Today, one of the leaders among floor coverings is laminate. Consumers prefer it due to a number of positive characteristics:
- laminate is a durable coating that does not leave marks from heavy objects falling, scratches, dents from furniture wheels;
- the operation of the laminate does not require much effort, it does not need to be scraped and polished like natural parquet, a simple regular wet cleaning is enough;
- thanks to modern technologies, the laminate looks practically no different from natural wood. Manufacturers have learned to copy not only the texture and type of wood, but also to roughen the surface;
- laminate floors are warm, harmless and waterproof;
- Well, the main advantage of laminated floors is that they are very easy to install. Thanks to the Click-2-Click type of locking (latch), even non-professionals can fasten the boards and assemble a flat floor. In addition, if necessary, the floor can be dismantled.
The thickness of the laminate. Laminate board classification
Thicknesslaminate serves as the basis for its classification. There is a laminate with a thickness of 6 to 12 millimeters. The following classes of laminate board are usually distinguished:
home laminate flooring
- 21 - for rooms with low traffic (bedrooms and closets);
- 22 - for rooms with an average intensity of walking (children's, dressing rooms);
- 23 - for rooms with high traffic intensity (kitchens, corridors, hallways, nurseries for older children).
commercial laminate flooring
- 31 - for areas with low operational load (receptions, meeting rooms);
- 32 - for areas with medium operating load (offices);
- 33 - for high traffic areas (shops).
The thickness of the laminate for the home is 6-8 millimeters, for commercial premises - 8-12 millimeters. Laminate board grades 21 and 22 are almost never found in Russia. Some manufacturers give a class 33 laminate, subject to its use in domestic premises, a lifetime warranty. A class 34 board has recently appeared, the thickness of such a laminate allows it to be used in places with a special load: airports, train stations, dance classes, car dealerships.
Laminate underlay
Installation of laminate flooring is not possible without the use of a special substrate under the laminate. The substrate performs several important functions:
- thanks to the use of the substrate, irregularities that are most likely present onconcrete screed;
- Underlay reduces noise and provides good thermal insulation. The thickness of the laminate with the backing provides good sound insulation, and the best sound absorption can be achieved when using a cork underlay;
- the underlay protects the floor covering from technological moisture that may remain in the concrete subfloor.
Recommended thickness of underlay for laminate flooring is 2-3 mm. A thicker underlayment may sag at the junctions of the laminate boards, resulting in a violation of the integrity of the flooring.
