Studying Laminate Flooring And Engineered Wood Flooring
Posted: Friday, January 08, 2010
by Anthony Davis
Though both products have the term "wood flooring" in their name, the similarities end there. Unfortunately, this doesn't keep people from confusing the two of them. Let's examine laminate flooring as well as engineered wood flooring, including the differences and similarities, so that you can decide which one will be the best for your situation. When shopping, be extra careful, as many folks tend to call both products by the same name, be it laminate floor or engineered floor.
Laminate flooring isn't made out of solid wood at all. Instead, it's basically a really high definition photo of wood covered in resin to protect it, generally sitting on top of a wood-chip composite. That composite is actually the only real wood that's involved in laminate flooring at all, even though it may look totally realistic to many. Lots of people that are not accustomed to laminate have to actually get down on the floor to be able to tell if it is engineered wood flooring, or a laminated flooring.
Defining Engineered Wood Flooring
Engineered wood flooring is actually wood, of a sort. It is definitely not to be confused with what is traditionally referred to as hard wood flooring. The top layer of engineered wood flooring is real wood. However, this top layer is very thin, and therefore cannot be sanded like a hard wood floor. Unfortunately, this means that deep scratches and scuffs often require replacement of planks, making engineered wood flooring a bit more fragile than true hardwood flooring.
When Is A Laminate Floor Better Than An Engineered Wood Floor?
Since there's not any real, solid wood used, laminated floors are always a lot cheaper than either engineered or hard wood floors. If you're considering engineered, though, you should take high traffic areas into consideration as most engineered wood floors don't stand up to it very well. There are some engineered wood floors which are specifically designed to handle high traffic, but they are quite a bit more expensive, and may not be within your grasp, even if you'd save money in the end. If you want to avoid scratches and scuffs, but still go cheap, then a laminated floor is your only real choice. Engineered flooring can be a real headache for those with pets or kids. Laminate flooring installation is among the easiest of all flooring, and maintenance is exceptionally simple as well.
Engineered Floors Are Better For Others
Engineered wood floors definitely feel more solid than the typical laminated floor. Some people dislike the sound, which is a bit hollow, that comes from a laminate floor. As opposed to laminate wood floors, an engineered wood floor can actually be sanded, though only one or two times. Because of this, some deeper scratches that cannot be fixed can instead be sanded, but only if they are not too deep. In situation where engineered wood floors are optimal, they'll last long, and also look new longer than your typical laminate floor.
Visit Laminate Floor Facts for more information about laminated flooring.
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