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Luxurious laminates

There’s something about laminate that sends minds wandering back to classic 1950s designs. Think again. Today’s styles, durability and easy maintenance are anything but retro. And you’ll find them everywhere—from operating rooms and cafeterias to night clubs and five-star hotels. New products embrace transparency and light reflection, such as that found in ceramic glazing. Other laminates capture the essence of natural stone in both its polished and rough- and-tumble states. Still others convince you that you’re strolling across a woodgrain plank floor. Have your own design? All you need to do is bring in your images, artwork, photographs or illustrations and laminate can be created to match.

While the diverse styles can help you lay whatever path you choose, knowing the construction behind laminates will help you select the right type for your application.

Laminate flooring. Courtesy Wilsonart Commercial Flooring.

Fundamentally, there are two types of laminate flooring: high pressure laminate (HPL) and direct pressure laminate (DPL) flooring. HPL flooring consists of a piece of core sandwiched between two pieces of high pressure laminate. DPL flooring has a core sandwiched between two layers of paper and a sheet of melamine. The differences between HPL and DPL flooring products are quality, performance and price. HPL is produced under 1,200-1,400 pounds per square inch at 350 degrees F. for 25-35 minutes before cooling, resulting in a significantly increased static load rating, as well as superior impact resistance. HPL products also have superior chip resistance, making them a good option for most commercial applications. DPL products are produced under 300-500 pounds per square inch for 15-30 seconds. DPL products are more appropriate for light residential applications and include most laminate flooring products sold at home centers.

“More and more specifiers are looking for products that install quickly, have low maintenance requirements and are extremely durable,” says Randy Phillips, Sales Manager, Wilsonart Commercial Flooring, Temple, Texas. “If properly installed and maintained, quality laminate flooring products will look as good as the day they were installed for quite some time.”