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 The kitchen is one of the most important areas in the house. Its design needs to be approached more carefully, because, in addition to comfort and beauty, additional requirements are imposed on kitchen finishing materials, such as functionality, moisture resistance, heat resistance, etc.
Particular attention is paid to the floor, or rather, its covering. It is generally accepted that the floor in the kitchen does not accept laminate. Is it so?
The main requirement for the material for the floor in the kitchen is moisture resistance, because the kitchen is in second place after the bathroom in terms of humidity, if possible flooding. How to choose a laminate in this case?
No matter what the manufacturers of laminate or laminate board say about the excellent moisture resistance of this material, there is no one hundred percent waterproof laminate. But there are types of laminate that are more resistant to water than others. This fact is due to the fact that wood fibers are present in the basis of any laminate or laminate board. They tend to absorb water and swell. According to modern technology, laminate material is made from HDF board using adhesive resins - pectin / phenol-formaldehyde. Although resins prevent water from entering the interior of the laminate flooring, it will always find a place to seep. The most vulnerable place of the board is the lock turned by a milling machine.
There are three types of waterproof laminate to choose from for the kitchen floor.
First view... Laminate from HDF panels with a density of more than 900 kg / cu. m. It can withstand up to three hours of exposure to moisture without swelling after drying.
Second view... Laminate Aqua-Step is made on the basis of HDF board with a high resin content. It can withstand 6 hours of exposure to moisture without swelling after drying.
Third kind... Plastic laminate - made on the basis of plastic, not HDF boards. It has just appeared on the market, it is moisture resistant, but its other operational properties have not yet been fully studied.
How is a laminate panel protected from water?
For protection, the panel itself is impregnated with resins, its surface, in addition, the highest amount of resins is contained in the lower layer of the laminate, the panel locks are treated with agents containing paraffin or wax.
What should you look for when buying laminate for your kitchen?
Laminate class should be 32, 33 with a density of 900 kg / cu. m and more, look for these parameters in the description of the characteristics of the product.
The lower part of the slab must contain a high concentration of resins, this should also be written in the description of the characteristics of the product.
Panel locks should be covered with wax (paraffin) compounds and not have chamfers, because the fewer joints, the less chance of water absorption and deformation of the laminate.
It is better to buy a laminate with a margin in order to be able to replace the damaged panel. 10% of the required quantity as stock will be sufficient.
Buy PVC instead of cork as a backing. Cork backing, unlike PVC, absorbs water.
To process the joints of the boards, purchase a sealant, this will increase the water resistance of the floor.
Petrov A.
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