Finishes

Smooth.

A plain finish just like a layer of varnish you’d associate with hardwood. Sometimes you

can choose between high, medium and low gloss finishes.

Embossed and/or Textured.

Some laminates come with a textured finish. Regular embossing isn’t an exact match up

with the grooves of the printed grain but does fool the eye into seeing a surface grain.

Distressed/Hand scraped.

Hand scraped laminate flooring is now available—a process that up until recently was

reserved only for engineered or solid hardwood floors. This process adds an antiqued

look to your laminate flooring.

Embossed in Registration.

This type of embossing matches the grain of the wood exactly for the most authentic

embossed look.

For those who look for durability as a way to decide on a laminate product, the AC rating is an ideal guide.

Use it to check your expected usage, or foot traffic, against what the floor was built to withstand. AC stands

for Abrasion Class and an impartial 3rd party has set the standard for 5 different categories of use and

durability.

Laminate Floor AC Ratings

AC1 Moderate Residential. Built to withstand only

light residential use. Suitable for closets or bedrooms.

AC2 General Residential. Built for moderate foot

traffic. Suitable in residential spaces that don’t see

a tremendous amount of wear and tear like dining

rooms or livingrooms.

AC3 Heavy Residential/Moderate Commercial. Built for all kinds of residential use including high–traffic

rooms and even commercial spaces that have light traffic like offices without off-street traffic and hotel

rooms.

AC4 General Commercial. Built to withstand every kind of residential use as well as more heavily trafficked

commercial spaces that have off-street traffic like offices, cafes, and boutiques.

AC5 Heavy Commercial. Built for the busiest commercial uses and high–traffic spaces like department stores

and government buildings.

As a general rule of thumb, the higher the AC Rating, the higher the price.