Which Floor?

Engineered Flooring is an increasingly popular alternative to traditional Solid Wood Floors. Laminate or engineered flooring offer many of the advantages of solid wood at a fraction of the cost. However, they is not suitable in all circumstances. For top quality real wood flooring is the way to go.

Solid wood, engineered or laminate flooring?

Engineered wood flooring offers convenience and affordability with reasonable quality. Solid Wood Flooring, sometimes called Plank Flooring, offers durability with the luxury and strength of solid wood. True Laminate Flooring does not contain wood at all but is made to look like wood. It is at the lower end of the price scale with quality to match.

Not always an easy choice! Some of the main points are listed below.

Floor
Advantages Disadvantages
Engineered
+ Price discounted to solid wood floors - Shorter Lifespan than solid wood
+ Low Maintenance - Quality can be an issue
+ Floor supplied prefinished - Liable to Water Damage
+ Can look very natural - Some view it as lower quality
Solid Wood
+ Quality - Cost
+ Longevity - Requires Maintenance
+ Can be supplied prefinished - Sensitive to temperature change
+ Can be custom finished - Sensitive to atmospheric moisture
+ Much more resistant to water - Can warp
Laminate
+ Cheaper than real wood - Can look cheap
+ Low Maintenance - Quality not the same as real wood
+ Floor supplied prefinished - Unlikely to last as long as real wood floors
Wood Floors Home Hardwoods Flooring Types Engineered Laminate Solid Wood Floor Profiler

Remember true laminate flooring does not contain any real wood. Engineered flooring contains a layer of real wood on top glued to plywood underneath. However, engineered wood flooring is sometimes referred to as laminate!