Special Producers of laminate, LVT, PVC and vinyl in XXL format

THE SECRET OF THEIR SUCCESS

LARGE AND WIDE PLANKS ARE DOING WELL THANKS TO LOTS OF EXTRA ASSETS

MeisterDesign. laminate LD 250, Grey fjord oak 6847, wood effect). Image: MEISTER

The trend towards large and extra large isn’t new, but it is still doing well. If we talk about floors in laminate or some or other synthetic flooring, you can say that this is an adaptation to something which the tile sector came up with. The large-size tile forced an unprecedented breakthrough and other types of flooring have followed on from there.

Benefits of wide laminate

If we concentrate firstly on laminate, the material itself makes it clear why it was (and still is) so popular. It is low maintenance and easy to fit and keep clean, and it comes in a wide choice of colours, patterns, and different sizes. And so, what’s the benefit of wide and extra wide laminate?

Wide laminate is highly stable and, logically, you can fit it faster than narrow planks as you cover a bigger area in the same operation. Moreover, the range is highly versatile. There are wide laminate floors with a V-groove on the four sides or only on the long sides. Using a V-groove on all sides gives floorboards a sturdy look because they seem separate from each other and approximate to the look of a wooden floor. With the use of wood decors, visible grains and structure help yield the sort of look which you get. And so, a floor with a V-groove only on the long side provides an ongoing pattern. This creates an infinitely spacious effect in rooms such as the living room or bedroom. Lengths and widths What are the lengths and widths of extra long material? Here we have to compare them to the standard size, which is normally 1285mm long and 192mm wide. XL and XXL sizes deviate from this and can be considerably bigger, and even two metres is no exception. The width does vary somewhat less. This is usually between 123 and 327mm. If you want to fit large-size planks, it is important to fit the plank lengthwise. The long sides of the planks are also used for the longer

side of the room. The reason for this is that you lose less wood by sawing and this therefore saves material (and expensive working time). With laminate, it’s also best to consider the thickness of the planks. Don’t opt for an excessively high floor because this can obstruct doors or prevent heat from circulating. Moreover, the thickness of planks varies more widely than the widths. 8mm is usually standard, but thicknesses can be between 6 and 14mm. Both thicker and thinner laminate have advantages and drawbacks and the dimensions which you choose all depend on what you are aiming for in the room.

Extra large PVC

Various benefits of laminate also apply to synthetic floors. Obviously, there are some differences, also with the use of bigger and wider sizes. The first difference is found with the quest for greater durability with PVC floors. This means in practice that you will avoid the use of harmful softeners during the production process and, for instance, turn to alternatives as oil and soya beans. A more obvious difference with laminate is obviously that it is 100% waterproof and therefore requires even less maintenance. It should also be said that glued PVC floors have very low heat resistance, and that ensures that floors easily allow heat to pass through them (and so a combination with floor heating can be ideal). It’s worth pointing out here that not only glued PVC floors, but also PVC floors with a click system have very low heat resistance.

Finally, we need to refer to the sound insulation, which is one of the biggest assets with large-size PVC. Extra wide floors are always glued and this means that there is very little room to allow the passage of sound. Extra wide PVC is therefore an ideal choice for an upstairs or middle floor.

Sources: laminaatleggen.be, Gadero, Egger, and floer.nl

MeisterDesign. laminate LL 250, Pure castle oak 6840, wood effect). Image: MEISTER

Photo – Parador