Do I Want A Laminate Floor Instead of a Hardwood Floor Installed?
We don’t know, that’s for sure. But we can give you a little information about the differences between them that may help, since we install both products.
Hardwood flooring, especially solid hardwood, is the standard. It has been used for flooring for generations. Laminate flooring is a very recent invention, a fine substitute for hardwood flooring.
However, laminate is not the same as hardwood – it is an artificial version of the naturally-grown product. In truth, it is a picture of wood laid onto a fiberboard base. These products have improved greatly over the years, and can provide you with a beautiful floor.
Lets go over some of the pros and cons.
The first, and most obvious, difference is the cost. Laminate is considerably cheaper (up to half as much) as solid hardwood. It is also cheaper to install. However, laminate flooring doesn’t last as long – typically less than half the time that hardwood does. They cannot be refinished like solid and some engineered hardwoods.
Laminate is more scratch resistant (most of them are, anyway). But, they are more likely to be sensitive to moisture – swelling and peeling more than hardwoods are likely to.
And, when it comes to damage, hardwood flooring can be repaired and replaced much more simply than laminate, generally on a board by board basis. Whole sections of a laminate floor often need to be replaced to repair damage.
Finally, hardwood flooring adds to the resale value of a house, generally, and laminate does not.
I have lived with both, and both have their place. So get what you need, can live with, and can afford! You can’t really go “wrong.”