Laminate has long been synonymous with extreme scratch and dent resistance, durability, ease of installation and affordable price points. However, the one area where the category has historically fallen short in its earlier iterations is its resistance to damage caused by spills, household accidents and other sources of moisture incursion.
In recent years, however, the category has made advancements in the area of damage from standing water. These improvements are due in large measure to investments in the manufacture of the coreboards utilized in many laminate floors today as well as the special, often proprietary sprays and treatments applied to the edges and ends of the boards during the production phase.
In essence, these advancements are putting laminate flooring on a more equitable footing with rigid core flooring products. Take Mohawk’s RevWood Plus and RevWood Premier lines, for instance. Both feature the company’s proprietary WetProtect technology that allows the product to be safely installed in areas of the home prone to spills and everyday household accidents.
“WetProtect offers the right kind of waterproof with water-tight joints, Mohawk’s proprietary waterproof finish and the industry’s only lifetime surface and subfloor warranty,” said David Moore, senior vice president, product management, Mohawk.
Mohawk is not alone. HF Design’s latest foray into the laminate flooring section is Aquaproof XL, a step-up collection to its original Aquaproof line. The product features a fully renewable fiber core that not only boasts excellent noise absorption, but it also features a special sealed edge treatment that protects against moisture incursion.
Tarkett also recently made a splash in the waterproof laminate category with the rollout of ShoreFlor. The product features Searenity waterproof technology designed to help the product stand up to household spills and accidents. “We had a lot of re- quests and customers wanting something beyond just SPC,” said Jason Surratt, president. “With all the technology improvements that have occurred over the last 10-15 years in laminate, it’s definitely a category we see opportunity in.”
Then there’s US Mills, which launched EcoDense, a hybrid laminate/SPC product billed as a true waterproof flooring option. “One of the incredible features about it is the content of the product is 94% wood; however, due to the very high compaction of the product, we’re able to get very different characteristics than you would normally get with a wood-based product,” said Karel Vercruyssen, president of the Dalton-based company.
US Mills is able to achieve these characteristics, according to Vercruyssen, by starting with a fiber preparation process that yields smaller particles than traditional wood-based engineered floors. Another differentiator, he said, is the secret sauce used to bond the materials. “We don’t use any formaldehyde in the manufacturing process of EcoDense,” he explained. “Instead, we have different binders that have a much better encapsulation of the wood fiber.”
Technology enhancements
Suppliers are not doing it on their own, however. A lot of credit also goes to the technology innovators responsible for the locking systems, designs and advancements that aim to keep spills on the surface of the floor, where they cannot reach the coreboard or even the backing material. These include the likes of Välinge Innovation, Unilin Technologies and i4F Technologies—many of whom count the major laminate flooring manufacturers as their key licensing partners.
With regard to laminate flooring specifically—a category that’s undergoing a major resurgence in the U.S. market—Välinge Innovation offers its 5G Dry locking system. “It’s definitely the one that has been getting the most requests in the laminate market as watertight seams have become a need-to-have feature,” said Iris Meana Prada, key account manager, North and South America. “It offers all the benefits of our well-known 5G Fold Down technology—such as fast and easy installation with strong, reliable results—but with a leak-proof joint that efficiently prevents any liquids from seeping through the seams of the floor panels. For all flooring products this eliminates the risk of water ending up on the subfloor and creating real damage; for wood-based products it also lowers the risk of edge swelling due to liquid spills.”
The key to developing waterproof locking systems for different product categories is fully understanding how they function. Take laminate and SPC, for example. “Because they are made of different materials—laminate being wood based and SPC being PVC based—they behave differently when it comes to manufacturing of locking system,” Prada stated, citing the type of tooling, the line speed required for profiling and how the products respond to temperature or humidity fluctuations once installed. “Generally speaking, SPC products are also thinner and with attached foam, which needs to be carefully taken into account when designing and fine-tuning locking systems to suit the product build-up. That’s why we have developed a wide range of locking systems (including different type of 5G inserts, when it comes to our 5G Fold Down) to suit different materials, thicknesses and performance levels. We support our potential and existing licensees in optimizing, testing and validating the right locking system for their specific products.”
Another proven technology employed in the manufacturing process to improve laminate flooring’s resistance to moisture is Unicoat from Unilin Technologies. Unicoat provides the requisite waterproof protection for any wood-based floor by actively repelling water away from the joints. How it works: The coating is applied on the edges of the floorboard during production so a fully sealed surface is obtained when the panels are locked together. Any moisture is trapped on the surface of the floor where it can evaporate or easily be cleaned up.
The Unicoat technology protects floors from leaks between joints, swelling of the edges and discolored edges of the wooden top layer. As such, it prevents premature wear of the edges of the floorboards, further improving on the durability of the floor. Not only does Unicoat have a triple function—it has also been triple tested. After exceeding all NALFA swelling tests—not for 24 hours but for up to a full week—Unicoat technology also prevented leakages for more than 168 hours while those exact same floors that were left untreated lasted only a few hours—and in some cases only a few minutes—during cylinder and wet mop tests.
Unilin licenses its waterproof edge-coating solution in partnership with machine supplier Schiele Machinebau GmbH. The technology is protected by a strong locking patent portfolio. To demonstrate the technology’s capabilities at trade shows, Unilin provides two samples submerged in water—one featuring Unicoat and the other without the special coating. “The sample featuring Unicoat is rendered waterproof for more than 100 hours, while that exact same floor without the coating is already leaking after a couple of hours,” said Floris Koopmans, sales director at Unilin Technologies.
Other major innovators and patent holders, including i4F Technologies, have also made strides in developing processes and locking system innovations designed to protect laminate flooring from water damage. Case in point is its signature TripleLock technology.
“TripleLock doesn’t let water penetrate and go under the floor, which is critical when working with laminate cores,” said Matthieu Dekens, president, North American operations, i4F Technologies. “Being made of wood, the cores always have a bit of a water absorption.”
To ensure it covers all the bases, for example, the potential seepage points on the planks, i4F takes it a step further. The company employs an innovative technology, Aqua Protect, which is utilized in conjunction with the locking system that reduces swelling by up to 80%. According to Dekens, this is a special coating that’s applied to the plank during the milling phase at the factories operated by its licensees.
“When you combine this innovation with our locking system, which is water resistant, you now have a product that’s completely water resistant compared to traditional systems,” he said.
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