Laminated vs. Engineered Wood Flooring
- By : Sarah
- Date :
A wooden floor increases the charisma of your home. The contemporary popular choices are laminated and engineered hardwood flooring. Both are viable options and need to be pondered before choosing the righteous one for your home.
What is laminate flooring?
Laminated wood flooring is a kind of rigid flooring where a synthetic composite is used to lay the floor. It has different layers described below:
- The backing layer is the foundation of the floor that is typically made to resist moisture.
- The inner layer or the core is specifically made with fiberboard which is a high-density composite used to make the floor strong.
- The topmost layer is the design that you want for your interior decor. It is known as the applique layer.
- Over the top layer, a protective layer is provided in the form of lamination to avoid wearing and tearing.
About engineered wood flooring
It is typical wood flooring where engineered hardwood is used to lay the floor. The manmade wood planks are used to build the floor. The wood is customized to ward off moisture and other weaknesses so that it can be used perfectly on the floor. Several layers of wood are used and compressed to come up with a hardwood floor. Engineered wood flooring contains 3 to 12 layers of plywood, unfinished wood, or fiberboard compressed to form a tough layer. After the floor is laid, a thin veneer is set on the hardwood floor to give a prominent finish.
Laminated vs. engineered wood flooring
- Making cost estimation
Engineered wood flooring costs higher than the laminate wood floor. For a cost-effective solution, it is better to choose laminated wood flooring.
- Durability:
Laminated flooring due to its limited quality, it doesn’t last as long as other hardwood floor alternatives. Laminate lasts 10-20 years at most. Whereas engineered wood flooring made of natural products, it isn’t completely immune to moisture damage and rot. However, with good care, engineered wood can last 20-100 years, depending on the quality of the product.
- Repairing and Refinishing
Engineered wood floor can be refinished until the veneer layer is worn off. It can be refinished quite a few times. On the other hand, the chance of refinishing laminate floor is very poor as it is a floating type floor. Laminate floor can be easily repaired as the planks can be removed easily. It becomes complex with engineered wood.
- Resale value
The resale value for engineered floor is higher than the laminated floor. The flooring status is better in the former case as it nearly competes with the hardwood flooring. Laminated flooring is easy to install and cost-effective. This is why its resale value is less than the other options.
- Moisture resistant capacity
Laminated floor is moderately water resistant whereas the engineered wood floor resists moisture properly. In fact, the engineered floor is better in resisting water than the hardwood flooring options.
Conclusion:
Deciding what wood flooring is good for your home is not at all tough. You can seek the professional advice from the experts and learn more about the available options for a new wooden floor and accentuate the skilled flooring contractors.
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