Direct Pressure Laminate vs High Pressure Laminate

Which laminate should I select. It seems that there is always a battle and now direct pressure laminate vs high pressure laminate? Your shopping for laminate, see it priced anywhere from under a dollar per square foot up to several dollars a square foot. You hear the terms direct pressure, high pressure, low density, high density; The salesman talks about scratch resistance and dent resistance. Confusing as it may seem, you are probably going to have that laminate flooring for a long time so what is the difference between direct pressure laminate and high pressure laminate?

Direct Pressure Laminate vs High Pressure Laminate, Will it be a Knockout?

There are major differences between “Direct Pressure Laminate flooring (DPL)” and “High Pressure Laminate flooring (HPL).”

Direct Pressure Laminate Flooring – DPL

In the battle direct pressure laminate vs high pressure laminate, direct pressure will win the battle in price.

DPL laminate flooring is more common and lower in price among the laminated flooring products sold to the consumer. DPL is made up of 4 layers, the stabilizing layer, core layer, decorative layer and the wear layer. These layers are fused together between 300 and 600 pounds per inch (PSI) of pressure and around 300 degrees Fahrenheit. DPL will costs less and perform best with low to moderate traffic.

High Pressure Laminate Flooring – HPL

In the second round of the battle direct pressure laminate vs high pressure laminate, high pressure will win the battle in durability.

HPL laminate flooring comes at a higher price but is more durable. HPL is made of 5 layers instead of 4. The backing and top wear layers are treated separately and then fused directly onto the core. 1300+ PSI is used to fuse the layers together, significantly more pressure than used in the DPL process. This creates a stronger floor that will perform better in a higher traffic situation. High pressure laminate consists of the same four layers as in Direct Pressure Laminate, with the fifth layer is a high-strength kraft paper treated with a phenolic resin, making the kraft paper stiffer during the manufacturing process. Without a doubt, HPL will perform better in higher residential traffic situations and for commercial use making high pressure laminate a knockout in the battle of direct Pressure laminate vs high pressure laminate.