Cornwall Flooring specialists Room-Scapes provide information and advice on laminate flooring.

Laminate flooring has become ever more popular in Europe and England over the last few decades. It is by far the fastest growing sector of the flooring industry.

Laminate flooring is extremely durable, attractive and is very low maintenance, requiring only a light sweep and mop. Laminate Flooring can be used for a wide variety of applications in the home and business environment.

Laminate flooring comes in plank form, constructed of a number of different layers. The top layer is a clear layer, which is designed to be the wear layer that protects the layers below from scratches, burns dents and chips that could occur due to everyday wear and tear.  


The quality of the laminate will determine the number of protective layers that have been applied, as some will have a very thin protective layer causing it to scratch much more easily.

The second layer is usually the decorative layer which gives the look, style and colour of the laminate flooring.

All of the layers are then fused together by heat and high pressure to a high density core, this core could be constructed of either high density wood particles or a high density fibre.

It is argued that one core is better than another in the laminate manufacturing trade. However as with any product they both have advantages and disadvantages. These are as follows; the wood particle core absorbs the glue slightly better creating a tight seal between the joints and the floor. However the high density fibre core is perhaps more structurally sound.

Most laminate manufacturers apply backing to the boards, usually a melamine backing, in order to create added protection against moisture to avoid warping. The backing can also add to the stability of the product.