Product Spotlight: Laminate Flooring

Do you want the look and feel of hardwood flooring but without the cost or difficult installation process? If so, laminate flooring may be just what you're looking for!

Stone Wood Outlet is one of the Portland area's premier suppliers of laminate flooring materials. Laminate comes in many different sizes and styles, making it one of the most versatile flooring options around. Still unsure about laminate flooring? Here are three good reasons why it just might be the right flooring material for you.

1. Price and Installation
Laminate flooring is often much less expensive than solid hardwood flooring. It is also much easier to install, and can be installed over almost any existing floor.

2. Durability
Laminate flooring is tough. It's solid finish makes it perfect for high-traffic areas of your home. Laminate products from Stone Wood Outlet also come with at least a 25 year warranty, meaning you can feel confident in your purchase.

3. Resale Value
Most home buyers look for hardwood floors over carpet. By installing laminate floors instead of carpet, you get the look of hardwood flooring at a fraction of the cost.

Glacier Peak Laminate Flooring from Stone Wood Outlet

For more information about laminate flooring, visit us at one of our three Portland locations, or give us a call at 503-222-9663.

How Laminate Flooring Is Made

If you’re a fan of Stone Wood Outlet on Facebook, you’ll know that we recently added a whole line of laminate flooring to our list of in-stock inventory. Laminate flooring is a great alternative to hardwood flooring for a number of reasons: price, ease of installation, durability, and resale value, just to name a few. But few people know what laminate flooring is actually made of. Even less know how it’s made. This post will take a look at the components of laminate flooring and how they’re put together. Enjoy!

Components
Laminate flooring is made of four components bonded together. They are:

• Wear layer – Designed for dimensional stability, stain resistance, and protection, most wear layers contain aluminum oxide, melamine resin, or another protective plastic.
• Decorative Layer – A printed, high-resolution photo-reproduction of a wood grain, stone, or tile pattern, this layer is what gives the flooring its look.
• Core Board – Usually made of high-density fiberboard or particle board, this layer helps improve moisture-resistance and dimensional stability.
• Backing – This layer, made of melamine plastic, adds even more dimensional stability to the boards. It also helps prevent moisture from coming up from the sub-floor.

Assembly
First, the four layers are assembled in large sheets. Each layer is stacked on top of each other and pressed together at temperatures reaching upwards of 400 degrees. The sheets are pressed with up to 600 pounds/square inch of pressure. The pressing usually lasts around 30 seconds.

Imprint
Some laminate flooring varieties have a textured surface, a feature achieved with specialized plates that imprint a texture pattern on the outer layer of the board. This process is usually either included in the general assembly process or takes place immediately after, when the sheets are still hot.

Edging
After the sheets are cooled they are cut into planks of various sizes. Multiple precision saws are then used to cut the tongue-and-groove edges on the side of the planks, enabling the flooring to lock together during installation.

Inspection
Last but not least, the cut planks are inspected for quality. They are checked for color, texture (if applicable), finish, size, and that they interlock correctly.

Visit the Stone Wood Outlet website to learn more about laminate flooring, including the many varieties we carry and why it may be the perfect flooring choice for you.

Life as the wife of a "Flooring Guy"...

As the wife of a “flooring guy” I have developed a deep appreciation for anything flooring over the years. It’s impossible to walk into a restaurant, a mall, or even a friend’s house without some recognition of what is covering the floors. Every home we have lived in over the past 13 years has had a flooring makeover. We recognized early on that we could add quick value as well as beauty with this relatively inexpensive update.

When the opportunity arose in the fantastic Portland market to get into business for ourselves we were excited about the prospects. After 15 years of experience in every aspect of the flooring business, my husband finally took the leap into self-employment. We wanted Stone+Wood Outlet to be the type of place that we would shop. We offer a great selection with a huge in-stock selection (which we would have loved when we were working on our flooring projects!) with something for everyone’s taste. When you enter our warehouse, you’ll see hardwood, stone, ceramic, laminate, and even decking. You’ll be greeted by our knowledgeable and personable staff- and very likely you’ll have the unique pleasure of working with my husband! (Tell Steve that Lisa sent you!)



We have always appreciated the beauty and diversity of tile. We are very excited about our recent acquisition of beautiful, high end tile- that we will be offering to the public at amazing prices. If you are in the market for tile…or will be in the near future- you owe it to yourself to check out this special offering. Tile looks great in the traditional rooms-bathrooms and kitchens, but it also creates a sophisticated living and family room. We found one of our favorite uses of tile has been in the homes where we had a combination of kitchen/breakfast nook/family room. We used a large 18x18 tile in a dark, natural state tile which had a lovely appearance, hid dirt well, and was easy to care for. We hope that you give Stone+Wood Outlet a chance. Stop by and say hello to Steve- remember, tell him Lisa sent you.!