Laminate Durability

A question I am frequently asked is.. If my laminate wears or fades, can I sand and refinish it?

The answer is no. You can't refinish laminate because the top layer isn't real wood, it's only a digital image of wood. However, you will never need to sand laminate because the top layer doesn't wear or fade like hardwood can. Infact, it's highly unlikely it will ever wear or fade at all!

The very next question I'm usually asked is.. What if someone drags a heavy piece of furniture and leaves a deep scratch in my floor? Because laminate can't be sanded, I'll be stuck with a scratched floor, right?

Yes, it's true, laminate is not scratch proof, but then again, either is hardwood, but it's not true that you'll be stuck with it. The great thing about laminate, is that the design layer is a computer generated image, if you damage a piece, you can just replace it, and because there are no dye lot restrictions with laminate and because laminate doesn't fade, the new piece will always match the original piece exactly.

To help you understand how wear resistant laminate really is, I'll need to explain what the Taber Abrasion Test is. The Taber Abrasion Test is a way to measure the wear resistance of various products, including tile, hardwood and laminate flooring. The process involves a small machine made by Taber Industries called an Abrader, also referred to as the Rotary Platform Dual Head Tester. This machine uses two revolving abrasive wheels that rotate on the products surface. The point is to find out how many rotations it takes to wear through the first layer. Harder products require more rotations. Test results show that..

  Stained Hardwood with no polyurethane can take about 40 rotations

  Stained Hardwood with 3 coats polyurethane, around 400-600 rotations

  Stained Hardwood with Aluminum Oxide, about 1500 -1800

  Basic mid-grade laminate, about 4000

  Top of the line laminate, 4500 +

It's because of this superior wear resistance that most laminates have significant wear warranties ranging anywhere from 15 to 30 years and some even offer lifetime warranties.

In addition to the wear resistance some laminates have another advantage over hardwood; higher-grade laminates now offer moisture and topical water warranties. Water in any form, whether from spills, moisture or high humidity, can ruin your hardwood floor. If you would like a hardwood look in your basement but you're concerned about the humidity levels, laminate is a great solution. If you would like a hardwood look in your kitchen but you're worried about spills and cleaning, again, laminate is great solution.