When you think of disposing of laminate flooring, do not burn it. The burning of laminate flooring is not only harmful to yourself but to the environment as well.
Laminate floors are 80% wood with pressed wood fiber. However, laminate flooring is not safe to burn because of its aluminum oxide top layer. Aluminum oxide on burning can severely affect your health and make the surrounding air toxic.
Let’s talk more about why not to burn laminate flooring and what alternative to choose.
Laminate Flooring
Laminate flooring consists of four different layers of composite wood material. It is one of the best wood products used widely in houses for its reliable performance and elegant look. Although it consists of wood, you cannot safely burn or incinerate it compared to other woods.
Other competitors include hardwood floor and vinyl flooring in a tie with laminate flooring. Laminate flooring is preferable because it is exceptional for its price. The laminate flooring manufacturing process involves the basic wood composite, but the final product is good, and the wood quality is enhanced.
We use laminate floorings in houses, which helps against scratches and bends that we may see on other floorboards. Moreover, laminate floors are also effortless to install and maintain.
Why Not to Burn Laminate Flooring?
Avoid burning laminate. It will not ease your house cleaning process; instead, it will make it more hectic. Burning laminate flooring releases harmful gases by burning the top aluminum oxide coating. Aluminum oxides on burning, emit unhealthy chemicals harmful to you, your family, and the whole environment.
- Toxic: The burning of Aluminum oxide and other adhesives used in the flooring give off harmful gases such as nitrogen oxide. Contact with these gases can severely impact your health.
- Affects the Environment: The gases generated due to the burning of laminate flooring are harmful to the environment and can ruin the surrounding air quality to a great extent.
- Better to Recycle: We should recycle laminate floors and not burn them, and by recycling laminate floors we can save up to 85% of the actual product. Most wood pieces are recycled and processed again in fibers and wood chips. To keep the environment safe, refrain from burning laminate flooring.
How to Dispose of Laminate Flooring?
No burning, then how to get rid of the laminate floor? You can throw pieces of leftover wood planks and leftover installation materials of the laminate floor in normal household waste collection. Moreover, you can give the local landfill site complete floors and old laminate flooring.
There are also recycling programs that you can contact for special pick-ups of your old flooring and deliver it to the desired party.
How to Fix Laminate Floor Burns?
Though laminate flooring does not consist of highly flammable materials, it can still burn to some extent. Laminate floors do not trigger fires, but they aren’t precisely fire-resistant either. They burn at a lower temperature, slowly.
The laminate floor contains aluminum oxide, a coating that would burn. The melamine resin acts as a great defensive coating, but it can also burn.
Now that it is burnt and the look of your room is ruined, how do you fix that?
To fix laminate floors burns, do the following:
- Clean the surface properly.
- Remove the top layer that is burnt.
- Apply the oils.
- Apply polish.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ’s)
Is Laminate Flooring Flammable?
Proving laminate flooring fireproof is not possible in the same way it cannot be declared 100% flammable. However, it is crucial to remember laminate flooring has solid wood walls that burn. The laminate flooring has combustible materials.
The flooring is mildly combustible, but adhesives like phenol and formaldehyde on burning release toxic chemicals.
Is Laminate Flooring Toxic?
There are a lot of answers you will find for this specific question. All types of flooring, hardwood floors, vinyl flooring, and laminate flooring are all toxic to some extent. They are not life-threatening toxic. These floorboards use adhesive that, on burning, can be harmful.
Otherwise, the wood chips are safe and healthy to be around, and they aren’t imposing great danger on the environment either.
Doing the recycling process right poses no harm to the environment.
Why Recycle Laminate Flooring?
There is no better way of getting rid of waste wood and getting new flooring than recycling. Recycling laminate flooring protects the health of the people and this planet.
You can connect through new technologies with a local council or a recycling program to find the right fit to dispose of laminate flooring.
Conclusion
Laminate flooring consists of wood, but it is not the type of wood that is safe to burn. It is mixed with various chemicals to fulfill its purpose of sturdy floorboards. If not to burn, how to deal with this big problem? Laminate flooring has dozens of benefits when appropriately recycled. Most flooring is as good as new to be used again after recycling, and that is done by restoring the wood chips used inside the laminate planks.
Hence, the better way to get rid of old laminate flooring is by sending it out to recycling programs. You cannot recycle it at your own expense, but you can take a step ahead in the right direction. Whatever further you do, do not burn the laminate flooring.