English Glossary

This document shall apply to the manufacturing, commercial and residential use of laminate flooring, through the use of classification system based on essential needs, general needs, code compliance, recommendations and optional needs. The document will be useful in guiding manufacturers and educating consumers. All term definitions are numbered and can be cross-referenced with the other languages.

Acclimation

Adaption of the laminate floor to its installation environment.

Acoustical Properties

Absorbance, reflection or transmission of sound waves.

Adhesion

All the forces which exists to join two similar or dissimilar materials in contact.

Antistatic

Ability to limit the accumulation of static electricity on a surface.

Backer

A material bonded to the back of panels

Balanced Construction

A panel construction that has materials of similar properties bonded to both sides of the panel.

Bond

Adhesion.

Chemical Resistance

The degree to which a material resists corrosive action of various household and/or industrial chemicals.

Colorfastness

The ability of a material to withstand color change on exposure to light (i.e. light resistance).

Compact Laminate

A high pressure laminate with a thickness(es) greater than or equal to 2mm.

Continuous Laminate

A manufacturing process where the laminate is formed on a continuous double-belted press.

Continuous Laminate Flooring

A product created by permanently bonding continuous laminate to a core.

Core

The center of a panel (i.e. surface layer, core, backer).

Crook

A specific type of warping when a panel has curvature from end to end, edgewise, form a straight line (i.e. banana).

Crowning

A specific type of warping when a panel assumes the shape of an inverted" lengthwise or width across the face (i.e. convex).

Cupping

A specific type of warping when a panel becomes "U" shaped lengthwise or width across the face (i.e. concave).

Decor Layer

The layer of laminate flooring providing visual aesthetic properties.

Deflection

The bending of a material between supports when a load is applied.

Delaminating

Separation of the panel's layer(s).

Density

Weight of a panel weight in lb/ft3 or kg/m3.

Depression

A dent in the surface of a panel.

Dimensional Stability

The ability of a material to resist changes caused by environmental factors (i.e. moisture or temperature).

Direct Laminating Flooring

A product where resin impregnated material layer(s) is permanently bonded to the core.

Embossing

A process by which the surface of the panel is given a texture.

Equilibrium Moisture Content

The moisture content at which the material neither gains nor loses moisture at a given relative humidity.

Expansion Gap

A space necessary between fixed objects, i.e. walls of a room, pipes and cabinets, and between the material itself to allow for the movement of the material.

Fiberboard

A core material primarily composed of cellulose fibers combined with synthetic resins or other suitable bonding systems under heat and pressure. The materials are usually designated as low, medium, or high density (e.g. MDF or HDF).

Flame Spread

Measurement of the flame propagation along the surface of a material.

Floating Floor

Installation method where the flooring panels are connected together and not attached to the subfloor.

(HDF) High Density Fiberboard

A fiberboard with density greater than 50 pounds per cubic foot or 800 kg per cubic meter.

High Pressure Laminate

A laminating process where materials are consolidated under heat and pressure exceeding 750 psi or 5.1 mpa.

High Pressure Laminate Flooring

A product created by permanently bonding high-pressure decorative laminate to a core.

Impact Resistance

Ability to resist fracture or damage from a falling object.

Inlay

A decorative effect used in flooring by combining elements of the same material but with different colors or patterns, e.g. border or feature strip.

Laminate

A product made by bonding together two or more layers of material.

Laminate Flooring

A rigid floor covering with a surface layer consisting of one or more thin sheets of a fibrous material (usually paper), impregnated with aminoplastic thermosetting resins (usually melamine). These sheets are either pressed as such (HPL or CPL, Compact), and in the case of HPL or CPL bonded on a substrate, or in the case of DPL directly pressed on a substrate. The product is normally finished with a backing primarily used as a balancing material. Its performance values are set by the NALFA Standard.

(MDF) Medium Density Fiberboard

A type of core material primarily composed of lignocellulosic fibers combined with a synthetic resin or other suitable bonding system and bonded together under heat and pressure.

Melamine Resin

A thermosetting resin used in the impregnation process of materials used to make laminate flooring.

Moisture Content

The amount of water in the material, expressed as a percentage of the dry weight.

Moisture Meter

A tool used to measure moisture content.

Overlay

A product of paper, plastic, film, metal foil, or other material incorporated into laminate flooring that provides the wear resistance and protection.

Panels

Finished sections of the laminate flooring, i.e. planks, tiles, squares.

Particleboard

A core material primarily composed of cellulosic materials (usually wood), generally in the form of discrete pieces or particles, as distinguished from fibers. The cellulosic material is combined with a synthetic resin or other suitable bonding system by a process in which the interparticle bond is created by the bonding system under heat and pressure.

Pattern End Matched

When the ends of the flooring panels, typically similar patterns, are matched end to end to yield a continuous linear effect.

Peaking

Areas of the laminate flooring at adjoining panel seams that have raised above the intended horizontal plane of the flooring surface.

Plank

A tile approximately five or six times longer than wide.

Pressing

A manufacturing process whereby material layers are consolidated using pressure.

Residual Indentation

Difference between the initial thickness after the removal of a load and recovery from indentation.

Resins

A polymeric material used for impregnating and bonding layers of laminate flooring.

Seams

A line of junction where panels are connected together.

Stain Resistance

The degree which a material resists permanent discoloration form exposure to household items.

Substrate

Core.

Subfloor

A pre-existing supporting surface in a structure.

Surface Layer

The outermost layer of laminate flooring designed to be the visible side when installed (i.e. wear layer).

Tile

A panel of geometric shapes (e.g. squares, rectangles, etc).

Thermosetting Resins

Resins that cure by chemical reaction to form bonds and do not melt when exposed to heat.

Thermofusing

A process where resins are consolidated under heat and pressure to create a permanent bonding.

Underlayment

A material used between the laminate flooring and the subfloor (e.g. foam padding).

Warp

Crowning, cupping or crook.

Wear Resistance

Ability of the laminate flooring surface to resist wear through to the decor layer.

Wear Layer

Surface layer.