The 7 NALFA "Need-to-Knows"

1. NALFA stands for the North American Laminate Flooring Association. We are the ONLY trade organization exclusively dedicated to the laminate flooring industry.

2. Our organization was founded in 1997 by a group of US and Canadian laminate manufacturers and importers who saw a need to promote the continuous and responsible growth of the laminate industry.

3. One of our primary missions is to help consumers navigate through the confusing and stressful floor buying process through research and education.

4. Industry leaders who participate on the NALFA board of directors and serve on NALFA committees do it on a completely volunteer basis. They receive no compensation for their services.

5. NALFA became an accredited ANSI standards developing organization in 2008 and has published testing standards for laminate flooring and underlayment products. Today, these tests are an industry standard for quality.

6. The NALFA certification seal is given to laminate flooring and underlayament products that pass the rigorous ANSI product standards testing. It represents the highest quality you can buy. Look for the seal before you make the deal!

7. NALFA membership is open to a wide variety of businesses who support the laminate flooring market: manufacturers, marketers, importers, retailers, installers, testing labs, buying groups, and suppliers of laminate flooring goods or services.

What’s Not to Like about Laminate Flooring?

Laminate flooring is quite possibly the best all-encompassing package for your decorating dollar and perfect for busy families who want low maintenance flooring. Check out this impressive list of benefits:

1. Laminate flooring is extremely durable

Protected by a tough external layer and resin coating, a laminate floor is much stronger, and more scratch-resistant, impact-resistant and longer lasting than any hardwood, vinyl, or carpet. It’s virtually resistant to dogs, cats, kids and even high heels.

2. Laminate flooring is stain, fade, and moisture resistant

Most laminate flooring manufacturers offer extensive warranty protection against stains, fading, and moisture damage. Hardwood floors, on the other hand, are subject to wood grain staining, fading in sunlight, and can scratch and dent easily.

3. Laminate flooring is easy to clean and maintain

Laminate's superior stain and moisture-resistant surface coating makes spills and other messes easy to handle. This special surface doesn’t require waxes or varnishes to keep it looking great.

4. Laminate flooring is easy to install

The introduction of glueless laminate floors revolutionized ease of installation in the industry. Not only are the flooring sections smaller, designed to interlock, and easier to work with, but laminate floors can also be installed over most non-textile existing subfloors. In this “floating floor” method of installation, the laminate floor is laid or “floated” over the existing subfloor without being glued to the surface. This saves considerable time and installation cost. Moreover, laminate floors are easy to un-install and replace quickly and easily when it’s time for a style update.

5. Laminate flooring is economical
Not only is laminate flooring generally less expensive than other hard surface floors to start with, but when its durability and longevity are considered, it becomes a particularly economical choice.

6. Laminate flooring offers a variety of styles
While many laminate floors simulate the authentic look of hardwood or stone, the possibilities for new styles and colors are limitless. A variety of color tones and patterns enable you to match the floor with the exact mood and style of your room, whether it’s rich and elegant or cool and contemporary. We think you’ll be pleasantly surprised by the availability, realism and quality of today’s laminate floor styles.

7. Laminate flooring is environmentally friendly
Laminate flooring is made from wood and wood by-products, and does not involve the harvesting of rare or endangered trees.

Is it green? Or just green paint?

By: E.C. “Bill” Dearing, President, NALFA

Visit any flooring department today and you’ll see a plethora of green colored signage—in fact, you have to look hard to find any display that doesn’t indicate, at the bare minimum, that a product will not cause adverse environmental impact. Some claims even make promises of saving the planet. So how does a consumer recognize overstating and greenwashing? What do the claims really mean? Is laminate flooring really “green”?

To answer the question about laminate flooring’s “greenness”, we’ll focus only on our NALFA Regular and Associate Member’s products — and with good reason. Unless a product is tested to NALFA standards, it cannot make claims about its relative performance to these standards with any certainty.

