Monday, June 25, 2018

Compare Laminate And Engineered Hardwood Flooring

Solid hardwood floors are made from one solid piece of natural wood. Laminate is also much thinner than engineered wood averaging around 12mm whereas engineered wood tends to be thicker like hardwoods.

Why Homeowners Love Engineered Hardwood Flooring Angie S List

Engineered hardwood tends to be the thicker option backed with layers of plywood fiberboard or spc while laminate planks are thinner.

Compare laminate and engineered hardwood flooring. The key difference in how each floor is made is that engineered wood contains a top layer of solid wood while laminate uses a photographic layer coated with a wear layer to achieve the wood look surface. The entire plank is made from wood. The main difference between the two floors is that engineered hardwood floors have an actual hardwood surface but structurally they are very similar to a laminate.

Engineered hardwood has the natural characteristics of the selected wood species as opposed to a photographic layer which is what you get with laminate. Vinyl flooring is one of the easiest floors to care for and maintain. Laminate flooring is more resistant to water than hardwood flooring but only on the top surface.

Laminate flooring and engineered hardwood floors are very similar and often get confused but there are some key differences to take into consideration when comparing the two floors. The floor can swell and get ruined if the sides and bottom of the flooring get wet. Laminate flooring is often thought of as a cheaper option than engineered wood flooring.

Engineered wood contains a slice of natural wood on top while laminate uses a photographic layer that is coated with a protective layer. Do vinyl plank and engineered hardwood floors require as much upkeep and how do they compare to each other. Its the only material used something laminate or engineered hardwood cant say.

Solid hardwood flooring planks are produced from single pieces of wood can be purchased unfinished or prefinished. The reason people tend to choose engineered hardwood over natural hardwood is garner greater moisture and heat resistance because of the core material. If laminate gets wet on the sides or underneath you cant refinish it.

Engineered wood flooring is more closely aligned to solid hardwood than laminate because it incorporates a thin veneer of natural wood on top of a high quality plywood base. In essence while solid or engineered hardwood flooring is manufactured from real wood and preserves the unique textured grain and appearance of natural wood laminate flooring is only an imitation. Typically hardwood is three quarters of an inch thick.

While it is possible to pick up seriously cheap laminate wood flooring it is not the case across the board that laminate wood flooring is cheaper than engineered. Beautiful floors look great but often consumers underestimate how much work it requires to keep flooring like hardwood looking its best. Because the plywoods layers run perpendicular to each other the plywood is more dimensionally stable than solid wood.

Engineered Hardwood Vs Solid Hardwood Flooring Difference