Laminate Flooring Vs Engineered Flooring

This is a common question: which is best engineered flooring or laminate flooring. No, I am not going to say… Well we have put them to the test in the head to head wood war to end all wood wars, who knows maybe that will be a feature down the line.

This time it is going to be based purely on theory. The immediate answer to the question is that both of them are equally perfect in their own way and for their own use:

Both are very inexpensive. both are highly durable, and both give the effect of a solid hardwood floor for a fraction of the price. That is where the similarities end.

What laminate flooring is:

Laminate flooring is basically a photograph of a hardwood plank, laminated and stuck onto composite wood material, yes, underneath it is real wood.

The benefits of laminate flooring are:

The price: laminate flooring starts from as little as £11.52 per square meter.

The Durability: whilst a real hardwood floor is vulnerable to damage from things like high heels etc, laminated flooring has a much harder surface, and scratches do not ruin the effect either – within reason.

The Range: laminate flooring can be a picture of anything. This means that you can have a marble-like palatial floor, on the budget of a palatial servant.

Easy to Install: laminate flooring comes in tongue and groove, snap=together and glue together, all can be laid very easily and quickly, because laminate is a floating floor, meaning it does not need to be nailed down.

The downsides of laminate flooring are:

It is not real wood. A fake wood floor, even if it replicates gorgeous £5000  Tuscany wood flooring is still a fake wood floor.

Non-Repairable: Laminate flooring cannot be sanded down and refinished. Thus laminate flooring is unlikely to be a floor for life.

What engineered flooring is:

Engineered flooring is a hardwood plank, laid on top of ply-boards. The hardwood plank comes at a barying

The benefits of engineered flooring are:

The Price: enginered flooring is priced from about £30 per square eter, which is slightly more expensive than laminate, but still a lot less expensive than solid hardwood flooring.

The Durability: Engineered flooring is practically a hardwood floor. It can be resanded and refinished a varying number of times (depends on thickness of wood layer) to prolong the life. It can also be waxed or lacquered to protect it from damage, which also prolongs the life. The life can also be prolonged by caring properly for the floor, which is the same way as one would care for a solid hardwood floor.

In fact engineered flooring is even more durable the solid wood in a certain set of circumstances: in areas of high humidity and frequent changes between hot and cold temperatures, engineered flooring is much more pliable, so it can expand and contract with changes in the air, without being ruined.

Looks Like Real Thing: as you have probably gathered by now, engineered flooring is about as close as you can get to a solid wood flooring on a lower budget. in fact, to the untrained eye it is practically impossible to tell that it is not the real deal.

So, which wins the Laminate Flooring Vs Engineered flooring battle?

As I said at the beginning, both are perfect in their own ways for people with different circumstances:

For people who have dogs, are on a really limited budget and/or do not own/plan to live in the house forever, then laminate is going to be their best option.

Meanwhile for someone who has their heart set on a proper hardwood floor, but can’t afford it, and who doesn’t have dogs, then engineered flooring is the perfect package for you.