Ultimately it will be the consumer who will judge whether or not laminate floor is all that it says it is. Nonetheless, it is clear that laminate flooring is here to STAY.

The history of AC Ratings system

Not all laminate floors are created equal, and as laminate floors became more and more popular, it became necessary to identify, test, and classify laminate floors on the basis of their resistance to wear in relation to recommended usage. A body was formed in 1994 in Bonn, Germany, in order to carry out this mandate. The Association of European Producers of Laminate Flooring (otherwise known as EPLF, headquartered in Bielefeld Germany), devised a series of tests which measured the resistance of individual varieties of laminate floors to various types of wear. The tests include resistance to scratching, burning, staining, and others.

Most reputable manufacturers of laminate floors adhere to this testing, the standardized results known as the AC rating. This rating was solely designed as a guide to the consumer, to enable that consumer to make the best possible choice when considering laminate floors. Should any laminate floors product fail any of the tests required of all laminate floors, it does not receive the AC rating. This set of standards may explain another reason for the success of laminate floors: the industry’s sensitivity to the needs of customers, and reputable manufacturers’ dedication to quality.