Laminate flooring is a fully man made material that consists of several layers.
Manufactured hardwood vs laminate.
The boards usually 3 4 inch thick are generally milled with a smooth top surface and tongue and groove edges that interlock to hold the boards together.
The base is fiberboard with a photographic image layer bonded over the top.
Laminate engineered wood solid hardwood and vinyl.
Normally manufactured hardwood flooring will have a longer lifespan than laminate.
Solid hardwood flooring as the name suggests is comprised of flooring boards that are solid hardwood material through and through.
Made of synthetic layers bonded together through a lamination process.
The same cannot be said for laminate.
If you re set on having a real hardwood look an engineered hardwood is an easier installation and more affordable price point than a solid hardwood.
The motivation for creating manufactured flooring arose from the rising cost and dwindling availability of hardwood supplies particularly exotic species.
Which one will you go with.
This is because once the finish is worn through on the laminate floorboard you cannot refinish it.
Engineered hardwood is manufactured from several layers of solid wood or plywood material also mostly organic.
Appearance of laminate flooring vs engineered hardwood engineered hardwood floors give the look of a hardwood floor and come in a range of looks textures styles and colors.
Engineered wood flooring.
Then a transparent wear layer is applied to protect the surface.
More rigid than luxury vinyl aka non resilient.
Solid hardwood floors are 100 organic as solid flooring planks are produced from single pieces of wood.
While solid hardwood floors are ideal for the diehard wood lovers engineered hardwood is a greener option and laminate is a cheaper one.
Engineered and laminate flooring.
If you are having trouble deciding be sure to read our laminate flooring project guide or any of our flooring cost estimators.