laminate flooring

[IrishRob]

i recently purchased and installed click and lock laminate flooring in my kitchen. i was under the impression that laminate flooring had some sort of wood that was pressed together but the product i purchased says " flooring product type : laminate flooring / stone plank. " does that mean these certain planks contain no wood? therefore the whole expanding and contracting phenomenon wont take place? just curious. thanks for any help.

[A. Spruce]

laminate flooring is a manmade material, usually HDF (high density fiberboard) or similar composite with a vinyl or photo-finish surface layer. There is no wood in it, other than the fiber that the composite material is made from. Laminate flooring is basically compressed cardboard, it is not "wood", only wood fiber.

To answer your question, it is very susceptible to humidity changes, which will cause expansion and contraction, but also, if it gets wet, it will act like a sponge and soak up the water, expanding and destroying the floor. Once wet, that is it, it's done and needs to be replaced.

[kate.barrington]

I had laminate floors in my kitchen before and that was a disaster because it does not respond very well to humidity.
I upgraded it to tiles floors and I'm more than happy now.