Different flooring, same water resistance

Why are Lumbertech and K-Uno Hydro both water-resistant for 24 hours even though they are completely different products?

Lumbertech, which belongs to the Organica category, is a wooden floor enhanced in resistance by Wood Powder, K-Uno Hydro is a laminate floor in the Sistema category, which, like all the proposals in the Living line with the "Hydro" label, are enhanced in resistance to water stagnation.

The former is a 'natural' wood floor, the latter is a multilayer floor composed of layers of different nature.

Both are Hydro24

The secret is at the heart of both, with a high-density HDF Aquasafe panel and precision TLS joints that enabled both to pass the NALFA test, which attests to the product's ability to withstand water stagnation for 24 hours without swelling in the joints.

Who is afraid of water?

Wood is a truly unique and exceptional raw material, extremely high-performance and ductile in the building industry. But it is well known that, being a living raw material, it is sensitive to the water factor, swelling and shrinking depending on the presence or absence of this element.

In technological multilayer floors, the parts most sensitive to water are the junctions between one plank and another, bevels and joints, where water could infiltrate and swell the wooden parts of the structure.
It is on these points that the technological application and production process is focused, allowing both Lumbertech and Hydro laminate floors to pass the NALFA test and thus be Hydro24.

What is NALFA?

NALFA, is the North American Laminate Flooring Association that conducts performance tests on multilayer surfaces that are recognised worldwide, among them is the NALFA method for the swelling test of laminate surfaces that verifies their resistance to water. 

During the test, the product sample remains in contact with water for at least 24 hours and the test verifies the tightness of the joints on both the long and short sides, the degree of swelling and the ability of the edges to return to their original position once dry. 

The 3 conditions that make SKEMA products water-resistant

Lumbertech and Living Hydro laminates (K-Uno, Syncro Parquet, Vision Oxid and Prestige) passed the tests because they positively meet these three requirements:

1 - The high-density HDF panel (920 kg/m³ for Lumbertech and 890 kg/m³ for K-Uno Hydro) has a formulation such that it has a water absorption of around 8%, well below the technical standard (18%) and the classic market standards (12%).

2 - The joints (TLS for both Lumbertech and K-Uno) are machined in such a way as to have an even more precise lock that makes it difficult for water to penetrate.

3 - The junction between the joints is protected by a treatment that creates a chemical barrier against water penetration.