At Johnson Fine Floors, we strive to meet high standards of customer service that we ourselves want when we wear the consumer or shopper hat, we want to know our industry inside and out. Indeed, efficiently helping our customers pare down all the flooring options to the essentials requires in depth knowledge. In this post, let’s go over some Laminate and Engineered Hardwood Flooring Terms that the smart shopper should know to make the best decision for their home or office floor.
What is an “AC Rating” and why should the smart shopper know it?
The AC Rating is only applicable to laminate, and defines the product’s resistance to wear on a scale from 1 to 5. They are as follows:
AC 1: Home use with little foot traffic
AC 2: Home use with medium foot traffic
AC 3: Home use in all foot traffic areas
AC 4: Home use in all foot traffic areas and can meet some commercial standards
AC 5: Will withstand heavy commercial traffic
Colorfastness The ability of a flooring material to retain its original color after exposure to light or other sources of degradation (i.e. light resistance).
Acclimation Because wood expands and contracts depending on the level of moisture in the air, a good practice in most climates is to let your wood and some laminate flooring should sit in the location for two to three days before installation so it has a chance to come into equilibrium with your location’s moisture content. This is ABSOLUTELY NECESSARY for your Austin Texas home or office.
Click-Lock Installation This innovative type of flooring installation is done without the need for nails or even glue. Instead, this design allows the installer to lock the two planks together — with a just a click — creating a strong, stable joint.
Edge/End Treatment The stylistic design around the perimeter of each flooring plank. Certain edge/end treatments, like the square edge/end, allow planks so seamlessly transition from one to the other, while other treatments, like the micro-bevel or rolled bevel, offer a more pronounced and eye-catching look, emphasizing the outline of each plank.
Core The base of a laminate floor, typically constructed from perpendicular plies of (high density fiber) engineered wood. The core gives the laminate plank or engineered hardwood strength and stability. A very important consideration for any flooring shopper who values durability, and wanting a long lasting floor.
Dimensional Stability This defines ability of a material in the flooring product to resist changes in measured dimensions, such as thickness and width, caused by changes in environmental factors like moisture or temperature. Very important in more extreme climates, or even specific circumstances to your home or office. Ask us about this important detail.
Décor When mentioned in the context of Floor Coverings, this term is specifically about the top layer of wood or paper on an engineered or laminate floor.
Stay tuned to this space for Part 2.
The post Laminate and Engineered Hardwood Flooring Terms For The Smart Shopper Part 1 appeared first on Johnson Fine Floors : Austin Flooring Stores & Installation.
