Engineered Laminate flooring: Classification, advantages and disadvantages, applications, latest price quotes

Engineered Laminate flooring (industrial wood panels) is a flooring material used for both exterior and interior with an average lifespan of 7 - 25 years. The product has many outstanding advantages: diverse designs with more than 100 different colors and wood grains, good weather resistance, withstands temperatures up to 50°C, surface scratch resistance reaches AC3, AC4, AC5, fast construction time of only 1 - 2 days for 100m² and easy to clean with a damp cloth or vacuum cleaner.

Modern production technology allows to create wood grain surfaces with 90% authenticity compared to natural wood, suitable for flooring for both outdoor and indoor projects, with prices from 190.000 – 990.000 VND/㎡.

According to the Building Materials Research Foundation (CIB): “According to a 2021 report, outdoor engineered Laminate flooring is more water-resistant than natural wood and is up to 90% termite-resistant.”

What is engineered Laminate flooring?

Engineered Laminate flooring is a type of flooring material produced from artificial materials such as a mixture of plastic and wood powder (plastic Laminate flooring), HDF (High Density Fiberboard - Industrial Laminate flooring), MDF (Medium Density Fiberboard), Vinyl, Composite plastic, plastic and stone powder, ... extruded in one piece or with a surface equipped with a coating that simulates the beauty of natural wood, with many outstanding advantages such as being environmentally friendly, termite-proof, good weather resistance, reasonable price, ...

How many types of engineered Laminate flooring are there?

Based on the installation location, there are two main types of artificial Laminate flooring: outdoor Laminate flooring and indoor Laminate flooring.

Outdoor engineered Laminate flooring

Outdoor artificial Laminate flooring (wood plastic flooring) is Made from 60% wood pulp combined with 30% HDPE plastic powder and 10% additives Other such as: anti-termite, anti-UV,...

The highlight of this material is withstand harsh weather elements such as rain and sun. The product is anti-termite, anti-fire, anti-slip,... suitable for flooring in gardens, balconies, swimming pools.

Indoor engineered Laminate flooring

There are 2 popular types today including:

• Laminate flooring: The composition of 80 - 85% wood powder is compressed with high pressure to create HDF wood core with density from 800 - 920kg/m³. The surface is covered with rough, anti-slip wood grain laminate. The surface scratch resistance standard reaches AC3, AC4, AC5.
• SPC wood plastic flooring: Main ingredients are plastic particles, stone powder and additives, surface covered with decorative wood grain PVC film. Scratch-resistant surface reaches AC3, AC4.

Comparison of engineered Laminate flooring and natural Laminate flooring

Below is a summary table of the differences between engineered Laminate flooring and natural Laminate flooring.

Advantages of engineered Laminate flooring

Engineered Laminate flooring has the following outstanding features:

• Diverse designs, suitable for many decorative styles: The product has countless designs and colors, from Oak, Walnut, Chiu Liu, and Rosewood, from white wooden floors to Walnut brown wooden floors. Thanks to that, users can easily choose the floor that suits the decoration style from classic, neoclassical to modern.
• Limit the impact of weather: Artificial Laminate flooring is less prone to warping and shrinkage, suitable for Vietnam's climate conditions.
• Good scratch and impact resistance: The hard surface coating provides good abrasion, scratch and impact resistance to the floor.
• Quick construction: Engineered Laminate flooring is quick to install thanks to the smart locking system. For example, with an area of ​​100m², installing engineered Laminate flooring only takes 1-2 days to complete.
• Easy to clean and maintain: Just clean with water or specialized cleaning solutions, avoid using highly corrosive detergents that will damage the product surface.

Disadvantages of engineered Laminate flooring

Besides the outstanding advantages, outdoor and indoor artificial flooring also has some limitations that users need to pay attention to:

• Outdoor artificial Laminate flooring – Plastic Laminate flooring: After 3 months of use, the product's color will decrease by 10 - 20% and then reach a stable state.
• Indoor engineered Laminate flooring – Industrial Laminate flooring: The product is susceptible to termites and has poor water resistance.
• Indoor engineered Laminate flooring – SPC wood-plastic flooring: The locking groove is easily broken for SPC flooring lines that do not meet quality standards.

However, not all types of engineered Laminate flooring have the above limitations. High-end product lines such as Egger Aqua engineered Laminate flooring imported from Germany and Robina Aqua imported directly from Malaysia have overcome the problem of termites and poor water resistance, thanks to modern production technology and quality wood sources.

