The 1,2,3 of Laminate Flooring Quality

When choosing a laminate floor, quality can mean the difference between a floor that will last decades and one that will start showing problems in a couple of years.

The quality of laminate flooring can and should be measured. These are the basics.

The wear layer: the AC rating.

There are various tests laminate floors undergo when being graded. One rating that is often misunderstood and abused is the AC rating. The AC rating which is generally and loosely used for describing the product’s application and durability is not the only consideration to take into account when deciding on a new floor. The AC rating ranges from AC1 to AC5. It mostly takes into account the effects of wear on the top layer of the laminate floor which may range from 0,3 to 0,7mm thick. Low quality laminate floors might also claim the same AC rating as more expensive floors yet the substrate may be of very low quality. The quality of two floors cannot be compared by AC rating alone.

The substrate: HDF & MDF.

HDF is High Density Fibreboard, MDF is medium density. HDF laminate floors have better impact resistance. Besides this, the higher the density of the substrate, the more moisture resistant the boards will be. A good quality laminate board should also have a low percentage of swelling in the swelling test where the board is submerged under water for 24 hours, left to dry for another 12 hours and are then measured for swelling. Good quality laminates should not swell more than 12% to 18%. Higher density substrates are also less prone to expansion with heat.

Usage classification: the 1,2,3.

The best rating to use for determining which application a laminate floor will be suitable for is the Usage Classification. The classification of a laminate floor should conform to the scheme specified in the European Standard – EN 685. The usage specification takes into account all the above mentioned ratings and divides products into usage classification classes. In the table below, the classes and their applications are shown. You can see that Class number starts with a 2 for Domestic and a 3 for Commercial, then each level of use is given a number so Domestic Moderate is 21, Domestic General is 22 and Domestic heavy is 23. The same applies to Commercial and even Industrial.

Summary

Check that your flooring is made by a reputable manufacturer.
Check that the wear layer is of an adequate thickness and has a suitable AC rating.
Check that the substrate is HDF.
Check that the usage classification (Class #) is suitable for your application.

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