It’s fair to say that carpets are no longer the most popular choice of flooring in the home and there are more and more people who are opting for wood or wood-look flooring inside their properties. When choosing which flooring to put into your home, the choice generally comes down to using either wood flooring, or laminate flooring, but which is best?
In order to help you decide, let’s take a look at the pros and cons of both laminate and wood flooring, and how you can use each one to give your home the best possible look.
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Wood Flooring
I’ll kick things off by looking at the pros and cons of real wood flooring:
Pros
Durability – The longevity and durability of real wood flooring is one of its biggest benefits. As long as the flooring is well maintained, it can sustain heavy usage for many years.
Repairing – Whilst hardwood is durable, the wood can be susceptible to scratches or chips, thankfully, the wood can be easily repaired through sanding over damage and refinishing, something which cannot be done with laminate.
Maintenance – Hardwood flooring fits together very snugly which leaves no space for crumbs or dust to gather. Cleaning and maintaining the flooring is easily done and requires nothing more than a broom and a soft wipe to make it look great.
Add Value – Hardwood flooring not only looks stylish and classy, it also adds great value to the home. Buyers are much more likely to shell out more for a home with wood flooring throughout.
Cons
Price – The price of hardwood flooring, especially when compared with laminate is quite high and it will set you back a sizeable amount to floor your entire home in this material.
Damage – As aforementioned, the wood flooring, despite its durability, can be damaged with scratches.
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Laminate Flooring
If you have been considering laminate flooring, here are the pros and cons of this kind of flooring choice.
Pros
Price – Laminate flooring can be bought at considerably lower prices than real wood flooring, perfect if you are looking at doing out the entire property.
Durability – Whilst wood flooring wins in terms of longevity, it is laminate that puts up a better fight against damage and wear. The pressed wood which is used in laminate flooring means that it is more difficult to scratch and it is more moisture resistant.
Installation – If you are installing the flooring yourself, you will find laminate to be far easier to work with.
Styles – Laminate flooring is highly versatile when it comes to design and you can replicate just about colour or material with this flooring. Laminate flooring is also free from defects which mean that the finish will be clean and consistent.
Cons
Stability – Whilst this flooring is easy to install, the click and lock function of the flooring is never as stable as real wood flooring and over time, pieces may come away.
Seeping Water – One must be careful when cleaning laminate as water can pool beneath the flooring and cause swelling.
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Repair – The only option with damaged laminate is to replace it rather than repair it, not a problem if it is an end piece but if the damage is in the centre of the floor, you’ll need to take it all up.
Which is Best?
Both of these types of flooring can be combined to give your home a great look and there are some rooms in the home, where each type of flooring can be beneficial.
Wood
Wood flooring is perfect for the entrance to you home, the stairs, large and busy rooms such as the lounge and in the kitchen. In terms of the bedrooms, these will always look best with wood flooring and practically, they offer great levels of insulation and temperature control.
Laminate
Whilst it may not look as classy as real wood flooring, laminate flooring most definitely still has its uses. Thanks to its ability to resist moisture, laminate flooring works great in bathrooms, small toilets and rooms which are exposed to humidity such as a utility room.
Which type of flooring do you think works best for you?