Laminate wood flooring

Laminate wood flooring has come a long way as far as its appearance goes. You can find laminate flooring designs in just about as many varieties as regular hardwood. Hardwood flooring is not as resilient as laminate flooring. Hardwood flooring does not stand up to scratches and stains as well as laminate flooring does. Likewise, dropping a heavy object on a hardwood floor will most likely cause more damage than it would if dropped on a laminate floor. Although both hardwood and laminate are not meant to be soaked in water, water damage is much more serious on a hardwood floor than it is on a laminate. Laminate flooring can be easy to install and is designed to be able to be installed by the average homeowner. In fact, the bigger the room or area to be undertaken, the easier the project becomes. There is no need for specialized tools, although a fine toothed carbide blade on a circular saw does make the job go quicker. You can virtually lay laminate over any flat surface including short fiber carpet. Laminate floors should be installed over a foam underlayment as this prevents the floor from moving, provides walking comfort, a moisture barrier and a sound barrier between floors.
Hardwood can be very challenging to install especially if you choose to glue down the flooring. Hardwood is also more expensive initially, especially if you include the cost of professional installation. With laminate floors you have a lot of different options when it comes to price, endurance, and quality. If you shop around, you can find laminate flooring at prices as low as $0.75 per square foot with a top end price of $3.50 per square foot. Hardwood on the other hand, even on sale, will start at $3.00 per square foot, (very low quality) and can, for some of the more exotic hardwoods, in excess of $20.00 per square foot.

Hardwood flooring

Hardwood flooring has one advantage that laminate flooring can never have and that is in its appearance. When you install a hardwood floor, no two planks or pieces of wood are the same. Each piece is slightly different in design and texture. Therefore, the look of hardwood cannot be beat especially why it is examined closely. Hardwood flooring is significantly easier to repair than is laminate flooring. Additionally, a hardwood floor can be refinished and re-stained as is needed and wanted. Some hardwood flooring factory finishes have very good stain resistance. Other wood stains when exposed to direct UV sunlight may change color more than others. Some urethane finishes have aluminum oxide crystals embedded in the finish and which makes the wood extremely durable. A laminate floor does not offer the same kind of flexibility when it comes to changing the look and finish of the floor. If you want to change the appearance of a laminate, you will need to replace the entire floor. You can't beat the longevity of hardwood. A hardwood floor will easily last longer than 25 years if you take care of it. You would be lucky to have a laminate floor last longer than 20 years before it must be replaced.