Laminate Flooring Versus Engineered Wood Flooring

Laminate flooring and engineered wood flooring are two obvious options if you want the look of wood flooring in your home. Both claddings were developed in recent decades as economical and often more durable versions of this home base centuries ago: solid wood floors. However, how do the two compare and contrast, and which is the best choice for your home?

Compare and Contrast: Laminate Flooring vs. engineered wood

Comparison

In almost every respect, laminate flooring and engineered wood flooring have little basis for comparison. Laminate flooring compares more to luxury vinyl plank as do-it-yourself flooring at a lower cost.

The closest companion of engineered wood flooring is the solid wood floor. Both laminated wood and engineered wood compare in that neither of them qualifies as natural wood in the sense of being 100% ground wood as solid wood flooring.

Contrast

Laminate and engineered wood floors contrast with a number of factors. Only laminate flooring is a DIY floor, as the planks fit together without nails or staples and, in most cases, even without glue.

Although some engineered floating flooring is produced, most versions must be stapled just like solid wood flooring.

The top layer of laminate flooring looks just like wood; the engineered wood flooring is truly wood. One is a wooden image; the other, wood veneer.

The laminate core is a type of wood fiber board that swells on contact with water and is unable to regain its original dimensions. The engineered wood floor core is dimensionally stable high quality plywood.

Laminate flooring

Laminate flooring is an image of high quality wood fused to a core of fiberglass panels and covered with a highly durable transparent wear layer.

The resale value of laminate tends to be moderate. But laminate is hardly left behind. Laminate flooring manufacturers have responded to competition with engineered wood and have stepped up their game with newer iterations, which not only look more like wood, but also feel more.

The richer, deeper engraving of wood grain textures modeled on real wood gives the high-quality laminate flooring a realistic feel.  Also the thicker 12mm premium laminates convinced many buyers to try the product in high- end homes .

Read also: Hardwood Flooring vs Laminate Flooring: Which to Choose ?

Engineered wooden floor

Engineered wood flooring is more closely aligned with  solid wood than veneer because it incorporates a thin layer of natural wood over a high-quality plywood base. As the plywood layers are perpendicular to each other, plywood is more dimensionally stable than solid wood.

The higher price of engineered wood flooring is also similar to solid wood. However, the advantage of this high price is that its resale value is proportionately high.

Its perceived value, as well as its monetary value, has only gained in recent decades as more builders, designers and homeowners have adopted engineered hardwood floors.

Which floor is best for you?

You may want to purchase laminate flooring or engineered wood flooring based on any or all of these conditions. None of these conditions are absolute and you may find that several conditions override your situation.

Laminate flooring

• Controlling costs is important
• Do you want to self-install the floor
• The perfect likelihood of wood appearance is not important
• You anticipate coating in a few years
• You need to keep overall height lower
• Installation speed is important

Engineered wooden floor

• Do you want exact wood-looking floors
• Do you have a moderate to high budget
• You anticipate being in your home for many years
• Or you want to resell the house and want the maximum resale value
• You need to match the existing hardwood floor