Harwood vs Laminate Flooring: The Execs and Cons

The flooring of a house is one in every of its defining options. Wooden flooring stays one of the vital common choices, as it’s a naturally inviting, lovely and timeless materials. Whereas older, extra conventional houses typically have the unique hardwood flooring nonetheless in place, many more moderen houses are utilizing laminate. What’s laminate flooring? It’s imitation hardwood that creates a pure look much like wooden however at a cheaper price.

Need assistance selecting between hardwood and laminate flooring? Take our nine-question quiz that can assist you resolve.

Hardwood and laminate flooring professionals and cons go away you many aspects to contemplate. Certain, when evaluating laminate vs hardwood value, laminate is often the extra inexpensive possibility. However you additionally should have a look at sturdiness, restore, and the kind of room that the ground might be in. This text will evaluate a few of the elements of laminate vs hardwood and enable you resolve which is greatest to your residence:

Laminate vs. hardwood look

Hardwood

PROS – Hardwood flooring has a lovely, pure texture that creates attraction for a lot of owners. You may select from various kinds of wooden, stains, and finishes that create an abundance of choices.

CONS – Hardwood flooring may be scratched simply if not correctly maintained. Moreover, some sorts of hardwood flooring may be discolored if uncovered to the solar for lengthy durations of time.

Laminate

PROS – Laminate flooring doesn’t scratch as simply as hardwood flooring, so its look won’t change as a lot over time.

CONS – Laminate flooring is artificial, and although its design typically copies the looks of wooden, it doesn’t look as real.

Greatest for look: Hardwood flooring

Laminate vs. hardwood value

The fact of flooring prices and what you possibly can afford could also be miles aside. Think about the price of laminate and hardwood flooring to find out what’s greatest for you.

Hardwood

CONS – Strong wooden flooring can value $5-$10 per sq. foot, together with set up. However take into account that hardwood flooring is fabricated from harvested bushes; pricing relies on the kind of wooden you select. On the whole, hardwood is significantly larger to purchase and to put in.

Laminate

PROS – Laminate wooden flooring is constituted of composite wooden pressed collectively at excessive temperatures. The picture of hardwood is then positioned over the composite wooden, masking it to type the laminate. Not solely are the supplies themselves cheaper, however laminate wooden set up value is, on common, 50 % lower than hardwood set up.

Laminate flooring can value $3-$7 per sq. foot, together with set up.  Once more, the precise costs will range relying on the sorts of supplies used and the scale of your property.

Greatest for value: Laminate flooring

Laminate vs. hardwood sturdiness

Assess the visitors load and put on and tear on flooring in your house. A extra sturdy floor is less complicated to take care of and can look nice for years to return. However how sturdy is laminate flooring in comparison with hardwood?

Hardwood

PROS – Hardwood is the true deal; it’s beautiful and, relying on the kind of wooden, can add appreciable worth to your property.

CONS – Hardwood is inclined to scratching, can get broken from extreme moisture and can present put on, particularly in closely trafficked areas.

Laminate

PROS – Since laminate is constituted of pressed wooden, it’s extra sturdy and resists scratches, moisture and put on and tear. Laminate flooring can be simpler to wash.

CONS – Although laminate is extra sturdy, it isn’t as visually interesting. Decrease qualities of laminate might have artificial-looking wooden grain textures.

Greatest for sturdiness: Laminate flooring

Laminate vs. hardwood restore

Your property’s flooring will sometimes want repairs sooner or later. From minor accidents to extreme put on and tear, laminate and hardwood have benefits and drawbacks.

Hardwood

PROS – Hardwood may be repaired by sanding imperfections and refinishing. This offers it the sting over laminate, in that it’s going to final for years.

Laminate

CONS – Laminate flooring doesn’t restore simply. If you happen to purchase flooring that is available in particular person items and snaps collectively, you might be able to substitute particular person boards — though, relying on daylight and age, the brand new piece might not match correctly.

Greatest for restore: Hardwood flooring

Greatest rooms for hardwood vs. laminate flooring

Along with value, sturdiness, and restore, you also needs to take into account the most effective (and worst) locations within the residence for each sorts of flooring.

Hardwood

Hardwood flooring is each lovely and pretty sturdy, particularly in lower-traffic rooms like bedrooms and eating rooms. However, when you have pets or quite a lot of foot visitors, your hardwood flooring may present scratches and put on over time. Basements and loos with quite a lot of moisture are additionally not good locations for hardwood flooring. Alternatively, steady daylight can fade your hardwood flooring additional time as nicely.

Laminate

As a result of laminate flooring is so sturdy, it’s much less inclined to put on and tear from pets and foot visitors. Whereas it withstands moisture higher than hardwood, it shouldn’t be in a repeatedly moist space of the house. Due to its topcoat, laminate flooring sometimes doesn’t fade from daylight as shortly and noticeably as hardwood flooring and can be utilized safely in rooms with massive home windows.

The underside line

Each hardwood and laminate flooring have their deserves and pitfalls. Hardwood comes with the next price ticket, however they’re simpler to restore and last more than laminate. Laminate flooring professionals and cons embrace that it doesn’t fade or scratch as simply as hardwood, however repairs might contain redoing the entire flooring. To resolve which possibility is greatest to your residence, weigh the professionals and cons of every and take into account your life-style. Having pets, younger children or excessive visitors areas might affect your determination.