Raleigh, N.C.—In the last two years, mechanical locking laminate floors have become the hottest selling products within the category, with at least one of every four sales now dedicated to this type of floor covering. While officials at Pergo, the company which invented laminate flooring, believe in the mechanical locking concept they have remained skeptical about offering specialty retailers a product that installs without the aid of glue. So, to capitalize on the growing locking system trend, company researchers have developed CertainSeal, a patent-pending locking system with a pre-applied strip of glue to the tongue of the plank.

“With CertainSeal, Pergo capitalizes on the popularity of click-together flooring, but we took the technology a step further by creating a specially engineered joint, in combination with pre-applied glue,” said David Sheehan, senior product manager. Products with the CertainSeal technology are constructed with a joint that has an extended surface area specifically made to accept the preapplied glue. The adhesive coating gets activated during the installation stage by using the Pergo Glue Activator, a dispenser that applies an exact amount of water to moisten the tongue. The mechanic will know the glue is properly activated by a change in color.

“The preapplied glue is really one element of the CertainSeal equation,” Sheehan explained. “The glue works in tandem with the proprietary, patent-pending joint which has been specially engineered to maximize strength and integrity, and ensures a superior, long-lasting bond.” CertainSeal installs using Pergo’s Easy-Tap method, in which the mechanic taps-in the long end of the plank first then taps the short end into locked position. Laboratory tests show products with CertainSeal have almost three times the joint strength of a traditional glueless click joint. Sheehan noted company tests show the joints in CertainSeal are stronger than other pre-applied glue locking products. “That’s because we’ve developed a joint that is specially engineered to accept pre-applied glue and to maximize joint strength.

Consumers shouldn’t settle for products that simply add glue to existing joint technologies because these types of products could compromise joint strength and result in gaping.” Lars von Kantzow, Pergo’s president and CEO, said, “Glueless floors are certainly the hottest growth segment in the laminate category. Still 70% of consumers are buying glued floors because they’re concerned about issues like gaping, water resistance or dirty seams. CertainSeal is the best way to offer end users all the ease of click installation and the security of glued floors. It’s the best of both worlds.” For more information on this development, call Pergo at 919/773-6000.