Laminate Vs Engineered Hardwood

Laminate runs 1 to 7 per square foot depending on the quality.

Laminate vs engineered hardwood. Laminate flooring generally is less expensive than engineered hardwood. Engineered wood refers to a layered product with a thin slice of hardwood atop a composite core like cork or plywood. Laminate is also a multilayered product of mostly synthetic materials with a high resolution image of wood on the top layer. Laminate is also much thinner than engineered wood averaging around 12mm whereas engineered wood tends to be thicker like hardwoods.

Engineered wood may even rival solid hardwood for prestige though knowledgeable home buyers will recognize that it does not have the longevity that solid hardwood does. Laminate is far easier to maintain than engineered wood flooring. The reason people tend to choose engineered hardwood over natural hardwood is garner greater moisture and heat resistance because of the core material. Generally speaking engineered hardwood offers greater resale value to a home than does laminate flooring.

On the whole a good laminate floor will be more durable than its engineered wood counterpart. Engineered hardwood is easy to clean but the material also has more holes and grains that can collect dirt while laminate is smooth and easy to wipe clean. For many folks that ends the laminate vs. Another difference between a laminate and an engineered hardwood plank is that an engineered hardwood does not contain an image but rather an actual thin slice of wood on top that shows the species of the wood being represented on the engineered wood.

Cheaper versions have 1 4 inch cores and the photo reproductions may not be as realistic as more expensive versions. See how each type of flooring is made here laminate and engineered hardwoods. Engineered and laminate flooring is typically much thinner than solid hardwood. Engineered hardwood has the natural characteristics of the selected wood species as opposed to a photographic layer which is what you get with laminate.

Laminates tend to be more scratch and impact resistant remember that engineered wood durability will depend on the hardness of the species of the wood wear layer so maple is more dent resistant than pine and the number of protective finishes. 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.