Wood laminate flooring is a popular alternative to traditional wood floors, and it even has advantages over engineered wood floors. We’ll cover the pros and cons of each type of wood floor on the market. We’ll also share a few tips for determining which type of wood floors is right for your particular situation.
Traditional Wood Floors
Traditional wood floors are the traditional choice. They cut long pieces of hardwood that are laid down in parallel planks on the floor. These floors may last a hundred years or more if properly cared for, though they can be ruined by a single flood.
Pros of Traditional Wood Floors
- Traditional wood floors can last centuries if they’re well taken care of.
- Traditional wood floors are easily cleaned. They only need to be swept periodically.
- They don’t harbor pollen or pet dander. That makes them ideal for allergy sufferers.
Cons of Traditional Wood Floors
- These floors cannot get wet. You have to clean up spills immediately to avoid swelling and warping as well as mold growth.
- They can get scratched up, while sanding and re-staining are time-consuming.
- From termites to wood ants, there are many threats to your wood floors. Sunlight will cause it to fade, too.
Engineered Wood Floors
Engineered wood floors have layers of both plywood and hardwood. This means you can get the look of hardwood floors for a lower cost than traditional wood floors. They’re often much more stable and stronger than hardwood slats.
The Pros of Engineered Hardwood Floors:
- Engineered wood floors are more dimensionally stable than traditional wood floors; it is less likely to swell than wood. The reinforced design means it is less likely to warp, yet it can be fit in and around uneven floors.
- Since engineered wood floors are made in a factory, it is often stained or finished before you get it. There are many different types of finishes available so it will be worth researching which is best for you. In these cases, you can walk on the floor as soon as it is installed and there’s no other processing required. In contrast, an oak plank floor may be off-limits for several days after its installation so the stain can dry.
The Cons of Engineered Hardwood Floors:
- Engineered hardwood floors cost more than laminate wood floors. Installation of these floors is more complex than laying down standard wood slats, raising the installation costs while taking longer.
- Engineered wood floors have a layer of hardwood on the top. This means it can be stained, but it may only be able to be sanded and stained one more time before you expose the engineered core.
Laminate Wood Floors
Laminate wood flooring simulates wood floors. It may consist of clear plastic with a photographic recreation of wood inside of it. That lies down like vinyl laminate floors while resembling wood floors, as long as you don’t look too closely. Laminate wood floors may have a thin layer of wood or vinyl colored and cut to resemble wood, too.
The Pros of Laminate Wood Floors:
- This is the cheapest wood floor product on the market. It is both the cheapest to buy and the cheapest to install since it can go down as quickly as vinyl flooring.
- Laminate wood floors typically have the same resistance to water as vinyl plastic floors. This makes it the ideal choice for bathrooms and kitchens. You can even have them treated so that they minimize static and slips and falls.
- Laminate flooring by Balterio is so thick that it has the same visible effect as traditional wood. Yet it goes down as easily as vinyl. Note that you can get laminate wood in any color you want. The laminate wood could look like stained oak or faded oak, and it comes that way from the factory.
- Laminate wood floors won’t fade like traditional or engineered wood floors.
The Cons of Laminate Wood Floors:
- Cheap laminate wood floors are obviously fake. They’re also more prone to being ripped up like linoleum when someone slides a heavy table a few inches. The solution is to go with high-quality laminate flooring.
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