The first concerns of a shopper usually are the features and benefits, with sustainability now at the top of the list. When laminate flooring was introduced to North America in 1993, it was significantly ahead of most other flooring in environmental sustainability. It originated in Sweden who was striving towards “green” at least eight years before sustainability hit the average North American’s radar screen. The manufacturing process was extremely efficient in its time in order to make prices competitive, which in turn kept sourcing and production steps at a minimum. Finally, the product’s life cycle ended with further recycling of most of its components, or used as approved heating fuel or farming additives.

The Scandinavian consumer considered environmental recognition important and when a company was awarded the Scandinavian Green Swan for example, its logo was extensively promoted. Indoor air quality was linked to environmental concerns and once again, laminate flooring came through. Reported as superior to other flooring by various country’s health departments in this regard, Laminate Flooring rapidly replaced other options in these countries. By the way, “Laminate” refers to the tiniest component of a NALFA Member’s product which is the environmentally friendly protective cover that you can’t see yet gives well made Laminate Flooring its distinctive benefits of Wear, Fade and Stain.

NALFA Certified Laminate Flooring continues this tradition. For example, all of our Members’ products are CARB compliant. We invite anyone to visit www.nalfa.com for a complete update of our Green Standard initiative as well as a list of our Members, both Regular and Associate. From there, you may further link to our member’s sites where you will find that most have been awarded significant environmental recognition. A core NALFA belief is in our transparency; no smoke and mirrors, and never any deceptive statements.

It takes an effort for a company to claim genuine NALFA Certification and anyone concerned with sustainability (consumers, architects, dealers, installers, etc.) can visit our site and be directed easily to the standards that back up our NALFA Certification process. The NALFA certification seal, which gives a shopper and dealer assurance of quality and suitability, is proudly displayed by every NALFA member. And yes, it is “green”.

Choosing the Right Laminate Floor in 6 Easy Steps

Before diving into the wide selection of NALFA certified products, consider these 6 factors that can have a big impact on your final decision.

1. Consider design factors such as color, pattern, style, and finish

When it comes to design options, there is no shortage with laminate floors. Do you want a high-end hardwood look or a cool and contemporary stone look? Do you want dark and rich colors or light and airy? Determine the desired look for your room prior to starting the shopping process.

2. Consider functional factors such as traffic, sub flooring, grade of floor, temperature, humidity, and budget

Where is the room where you will be installing laminate? A main entry hall or kitchen that receives a lot of traffic may require a laminate floor with a higher wear rating, whereas installing on an upper floor may require a different type of underlayment compared to installation on a lower floor. Always check the manufacturer’s warranty before buying. The subfloor is another important consideration that will help you determine the type of testing and underlayment you will need.

3. Review available products that meet design and functional requirements and provide ease of installation, product quality, and a good brand reputation

Research, research, research. The more you know about the brand of your choice, the better prepared you will be to buy and install. Consumer reviews and 3^rd party endorsements (like NALFA) are a great way to ensure you’re buying the right product for your unique design and installation needs.

4. Identify which appropriate products are NALFA-certified, for highest quality assurance

Once you’ve identified the brand you want, check out which products are NALFA certified. The NALFA certification seal is testament to that product’s quality because it has passed the 10 rigorous tests and the high standards of the organization.

5. Select a NALFA-certified product

You’re almost there! Now that you’ve identified the brand and NALFA certified product that you want, select the perfect color to transform your room from the collection available.

6. Purchase and install, either DIY, or using professional installers

Laminate flooring is easy to install for the do-it-yourselfer. Watch our informative installation video to see just how easy it can be. Looking for a professional installer? Make sure you hire one that’s been through our NALFA installer certification school for the highest-quality, longest-lasting finished room.

This one's for you, laminate installers!

There's still time to sign-up for a 2010 NALFA installer certification class!

