If you're looking for flooring that resembles solid hardwood but is more reasonably priced, two obvious alternatives are engineered wood flooring and laminate flooring. Both types of flooring were created to be reasonably priced, adaptable alternatives to solid hardwood flooring, the traditional flooring material.
In order to make the best choice, you should consider the benefits and drawbacks of both engineered and laminate wood flooring. So, let's look at the differences between these two types of flooring.
What is Engineered Hardwood Flooring?
Although engineered wood flooring appears to be like solid wood flooring, it is composed of two layers of solid fir wood that are layered longitudinally and laterally, with a fairly thin layer of hardwood attached on top.
In addition to providing excellent thermal and humidity stability, the flooring can expand organically and shrink. The toughest engineered wood flooring will feature the following:
2 to 3 layers of solid wood construction
Good versatility
Stability in temperature and humidity
In general, a high-quality engineered wood floor will last for 25 to 30 years.
What is Laminate Flooring?
Laminate flooring is constructed entirely of layers of man-made materials. Fiberboard serves as the foundation, and a photographic image layer adheres on top. To further shield the surface, a translucent wear layer is added.
There are various materials that the picture layer can be printed to resemble; most of them attempt to replicate wood, but there are also laminates resembling stone. The surface can be embossed and texturized owing to advancements from recent years, which enhances the realism of the flooring. This flooring can appear rather natural from a distance, but most people can tell the difference when they study them closely.
What Are The Key Differences?
Appearance
In general, engineered flooring has a better appearance than laminate. Since the surface is made of solid wood, it withstands detailed scrutiny.
Engineered flooring is made entirely of wood. As a result, it feels more substantial underfoot than laminate flooring, just like solid hardwood flooring. The pre-sanding and coating of all engineered hardwood flooring make it smooth and splinter-free.
From a distance, laminate flooring can effectively resemble real wood. However, with closer examination, this resemblance breaks down.
Laminate flooring has a synthetic core and a foam foundation that makes it feel soft and almost springy underfoot. Beneath bare feet or socks, the wear surface is smooth and pleasant, but it can be slippery under heels.
Installation
While installing engineered hardwood floors is much simpler than solid hardwood, professional installation is more likely to be needed. Just like with solid hardwood floors, these floors are frequently installed by blind-nailing them to the subfloor using finish nails or staples that are driven at an angle through the tongues on the edges of the boards.
Engineered hardwood floors include an additional tongue and groove edging system to provide an extra layer of lateral movement security.
Compared to engineered hardwood flooring, laminate flooring is much easier to install. The laminate boards act as a floating floor because they never attach to the subfloor or underlayment, only side to side. Once it is installed, the flooring won't slide because of its weight and friction. Laminate boards are simple to cut using a hand saw or even a utility knife.
Maintenance and Care
Given that both are rather delicate floors that should not be wet mopped, laminate and engineered flooring can be cleaned and maintained in the same way.
The best method for cleaning both types of flooring is to use a dry broom or damp mop with a wood cleaner that has been certified for use by your wood flooring manufacturer. Avoid damp mops, steamers and strong cleaning solutions that contain ammonia.
When it comes to maintenance, since laminate flooring cannot be refinished, it must be taken out and replaced when it sustains significant damage.
Contrarily, engineered hardwood flooring can be sanded and refinished at least once. In some cases—particularly if the flooring has a fairly thick veneer layer—you may even be able to refinish it twice or thrice.
Lifespan
When properly maintained, premium engineered flooring with a thick veneer can last 20 to 50 years, if not even longer.
The lifespan of laminate flooring is shorter than that of engineered flooring. If properly maintained and installed in a dry environment, some varieties of laminate flooring can last up to 15 to 20 years.
Resale Value
It's safe to say that engineered hardwood would be more valuable to prospective buyers than laminate because hardwood often adds the most resale value to a house. For status, engineered wood might even rival solid hardwood.
Laminate flooring can occasionally reduce a home's worth, but very high-end laminate flooring is by no means a disadvantage when advertising a property; it will increase a home's resale value more than carpet or vinyl in a low to mid-range home. However, it won't ever be regarded as positively as any type of real wood.
Which Is The Best Choice?
The ideal option is engineered flooring if you want a floor covering that resembles solid hardwood but requires less labour to maintain. Laminate flooring is a better option if you want to save money on your floor covering, particularly if you can install it yourself.
Top Brands
FOGLIE D'ORO: Foglie d'Oro has complete control over the supply chain, which contributes to the great quality of its floors. Starting at the source, the finest raw materials are chosen in certified forests that the company owns and sustainably manages. This selection process continues through to the delivery of the finished product.
The elegant and varied selection of planks, chevrons, herringbone, and exquisite inlay-ed panels are handcrafted with ongoing research and development for newer designs and finishes. Each piece of wood is expertly processed by the hands of skilled artisans who can flawlessly interpret the design team's imaginative illustrations.
Interested to install bespoke wood flooring in your home?
Consider engaging Lux & Beyond for finely crafted, fully customisable interior finishing and inspirational lighting. With more than 20 years in the interior industry and vast experience and understanding of the local market, the brands we curate are carefully selected to fit the local market, highly reputable, and well-established with good quality.
The suitability and sustainability of the materials and products are also taken into account based on the condition and humidity of the local environment. Find out more by visiting https://www.luxandbeyond.sg/contact-us.