Along with that is a clear warranty policy, helping users feel more secure when choosing the product:

• Egger Aqua: 1.000 hour flood warranty, 10 year termite warranty, 10 year quality warranty.
• Robina Aqua: 10-day flood warranty, 10-year termite warranty, 10-year quality warranty.

For SPC wood-like plastic flooring, the Kosmos 5mm + 1mm IXPE plastic flooring product line integrates an improved rubber base layer with new technology, so the 5mm interlocking plastic flooring is sturdy and limits broken joints, with a separate warranty policy.

Thanks to that, users can be completely assured of the durability of the lock, avoiding the situation of broken lock when using. SPC Kosmos 5mm + 1mm IXPE wood-like lock plastic floor is warranted for 5 years, the lock is warranted for 12 months for public areas and 24 months for residential areas.

Which spaces are suitable for engineered Laminate flooring?

Depending on the type of floor, it will be suitable for many different spaces.

Engineered Laminate flooring for terrace flooring

Balcony

pool

Garden

Living room

Bedroom

Work room

Showroom

Restaurant

Store

Price of artificial Laminate flooring on the market?

The price of engineered Laminate flooring on the market can vary depending on the brand, quality, product characteristics and other costs such as installation, accessories, shipping fees, etc.

Typically, product prices range from:

• 190.000 – 590.000 VND/m² for indoor flooring lines
• 490.000 to 990.000 VND/m² for outdoor flooring products.

Important note: The above price information is updated in December 12, prices may change depending on the time, specific floor type and supplier.

Experience in choosing suitable engineered Laminate flooring

Here are some important factors to consider when choosing engineered Laminate flooring:

• Uses: You need to clearly define the purpose of using the floor for which space? Exterior or interior, each space will require different features and aesthetics of the wooden floor.

• Design styleế: Each design style requires different colors and patterns. With a modern style, you should choose neutral tones such as gray wooden floors, white wooden floors, etc. If you love the classic style, you should prioritize using floors with natural wood brown, Walnut brown, Oak yellow, etc.
• Used Time: If you only need to use wooden floors in the short term (less than 5 years), mid-range products such as Vietnamese Kosmos 8mm yellow core laminate flooring and Galawood plastic Laminate flooring are reasonable choices. If you want to use them for a long time, you should invest in imported high-end flooring lines.
• Prestigious flooring brand: Prioritize choosing floors from famous brands that have been confirmed for their quality and reputation in the market such as:
  • German imported wooden floor: Egger, Kronotex, Krono Original,…
  • Belgian wooden floors: Quickstep, Balterio,…
  • Malaysian laminate flooring: Robina, Vario,…
  • Vietnamese laminate flooring: Kosmos, Kosmos Green, Glomax,…
• Advice from experts: You can also consult architects and interior and exterior design experts to get an overview and suggestions for color combinations and wood floor patterns suitable for the entire space.

Top Q&A

Does engineered Laminate flooring smell?

Usually, common, normal, High quality engineered Laminate flooring will not have unpleasant odorsHowever, some poor quality products may still have a slight smell of plastic, formaldehyde or chemicals. This smell will usually evaporate after a short time.

To ensure your health, you should choose to buy products from reputable suppliers with more than 10 years of experience distributing engineered wood floors and have quality certificates for Formaldehyde concentration meeting E0, E1, CARB-P1, CARB-P2 standards.

Is engineered flooring easy to clean and maintain?

The surface of the product is often covered with a waterproof and anti-fouling layer, helping you Easy to clean common stains with just a damp cloth or vacuum cleanerHowever, you should avoid using detergents that are too strong or acidic to avoid damaging the floor surface.

>>> Learn more: Clean wood plastic floors properly.

Thickness of engineered Laminate flooring?

Below are common floor thicknesses:

• Laminate flooring: 8mm -12mm
• Vinyl flooring: 4mm – 5mm – 6mm
• Laminate flooring: 21mm – 23mm – 25mm.

>>> Learn more: Laminate flooring thickness.

Can engineered Laminate flooring be installed on a cement floor?

Absolutely possible Installing engineered Laminate flooring on cement floor. However, before installation, you need to make sure the cement floor is flat, dry and clean. In addition, you should use an additional floor underlayment to increase the durability and soundproofing of indoor wooden floors. With outdoor artificial wood plastic floors, it is necessary to install through a frame system, the distance between frames ≤350mm.

Engineered Laminate flooring is becoming an increasingly popular choice for many projects thanks to its outstanding advantages in terms of aesthetics, durability and price. With a variety of designs, consumers need to carefully consider factors such as purpose of use, design style, budget and brand, etc. to choose the right product.