Comparing laminate vs wood flooring is a common exercise in the consideration of a new floor.
Real wood flooring vs laminate.
To start with laminate floors are generally cheaper while achieving a look similar to wood.
Luxury vinyl if you re seeking an alternative to hardwood but laminate doesn t sound like the material for you consider engineered wood or luxury vinyl.
Laminate flooring while it has become better at mimicking wood and other materials will always come up short as a replica of wood.
Laminate floor planks often have synchronized embossing that matches the image layer that further mimics a natural hardwood look and can also have the look and feel of a hand scraped hardwood embossed wood distressed hardwood or come in textured or smooth.
But top quality laminates now have a richer deeper embossing of simulated wood grain textures giving the flooring a much more realistic feel.
They re also durable and install pretty easily compared to other floor types.
Hardwood flooring 3 4 inch thick boards of solid.
Realistic wood and stone looks.
The main difference between hardwood flooring and laminate flooring is that hardwood flooring is made from real wood and laminate flooring has a picture of wood on the surface.
Real wood floors are significantly more expensive than their laminated counterparts.
Both resemble true hardwood but each comes with its own benefits and disadvantages.
Prices for real wood floors can range from 15 70 per square metre.
Looks like real wood.
What makes this a hard decision.
Unlike engineered hardwood which has a thin veneer of actual wood over the base layer laminate flooring has a photo realistic image layer over its base.
Not only is the rustic.
There are varying levels of cost the cheaper laminate looks a little less like wood and more like cheaper flooring.
And we mean photo realistic.
Here are some of the benefits of installing laminate wood flooring.
They are two very different floor coverings.
Solid hardwood flooring is often regarded as the real deal with laminate flooring occupying the next rung down as an inexpensive way to simulate the look of real hardwood flooring.