Yes and No! Today most commonly the name ‘laminate’ in the general flooring market refers to a laminated structure that typically consists of a bottom moisture barrier, an inner compressed fiber core, a decorative layer – either plastic or paper – which is often a photograph of hardwood, tile or stone, and a top melamine wear surface. Many of the laminates have aluminum oxide nano particles incorporated into the wear layer to give significantly improved resistance to abrasion. The laminate has the look of wood but may not actually have any wood in it at all.
In hardwood flooring ‘engineered hardwood’ is increasing in popularity. Engineered hardwood is a true wood product which consists of a wood veneer upper that is laminated onto a multi-ply core. This is also a laminate but is not what is commonly referred to in the surfaces industry as a laminate. The veneer is sliced or peeled from a hardwood log or plank and can range in thickness from ΒΌ” down to 1/16″ inch.
Using a veneer laminated to a ply core rather than a solid piece of wood offers several benefits including:
-extending the use of exotic wood species,
-utilizing a higher percentage of a wood product (utilizing most visual -appealing portions of the wood for the top laminate and less appealing for the inner sandwich plys),
-a more dimensionally stable flooring product that can be installed below grade, and over sealed concrete
-can be nailed down or floated which increases its range of application compared to solid hardwood.
So yes, laminated wood is actually a laminate but in today’s jargon it is called engineered wood.
Similar Posts:
- Solid Wood Flooring
- Laminated Veneer Lumber (LVL) – A Replacement For Traditional Dimensional Lumber
- Benefits of Laminated Veneer Lumber
- The Variety of Wood Floor in the market
- Engineered Wood Flooring – More Than Meets the Eye
