Solid wood flooring vs.
Engineered hardwood flooring vs laminate.
The base is fiberboard with a photographic image layer bonded over the top.
Laminate flooring is really up to you.
Solid wood flooring comes in long planks usually made of a hardwood species.
Laminate flooring really depends.
Laminate flooring and engineered hardwood floors are very similar and often get confused but there are some key differences to take into consideration when comparing the two floors.
Laminate flooring generally is less expensive than engineered hardwood.
Laminate runs 1 to 7 per square foot depending on the quality.
Which one will you go with.
If you re seeking an alternative to hardwood but laminate doesn t sound like the material for you consider engineered wood or luxury vinyl.
Engineered wood flooring.
While solid hardwood floors are ideal for the diehard wood lovers engineered hardwood is a greener option and laminate is a cheaper one.
If you have your heart set on having a wood or faux wood floor you have four choices.
The main difference between the two floors is that engineered hardwood floors have an actual hardwood surface but structurally they are very similar to a laminate.
Both are strong durable floors that are less expensive than natural wood but laminate flooring typically costs less.
Both are strong durable floors that are less expensive than natural wood but mimic the natural wood floor beautifully and are easy to keep looking new and fresh.
Both materials mimic a natural wood floor beautifully but if you re all about natural beauty you might prefer the solid wood top of an engineered.
The winner of engineered hardwood vs.
Cheaper versions have 1 4 inch cores and the photo reproductions may not be as realistic as more expensive versions.
Made of synthetic layers bonded together through a lamination process.
After going through the similarities and the differences it s clear to see that the winner of engineered hardwood vs.
Laminate engineered wood solid hardwood and vinyl.
Laminate flooring is a fully man made material that consists of several layers.
For many folks that ends the laminate vs.
Then a transparent wear layer is applied to protect the surface.
Both resemble true hardwood but each comes with its own benefits and disadvantages.
It is always nailed down to the subfloor a process that requires some skill.
More rigid than luxury vinyl aka non resilient.
If you are having trouble deciding be sure to read our laminate flooring project guide or any of our flooring cost estimators.
Engineered hardwood debate right there.