How long can water sit on it? Check the rating
Laminate ranges are rated very differently for spills, and the rating decides whether a board belongs in a kitchen.
- HTT rates AquaGlow and Hydrocore as 72 hour waterproof. A spill can sit for three days without swelling the board.
- Preference Floors' Aquastop gives 72 hours of topical water protection at 14mm and 48 hours at 8mm and 12mm.
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Oakleaf HD Plus has a 48 hour water-resistant core and moisture-treated bevels. HTT MTF is rated 24 hours.
- Terra Mater's NuCore Extreme is sold with extreme water resistance. Eco Flooring's Swish Aqua has a moisture-resistant core.
Eco Flooring specifies its standard Swish board for dry interior rooms only. No laminate is a wet area floor. Talk to us before you plan one for a bathroom or laundry.
AC3, AC4 or AC5: the wear rating
The AC rating measures how the surface stands up to abrasion. AC3 is the standard residential grade. AC4 is light commercial, which covers a busy hallway or a rental with room to spare.
AC5 is heavy commercial, the level specified for retail floors. Every Aquastop board is AC5, and so are AquaGlow and NuCore Extreme. Oakleaf HD Plus, Oakleaf 12mm, MTF, Hydrocore, Swish and NuCore Excellence are AC4. The 8mm Oakleaf board is AC3.
8mm, 12mm or 14mm
A thicker board flexes less, sounds less hollow underfoot and copes better with a subfloor that is slightly out of level. Our 8mm boards are Oakleaf, Oakleaf HD Plus, Aquastop and Hydrocore. Most of the range is 12mm. Swish Aqua is 12.3mm, and the 14mm Aquastop is our thickest.
Board length matters as much as thickness. Longer boards mean fewer end joins across a room. NuCore Excellence runs 2250mm. Oakleaf HD Plus 12mm, Oakleaf 12mm, Swish Aqua and NuCore Extreme run 2200mm. The 14mm Aquastop is 2025mm long and 244mm wide, our widest laminate. Swish goes the other way at 1518 x 236mm, which keeps the pattern tight in rooms broken up by doorways.
Warranty, heating and slip
Warranty length differs a lot between ranges. The standard Oakleaf range carries a lifetime structural warranty. Aquastop has 35 years limited structural and 5 years commercial. NuCore Extreme has 30 years on the domestic surface, and Oakleaf HD Plus 25 years structural with 20 years on the finish.
Oakleaf and Oakleaf HD Plus suit in-slab hydronic heating only, not electric heating mats. Aquastop is also rated for in-slab hydronic heating. Oakleaf HD Plus is P3 for slip under AS 4586 and GOLD Greenguard certified for low emissions.
Our laminate ranges
- Preference Floors: Aquastop in 8mm, 12mm and 14mm, Oakleaf HD Plus and Oakleaf.
- HTT Flooring: AquaGlow 12mm, MTF 12mm and Hydrocore 8mm.
- Eco Flooring Systems: Swish 12mm and Swish Aqua 12.3mm.
- Terra Mater: NuCore Excellence and NuCore Extreme, both 12mm.
Supply and installation across Sydney
You can have us supply and install, buy supply only and lay it yourself, or bring your own installer and we stay on hand to help through the job. For an install we measure, check the subfloor and give you a written quote before anything is booked. Laminate floats over underlay on its click joint, with no glue or nails, so the subfloor has to be flat. We supply and install flooring within Sydney only. Book a free measure and quote, see flooring installation in Sydney or visit the Auburn showroom.
Laminate flooring questions
What is laminate flooring made of?
A high density fibreboard core, a printed decor layer and a clear wear layer, locked together with a click profile. Our guide what is laminate flooring covers each layer.
Can laminate go in a kitchen?
Yes, if you choose a board with a long water rating and wipe spills up when you see them. AquaGlow, Hydrocore and the 14mm Aquastop give the most time at 72 hours.
Laminate or hybrid?
Read hybrid vs laminate, or compare the hybrid flooring range. For hard-wearing options side by side, see the most durable flooring for Australian homes.
How do I clean it?
Vacuum, then a damp mop. Aquastop is rated safe to wet mop. Keep steam mops off laminate. More in our flooring cleaning guide.
Shop by brand: Preference Floors, HTT Flooring, Eco Flooring Systems, Terra Mater, or the full flooring range.