Compare Laminate Floors, Quality And Price

By Author: Harold Lewis
Total Articles: 19
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Wondering why one laminate floor cost double the price or more than the others, if it is a drastic price difference for the same type of floor board then the chances are good it is because of a quality difference between the products. Below are a few factors that influence the price you pay for your laminate floor and should help you making a more informed decision.

Quality or Grade of Laminate Floors
It is important to compare apples with apples here and there are different grading systems for laminate floors, from AC1 to AC5 or Grade 21 to 33 with the higher number being better quality, this will influence the price you pay, so you will pay nearly double for a AC5 than for a AC3. Below are a few factors that can influence the price of laminate flooring. Protective Layer: This is what gives laminate floors its surface strength and mostly determine the AC or Grade rating of the laminate planks, see here for more details Quality and rating of Laminate Floors. Test done on laminate floors by the EPLF (European Producers of Laminate Flooring) include resistance against Stains, Fading, Fire, Burn and Formaldehyde Emission ...
... Levels, for more information about these test and to see who are members of the EPLF click HERE

Surface texture: Textured or wood grain laminate boards which looks more like the real thing is usually more expensive to manufacture, these planks are embossed with a pattern to mimic real or solid wood flooring. More Info on Texture and Patterns of Laminate Floors

Repeat Pattern: With the cheaper laminates you usually find a 1 in 3 repeat pattern which means every third or fourth laminate plank looks the same which is noticeable after installation where some of the more expensive products you might be looking at a 1 in 8 or even a 1 in 10 repeat pattern.

Locking System: The locking systems of some laminate planks are superior to others and these locking systems are usually patented and thus the manufacturer need to pay a fee to use these locking systems which add to the cost of production. Examples of a superior locking system could be a neater joint and that the boards can be uplifted and re-installed a few times without compromising the locking system. One of the most known patented locking systems are Uniclic

Core Board: The density of the core or laminate board which is about 95% of what the plank is made up of should be HDF (High Density Fibre Board), there are some laminate floor manufacturers that lower their cost by using cheaper board which is usually MDF (Medium Density Fibre Board) or somewhere in-between, these laminate boards dents easier than HDF.

Machining: Some products are machined better than others, make sure the laminate manufacturer or supplier can provide a list which is usually in their catalogue or on the box of the standards they guarantee on their laminate product. All laminate manufacturers differ but usually they have detailed information about the maximum height difference between connecting laminate planks (about 0.15mm), the maximum space difference between connecting boards (about 0.20mm) and the board straightness (about 0.30mm).

Direct Pressure: This is the most common method where the 4 layers that the laminate plank consist of get pressed together under pressure and high heat but then you also get High Pressure Laminates, this method takes longer and thus costs more, the top and bottom layers are done separately and then fused together again, the end result is a stronger and more durable laminate floor.

Other factors that influence the price of Laminate Floors
West or East: It is fairly common knowledge that the East can nearly manufacture anything cheaper than the West, when it comes to Laminate Flooring as specially China plays a major role here. Cheaper labour, energy, raw products, taxes is just some of the factors that can play a role to lower the cost of laminate floor manufactures in the East or China. Furthermore the exchange rate can also play a role here as Chinese manufacturers mostly sell their laminate floors in Dollars and the European manufacturers sell their floors in Euros.

Green Factor: How green the floor is can also have an impact on the cost of the floor as sustainable resources and low emission factories usually cost a bit more to run, make sure there are a "green" label on your laminate floor product. The most well known one when it comes to wood products are the FSC (Forest Stewardship Council).

Article by Floors Online

for more information about these test and to see who are members of the EPLF click: http://www.eplf.com/en/members/list/ordinary.html and http://www.floorsonline.co.za/laminate-choices and http://www.fsc.org .