The comprehensive training curriculum covers all aspects of a quality laminate installation and is designed for individuals with at least two years of experience as a laminate flooring installer. Each session lasts two days and you'll receive a NALFA certification certificate, ID card, and use of the associated logo and marketing materials upon successful completion of the program.

You'll also be added to the searchable, certified installer database available online at NALFA.com. What a great way to grow your business with dealers and consumers!

Space is limited, so early registration is recommended.

Remaining 2010 Installation Certification Classes:

June 28 & 29: Calhoun, GA

August 16 & 17: Salem, NJ

August 30 & 31: Calhoun, GA

October 11 & 12: Salem, NJ

October 25 & 26: Calhoun, GA

December 13 & 14: Salem, NJ

The cost of the program is $450 for NALFA members ($500 for non-members) and includes all instructional materials, on-site tools, meals, membership certificate, ID card, and rights to the NALFA logo and marketing materials. Certified installers may renew their membership yearly for a cost of $100.

To register for a class or for more information, please call Teiya Eubanks at (423) 316-1566.

Foam Products Corp. and TORLYS Underlayments Earn NALFA Certification Seal

All of us at NALFA are pleased to announce that two laminate underlayment manufacturers have earned the NALFA Certification Seal. The Silencer™ from Foam Products Corp. and TORLYS Safe & Sound underlayment brands have successfully passed ANSI product testing and may now display the NALFA certification seal as testament to their quality.

“Underlayment quality is a major issue in today’s industry,” says Erik Arnold with Foam Products Corp. “NALFA certification gives great credibility and upholding to our product’s reputation and track record for unparalleled performance.”

Tino Couto from TORLYS added, “TORLYS laminate flooring is already certified by NALFA. It is a valued certification and was a logical step for us to pursue for our underlayment. It gives our customers peace of mind and assurance when buying our state-of-the-art products.”

In order to earn the NALFA Certification Seal and the quality that it represents, a laminate underlayment product must pass two tiers of demanding tests designed to evaluate its performance. Tests include but are not limited to impact sound, airborne sound transmission, compression deflection, thickness, and moisture vapor transmission. Underlayment products that successfully pass testing are outfitted with the NALFA Certification Seal. Builders and homeowners can identify the seal and rest assured the product they are choosing meets and/or exceeds the highest level of industry standards set forth by NALFA.

“It is great to see the constant support from top manufacturers in the laminate underlayment industry,” said E. C. “Bill” Dearing, president of NALFA. “By continually submitting product lines for the rigorous testing conducted by NALFA, Foam Products Corp. and TORLYS are not only showing their support for industry standards, they are also showcasing the quality of their brands. We applaud them for their efforts to seek NALFA Certification on their products.”

The NALFA Certification Seal can be located on the manufacturer’s Web site, marketing materials or promotional materials as well as the product packaging itself. By identifying the seal, builders and homeowners will know they are selecting a product that is long- lasting, durable and capable of meeting the highest level of standards within the laminate flooring industry.

Meet our New Associate Member - Selit North America!

Selit North America, Inc. has recently joined the North American Laminate Flooring Association (NALFA) as an Associate Member. NALFA Associate Members are corporations, partnerships, proprietorships or other entities that are regularly engaged in the business of selling goods or services to a NALFA Regular Member. (Regular Members are manufacturers, marketers or importers of laminate flooring for the North American market.)

“Becoming a NALFA associate member was a key priority for us in 2010,” says Neil Duggan, President of Selit North America. “We are looking forward to working closely with NALFA’s members as we continue to develop underlayment products that meet our customer’s high expectations.”

Bill Dearing, President of NALFA adds, “We are always happy to welcome new members and associate members. They are our diving force as we continue to develop standards and drive quality changes in the laminate segment.”

Selit North America is a leading supplier of high-quality foam underlayment products for use in the laminate flooring industry and its applications. Selit provides products to both manufacturers and distributors and their customers. For more information, call 404-363-6680 or email info@selit.com.