" Laminate flooring still remains the most cost-effective way to give your home the wooden look."
FEATURES- INNOVATION AND ALTERNATIVE TECH
Traviata’ s Ontario Oak laminate flooring. Image: Traviata
SAWFLA agrees.“ That’ s easy: the price, and the fact that you have so many colours to choose from. fact that you have so many colours to choose from. Laminate flooring today has come such a long way that it is now quite difficult to see the difference between the two. Not to mention that installation for laminate flooring is much easier and quicker.”
INNOVATION NATION
Laminate flooring is a sub-sector where innovations abound. As technology marches forward, so to do manufacturers’ abilities to produce a cost-effective, aesthetically-appealing product.
Bothma explains,“ As technology advances, the ability to transform laminate flooring increases. With better décor paper, there is less panel repetition, which gives the flooring a more natural look. The ability to imprint the surface with in-register emboss( IRE) gives the floor the texture of a natural wood floor. However one of the biggest innovations comes from a part of the board the customer will never see: the locking system. This makes the installation of the product
" Laminate flooring still remains the most cost-effective way to give your home the wooden look."
much easier, but also easier to remove. If you wanted to move the floor to another location in your home or to a new site, this can be done with little hassle.”
According to SAWLFA, the introduction of high water-resistant laminate flooring, the use of wax impregnated joints, and the use of higher core density, which all reduce the influence of moisture / water damage to the laminate flooring, work at improving the swell resistance of laminate flooring.
“ There are also great strides being made on the press plates. These create the final look and feel of laminate flooring surface finishes from mat-textured wood grain, emboss in registered and deep emboss, where it is sometimes very difficult to tell the difference between a laminate or solid wood floor, in look and feel.”
50 FEB / MARCH 2017 //