Why an expansion joint for laminate?
Expansion joints are often also known as movement joints or dilatation joints. They are used to compensate for any swelling or shrinking behaviour of laminate flooring in larger floor areas. Coverings such as parquet or laminate can expand (swell) or contract (shrink) with temperature fluctuations or changes in humidity. These possible changes are compensated for by an expansion joint at door jambs, room transitions or to the wall. The expansion joint is approximately the thickness of the material – ideally around 12 millimetres.
For particularly large laminate areas – for example, from a length or width of eight metres – an additional expansion joint should be planned in the middle of the room to prevent the formation of ripples here.
Wood is alive
Laminate from LOGOCLIC® is an environmentally friendly laminate floor because it is made up of 90 percent wood. “Wood is alive” which means laminate can also swell or shrink. Depending on the temperature, wood shrinks or swells over time – which is why wooden floors require an expansion joint from a certain area onwards. The differences:
- Natural wood shrinks and swells up to 10 % depending on the direction
- Laminate shrinks and swells max. +0.1 % depending on the direction
Visually concealing the expansion joint
There are various ways to make the expansion joint invisible: bridge the unsightly joint using skirting boards on the wall, transition profiles at the transition to other floor coverings or pipe sleeves on visible pipes and cables.
You will find a comprehensive selection of laminate flooring and matching laminate accessories from LOGOCLIC® in all BAUHAUS specialist centres.
