Influence of Décor and Overlay Paper Mass on Laminate Floor Product Properties

Laminate flooring products are among the essential construction and building materials not only because of their aesthetics, but also their ability to provide energy saving, sound insulation, prevent surface scratches, and minimize maintenance such as periodic varnishing in the case of solid wood flooring, etc. Even though the laminate flooring products are scratch-resistant and easy to install, they must meet the standard requirements. Therefore, optimizing the production parameters of laminate flooring products is of interest in research and development to obtain cost-effective products that not only compete in the market but also represent scientific communities’ studies. In this sense, production parameters such as paper properties, core material type and properties, resin utilization, pressing conditions (pressure, duration, and temperature), etc. come to the forefront. From this point of view, the effect of décor (105, 115, and 125 g/m²) and overlay (90 and 95 g/m²) paper mass on the surface abrasion (SA), abrasion resistance (AR), impact resistance (IR) and cure properties of laminate floor products which have been industrially produced has been figured out. According to the results, SA, AR, IR, and cure values ranged from 3,600–4,800 revolutions, 4.5–5.0, 110–130 N, and class 5, respectively. According to BS-EN 13329 and BS-EN 14323, products meet the requirements. However, the effect of paper masses on properties has been found to be unstable due to oscillations and no changes observed. In the literature, there are scarcely any studies that figure out these parameters and the authors think that the results of this study may provide valuable data for the comparison.