How To Tell The Difference Between Laminate And Hardwood Flooring

In this engineered hardwood vs.

How to tell the difference between laminate and hardwood flooring.

And some laminate floors are more expensive than hardwoods too. While hardwood flooring is the more authentic choice and has a longer life laminate flooring is usually the more affordable option. With a solid hardwood top layer engineered hardwood is as close as it gets to a natural wood floor. Hardwood and laminate floors require different maintenance cleaning and restoration techniques so to keep your floors looking their best determine whether or not they are genuine wood.

Hardwood on the other hand can be affected by light and liquid. Both resemble true hardwood but each comes with its own benefits and disadvantages. Both are very durable with laminate being less susceptible to scratches and easier to clean. These methods apply most of the time but there are always exceptions.

Explore which is better for kitchens basements based on cost resale value durability and more. Solid hardwood flooring as the name suggests is comprised of flooring boards that are solid hardwood material through and through. Laminate flooring showdown we ll lay out all the pros cons and major differences that should know. But as we all know looks don t tell the whole story.

Here s how to tell the difference between hardwood and laminate flooring note. The boards usually 3 4 inch thick are generally milled with a smooth top surface and tongue and groove edges that interlock to hold the boards together. In fact this is the major advantage to a good quality laminate floor it may hold up to harder wear and tear from fido and fido s two legged companions running through the house sliding scratching and dropping hard toys on the floors on a daily basis than hardwood floor. Laminate flooring is produced in a factory to replicate hardwood flooring and in most cases it can be a real challenge to distinguish between the two.

Being able to tell the difference between hardwood and laminate flooring takes a keen eye here are a few simple ways to distinguish between the two. Hardwood on the other hand can be resurfaced every 10 20 years to remove any dings scratches or dents on the surface. If you re seeking an alternative to hardwood but laminate doesn t sound like the material for you consider engineered wood or luxury vinyl.