Wood Flooring Vs Laminate Flooring Comparison

Often when prospective buyers research new flooring, two types of floors are considered. The first type of floor is laminate floor which is made from a multi-layer synthetic flooring product, fused together with a lamination process and the second is hardwood floor which is made from 100% real wood (known as solid wood floor) or from a combination of real wood, plywood and hardwood veneer (known as engineered wood floor). Although to the naked eye some types of laminate floors might look like real wooden floors and vice versa, the two are quite different when it comes to their characteristics.

Wood Flooring Vs Laminate Flooring Comparison:

* Installation Type - for more information, view our hardwood flooring fitting methods guide
** Cleaning difficulty level  - for more information, view our hardwood flooring cleaning guide
*** Refinished option - for more information, view our solid floors refinish guide

Main Differences Explained:

Quality laminate flooring which is designed to look and feel like real wood, also comes with a similar price tag, but not all its benefits. Both floors are suitable for DIY type of flooring installation, but only hardwood flooring can be repaired. While laminate floors are better suited to cope with scratches, the overall life expectancy of hardwood floor is almost 4 times greater. On going cleaning and general maintenance is fairly easy for both types of floor, however certain types of hardwood floors could be refinished thereby extending their life expectancy even further. And most importantly for most of us, while some types of higher end laminate floors might look like real wood, real hardwood floor will always look like the real thing making it a definite educated choice.

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