The decision of investing in the new floor forces many home owners to make a hard choice between the hardwood and the laminate flooring. In the beginning, the difference between these two types of flooring is hard to understand and owners feel a bit daunting to make a wise decision. For helping owners choose between the hardwood and laminate, let us put together a nice guide for you to choose the desirable floor options according to appearance, cost and ease of use.
The Fundamental Considerations
The main difference between hardwood and laminate flooring is that laminate is a multilayer floor item that is manufactured from the melamine resin and fiber board material. The top layer has an imprinted textured image made to look like real wood.
While on the other hand, the hardwood product is an engineered product comprising of myriad of plywood layers. These planks of wood are created from the single pieces of wood and can be purchased unfinished or prefinished. The fact is that some pieces of manufactured laminate wood look like the real wood. But don’t be confused between the two types of wood because let us explain some major differences to you than you have ever observed.
Aesthetics and Appearance
The difference between the hardwood flooring and laminate floor options is that they differ in aesthetics. It is obviously clear that wood grain is used valiantly in the real wood to give its smooth characteristics. That is the reason the hardwood flooring whether solid or engineered appear exactly the same sometimes to the human eye. The same patterns are repeated on average five boards for the similar reason.
The Durability of Floor Depends on the Following
The durability of the floor or any type of wood flooring mainly depends on the type of traffic the floor can bare and how much traffic flows through the floor. Therefore the homeowners are recommended to take care of wooden floors as soon as they install it to avoid any loss of durability. The most surfaces of the laminate floors are damaged by the water or damaging activities like crazy pets. The finished products often come with a myriad of warranties offered by manufacturers but the hardwood floor durability is highly dependent on its use and manufacture.
The practices of manufacturers and maintenance also differ in hardwood flooring as well as laminate flooring. There is a need to replace planks and the entire floor when the floor is damaged. The hardwood floor is also finished with oil and has minor surface dents and scratches.
The moisture factor is also a big contributor to the quality and reliability of floors. Wood is an organic material which responds to the moisture, therefore it is recommended to install the solid hardwood floors in the interiors of house where the where the humidity level is 65% or more. Moreover, laminate floors are best suitable for the kitchen needs which are to be installed in the basements as well as bathrooms to suit the needs of wet places.