Laminate Flooring – What Exactly Is It?
The look and feel of high-quality laminate floors make them virtually indistinguishable from real wood. Unlike parquet floors, however, they aren’t made from solid wood. Instead, they consist of an engineered wood core layer covered with a decorative layer. Laminate flooring comes in various widths and lengths. Large formats with surrounding V-joint and nature-identical embossing are now especially popular, as they replicate genuine country house-style plank floors more convincingly than ever before. Laminate flooring that is embossed in register – in other words, with the embossing closely following the colours of the grain, a technique that is known in some countries as “synchronized laminate” – looks astonishingly like real wood. Good laminate flooring is also robust, lightfast, easy to clean, and characterised by low emissions.
A big advantage over parquetry, apart from being kinder on your wallet, is that you can easily install laminate yourself. A tongue-and-groove click-together system makes it incredibly simple to install attractive floors in your rooms.
Laminate Flooring – Flooring with an Eco-Friendly Profile
Laminate flooring is made primarily from wood, in other words from a natural raw material. Despite this, many people still believe that it is plastic. In actual fact, this type of flooring consists of a core of high-density fibreboard (HDF) to which a layer of décor paper is applied. The HDF panels consist to about 90% of wood fibre and 10% of environmentally friendly bonding resin. KRONOTEX produces laminate in state-of-the-art, energy-efficient plants that fully comply with expectations with regard to minimising emissions and protecting the environment. Our floor coverings do not contain any plasticisers or pesticides or any other harmful additives. You can therefore be sure that KRONOTEX laminate flooring has an excellent environmental footprint and is thoroughly healthy.
A Wide Range of Decors for Creatively Pepping Up Your Rooms
A huge range of laminate flooring styles and decors is available for creating an attractive ambience in any room: from classic wood looks, including reinterpretations of eternally popular oak styles, across unusual stone styles, to unicolours and fantasy patterns. Whether you prefer a minimalist atmosphere or trend to a cosier style, whether your favourite décor is oak, beech, maple or nut wood or you get more excited about the look of country house-style planks or a style that’s reminiscent of a ship’s deck, no matter whether you like it sleek and elegant or lively and colourful – with laminate flooring there are practically no limits to what you can do.
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Laminate Flooring – Where Can It Be Used?
In private homes, high-quality laminate flooring can be laid just about anywhere. Some varieties are even suitable for kitchens, for which decors that emulate tile or stone are especially popular.
Laminate flooring is also often installed in commercial establishments, including hotels, restaurants, offices and shops. These floors naturally take more of a beating than in homes. So make sure that you choose a product of an appropriate utilisation and abrasion resistance class so you can continue enjoying it for a very long time to come.
Production – Laminate Flooring Made by KRONOTEX
The core layer of laminate flooring is high-density fibreboard that is produced right in the KRONOTEX plant in Heiligengrabe, Germany. We use only wood from sustainably managed forests to make it. After the boards have cooled and been sanded, décor paper is applied to them. At the same time, another sheet of paper is applied to the bottom as backing so the planks will reliably retain their shape. Hot presses are used to bond together the layers with special resin. To help prevent wear, the surface of the laminate flooring additionally receives a clear protective overlay of impregnating resin. Finally, the edges are cut to form tongues and grooves for easy click-together installation.
New Decors – from Idea to Plank
We spoke with our product manager, Achim Scholz, to find out where he gets his inspiration, where new decors come from, and what exactly happens on the way from the idea to the product. He plays a key role in creating new decors at KRONOTEX. For a glimpse behind the scenes, check out this interview.
More Information – Everything You’ve Ever Wanted to Know About Laminate Flooring
Laying Laminate Flooring
KRONOTEX click-together technology: how to easily lay your laminate flooring yourself and what to keep in mind.
Caring for Laminate Flooring
How to make sure that your laminate flooring will last for a long, long time: valuable information on professional cleaning and care.
Repairing Laminate Flooring
A different repair technique for each type of damage: how to remove scuff marks and minor scratches yourself.
Laminate Flooring on Underfloor Heating
Underfloor heating isn’t a problem for laminate flooring: simply follow these instructions!
Suitable Subfloors for Laminate Flooring
Screed, old tiles or linoleum: which substrates and old floors are suitable for laminate flooring and other things you should take into account.
Transport and Storage of Laminate Flooring
Lying flat or upright, with or without the plastic wrapping: find out how to properly transport and store your laminate flooring.
Skirting Boards, Aluminium Elements and Accessories for Laminate Flooring
There are appropriate skirting boards and aluminium trim for every laminate floor: find out here about our range of skirting boards, corners and other accessories.
Laminate Flooring Surfaces
Not only the look, but also the feel: here we acquaint you with the different surface structures and embossing of our laminate floors.
Laminate Flooring Quality
Made by KRONOTEX: find out here what distinguishes laminate floors from KRONOTEX and the benefits they give you.
Acoustic Insulation for Laminate Flooring
Reduce noise for your and your neighbours’ peace of mind: learn about the acoustically insulating underlays available from KRONOTEX.