Laminate Flooring
Taurus Flooring offers hundreds of different laminate floor styles. As one of the major drivers in flooring, with an unparalleled resource of stock, Taurus Flooring is constantly analysing the market to identify new areas of consumer demand or manufacturing innovation.
Why Choose Laminate?
Laminates are extremely durable, great for homes with a high degree of foot traffic (children and pets add significantly to traffic in a home). They are incredibly easy to maintain and will not fade, even in direct sunlight.
Sydney Laminate Flooring Versitility
Because laminate flooring used a photographic quality image it can be used to reproduce the look of any flooring surface. Though most laminate is made to look like wood it is also possible to give pleasing and accurate reproductions of stone or tile flooring. This extremely broad range of styles, combined with the durability, makes laminate a versatile and popular option.
How Laminate Flooring Is Made
Laminate flooring is made from a number of layers that are fused together, under high pressure at high temperature. The layers in laminate flooring include:
- Wear Layer - This is the top layer which you walk on. It consists of a transparent melamine resin layer covering the cellulose paper layer underneath. One component in this melamine resin, a silicon carbon compound called carborundum, makes this top layer incredibly scratch-resistant.
- Design Layer - This is the image you see underneath the wear layer, typically on image or photograph reproduced on cellulose paper. Because it is protected below the upper melamine layer, it cannot be marked, scuffed or suffer fading. Later laminate products forgo this paper and print an image directly onto the core board.
- Core Layer - This is the backbone of all laminate flooring. The core layer is usually some form of processed particleboard and comes in different strengths and thicknesses.
- Stabilizing Layer - This is the bottom layer that balances the other layers. It's usually made from resin-saturated paper, just like the top layer.
Laminate Flooring Ratings
Laminate flooring is still a relatively young industry tied to its Australia roots. Although major manufacturers are now producing laminate flooring in North America and ASIA, the industry still looks to Europe for design trends and product innovations.
Any laminate flooring you buy will have an AC Rating based on standards devised by the European Producers of Laminate Flooring (EPLF). These ratings are a ranking system that indicates how a product compares to others like it. The AC Ratings involve numerous quality-control tests that cover such things as a product's resistance to abrasion, stains, burns and indentation.
The AC Ratings are a numerical scale ranked from 1 to 5. AC 1 is the lowest rating, and products with this rating should only be used in light-traffic areas. Most residential laminate flooring will come with an AC 3 ranking, though the very best premium brands will have an AC 5 - strong enough to handle anything!
Laminate Flooring Care
Laminate flooring was made for modern families. It requires virtually no maintenance and cleaning up spills couldn't be easier. Caring for laminate flooring is much less time consuming and labour intensive compared to other flooring types because of the material you are working with.
Some points to keep in mind to ensure your laminate floor stays in top condition for years to come:
- Vacuum Regularly.
- Don't use conventional soap-based cleaners. If possible, look for citrus-based cleaners.
- Never use scouring powder, steel wool or wax strippers on a laminate floor.
- Never wax, sand or apply lacquer to a laminate floor surface.
- Do not use water, just a damp mop or cloth.
- If you're unsure of using any product on your laminate floor, test it in an inconspicuous area first - such as underneath your stove or fridge.
Sydney Laminate Flooring at Taurus
Do you have a laminate flooring requirement? If you would like to discuss our laminate products, or just get some advice on laminate flooring then please feel free to call us on 02 9874 4256.