What Is the Top Layer of Laminate Flooring Made Of?

Laminate Construction

• A typical plank of laminate flooring has four layers: the balancing layer, the core layer, the pattern layer and the wear layer. The balancing layer, also called the backing layer, provides a level and stable platform for the upper layers. It's usually plastic or plastic-coated to prevent moisture from penetrating the plank from below. The core layer is usually particle board or fiberboard, often impregnated with a resin to resist water absorption. The pattern layer is paper or melamine laminate printed with the pattern that the floor will show. If the laminate is meant to look like a hardwood floor, for example, the pattern will be wood grain. The wear layer is the topmost layer, and it takes all the abuse.

Wear Layer Components

• The wear layer gets its name because this is the only part of the plank that's exposed to direct wear. The National Floorcovering Alliance says the wear layer is usually a coating of aluminum oxide. The wear layer may also include melamine resin. The components of the wear layer help the plank resist scratches, stains and discoloration.

Aluminum Oxide

• Aluminum oxide, also called corundum, is one of the hardest minerals on Earth. Sapphires and rubies are varieties of aluminum oxide, though they get their color -- and thus their value -- from impurities such as chromium or titanium. On the Mohs scale, which measures the hardness of minerals on a scale from 1 (talcum powder) to 10 (diamonds), aluminum oxide rates a 9. This hardness gives a laminate flooring plank's wear layer exceptional scratch and stain resistance.

Melamine

• Melamine resin is a polymer plastic made from melamine and formaldehyde, two organic compounds. In addition to providing additional waterproofing, melamine resin in the wear layer protects the pattern layer from fading or discoloring in sunlight. On some floors, the pattern itself is printed on a sheet of melamine laminate, then topped with the wear layer. On cheaper floors, though, the pattern may be printed on paper.