How To Tell The Difference Between Wood And Laminate Flooring

Below are some factors that can assist you in differentiating between these two types of floor covers.

How to tell the difference between wood and laminate flooring.

It can be very vulnerable to water but make no mistake about it wood is. Hardwood on the other hand can be affected by light and liquid. Both engineered wood and laminate flooring is comfortable underfoot but because laminate flooring typically floats over the subfloor it may flex a bit underfoot especially if the underlayment is not perfectly smooth and flat. Determine how the floorboards are attached.

These methods apply most of the time but there are always exceptions. Here s how to tell the difference between hardwood and laminate flooring note. Laminate is also much thinner than engineered wood averaging around 12mm whereas engineered wood tends to be thicker like hardwoods. Laminate doesn t stain the way natural wood does so if you see water rings random splotches or discolorations on the floor it is probably hardwood.

Some homeowners also find that heels and pet nails click annoyingly on the plastic surface. Appearance wise wood flooring is more elegant than laminate flooring. Engineered wood contains a slice of natural wood on top while laminate uses a photographic layer that is coated with a protective layer. However the national average for laminate installation is reasonable at about 3 000.

Wood flooring is more environmental friendly than laminate flooring. When water gets into the seams it can quickly swell the composite materials and cause bowing and warping. Most laminates have a protective layer so the flooring won t wear that much. 1 look for discolouration.

Low end laminate installation can cost an easy 550 while high end laminate floors can climb up to 7 000. Difference between hardwood and laminate flooring. Laminate flooring this type of floor resembles a wood floor but it creates the impression of tiles. Hardwood flooring can be guaranteed to last a lifetime whereas laminate flooring can only be used for 10 15 years.

While laminate flooring and luxury vinyl flooring are generally comparable in appearance laminate flooring generally will more closely mimic hand scraped hardwood stone ceramics and other materials. So what is the difference between the two. Engineered wood flooring and laminate flooring are in fact constructed completely differently this results in differences in cost life expectancy appearance and maintenance regimes. It is made from wood that has been recycled and it resembles a hard wood floor.

This is a definite downside to many laminate materials and installations.