Hardwood Flooring VS Laminate Flooring - Pros and Cons

When constructing a new house or renovating an old one, your floor is one of the main attractive features that enhances its beauty.

Choosing the best flooring for your house can become a frustrating affair when you consider the options that are available in the market. Among these, there is laminate, vinyl, bamboo, timber, tile and more. There are certain aspects for which we can juxtapose laminate and hardwood flooring.

Laminate Flooring

Laminate flooring is becoming quite popular nowadays. Laminate is durable, affordable and attractive. Laminate wood floors can look exactly like real wood but can cost much less. However, as with everything else, laminate flooring has its own pros and cons. Let us look at both.

Pros

1. Laminate flooring is more affordable than hardwood flooring. With laminate, you can give your floor a look of having hardwood at a fraction of the price.

2. It resists scratches, dents, and stains

3. It can be cleaned easily with a dust mop or a damp cloth.

4. Laminate flooring does not usually have the defects that you can occasionally find in hardwood.

Cons

1. Though more affordable, it does not match the natural beauty of hardwood or the elegance of ceramic tile.

2. Laminate flooring is susceptible to warping or staining from standing water.

3. It may need replacing much sooner than other types of flooring.

Hardwood Flooring

Hardwood floors enhance the beauty of any place and give it an uplifting look. One may think that with hardwood floors their choice of appearance is quite limited but that is not the case. Hardwood, too, comes in various designs and colors which can be chosen to one’s preference.

Pros

1. Maintenance effort to keep hardwood floors intact is low.

2. It is one of the long-lasting flooring options.

3. Hardwood installation keeps air quality inside homes better.

Cons

1. Wood shrinks and expands so hardwood floors usually lack underfloor heating .

2. Shrinking and expansion are causative of an eerie sound when step on wood floors.