If you have your heart set on having a wood or faux wood floor you have four choices.
Engineered wood flooring vs laminate vs hardwood.
Laminate runs 1 to 7 per square foot depending on the quality.
More rigid than luxury vinyl aka non resilient.
Laminate and engineered versus hardwood or vinyl.
Laminate flooring generally is less expensive than engineered hardwood.
Solid wood flooring comes in long planks usually made of a hardwood species.
Engineered hardwood debate right there.
It is milled with tongues and grooves on opposite edges so that the boards interlock when installed.
Then a transparent wear layer is applied to protect the surface.
Laminate flooring is a fully man made material that consists of several layers.
Engineered wood flooring.
Made of synthetic layers bonded together through a lamination process.
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.
For some only solid hardwood will do but for many the pros of an engineered wood floor often tip the scales.
Cheaper versions have 1 4 inch cores and the photo reproductions may not be as realistic as more expensive versions.
It is always nailed down to the subfloor a process that requires some skill.
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.
Solid wood flooring vs.
For many folks that ends the laminate vs.
Though engineered wood is not made out of 100 solid wood you can think of it as smart hardwood a real hardwood floor that is more versatile than a solid wood plank.