In 1979, the first laminate flooring from the Swedish brand Pergo went into production, marking the birth of a new type of flooring. Laminate flooring is a more mature industrial product than solid wood flooring, which is based on fiberboard, a type of highly used artificial wood board, and the surface is replaced by patterned paper of various colors. If the performance and appearance of solid wood flooring are significantly affected by the board and wood species, the various materials used in laminate flooring are controllable.
As a pioneer, Pergo has maintained a strong presence in the laminate flooring sector, being a leading brand in both Europe and the United States. Most of the third-party evaluation agencies have good reviews of Pergo, the American "Consumer Reports" evaluated some of the most common laminate flooring in the American market, and Pergo's three products were rated first, fourth and fifth, surpassing Armstrong, Shaw and other local American brands in the first place, and in the durability test of Kuluttaja in Finland in the early years, Parklane also won the highest score among the seven floors.
As an alternative to wood flooring, laminate flooring is popular because it is cheap and durable, and currently has a market share of more than 50% in China, although most of the market is occupied by local brands such as Shengxiang, but there are still many foreign brands squeezed in, these brands are relatively stable in quality, but also more expensive. At present, almost all imported laminate flooring in China are European brands, which are usually operated and sold by different agents. Due to the introduction of basic only European brands, when purchasing imported laminate flooring, you can refer to the members of the European laminate flooring EPLF, including Pergo, EPLF has a total of 20 members, basically covering the mainstream brands in the European market, which is the world's largest laminate flooring association, and the total sales of members account for nearly 50% of the global laminate flooring share.
Durability has always been a key feature of laminate flooring due to the wear and tear layer on the surface, which is where Pergo excels. Many of Pergo's flooring colors are available in three different types of wear-resistant properties: LOHAS, Archive and Palace, corresponding to the European standard Class 32/33/34, or AC4-AC6. Even the relatively ordinary LOHAS version is enough for general household use, and the other two types of flooring are suitable for more intensive use scenarios, according to Pergo's positioning, they are suitable for high-intensity household use and public places with the highest requirements for wear resistance.
Pergo offers flooring in a variety of decors, with 7 different styles of surface textures such as log, antique wood, rough, saw, etc., some models are also chamfered, and the V-grooves on the edges make the flooring more layered. The specifications are more diverse, the classic models are all 8mm thick, and the size is not much different from the mainstream products of Chinese brands, the length is about 1200mm, but its long board and wide and long board are more than 2000mm, and the thickness is increased to 9.5mm. Such a large-size floor is relatively suitable for large spaces, and the price and positioning are relatively higher. At present, Chinese brands rarely produce such large-scale laminate flooring, and it is recommended to buy them from European brands if there is demand.
In addition, users should also pay attention to the thickness of the floor, although theoretically the thickness has no obvious impact on the quality of laminate flooring, but the thickness has a lot of correlation with product positioning, on the basis of the most common 8mm laminate flooring in Europe, those models with greater thickness in the same brand are often positioned higher, and some brands will have 7mm models, which are usually less durable entry-level models.
Recently, Pergo launched the Sensation Texture range, which uses a coating technology called AquaSafed to make the flooring less susceptible to water swelling and even claims that it can be used in wet areas such as kitchens. However, users must be reminded that no laminate flooring is completely waterproof, and the core layer of laminate flooring is fiberboard, regardless of its quality, it will inevitably expand after being soaked in moisture, so the waterproofing technology of laminate flooring is often to increase the sealing of the surface, so that water is not easy to penetrate into the floor joints. The Sensation series is a great attempt to emphasize waterproofing, but it is recommended that users be conservative about it, as laminate flooring is not a safe practice to use in wet environments. Even if the performance of the product can be waterproof, this type of product has higher requirements for installation details. If necessary, it is important to ensure that the edges of the cut floors are sealed at the joints between the walls or other flooring materials, otherwise these areas will become potential areas of moisture, for which Pergo offers special sealants.
