Hardwood vs. Laminate Flooring: The Pros and Cons
In today’s market hardwood flooring has become one of the most sought after amenities in a home. Wood brings a beautiful, natural appearance, warmth, and timeless look to any home. There are two ways to go about obtaining the desirable look of hardwood floors. The first way is to actually buy natural hardwood. The second option is to use laminate to imitate the look of hardwood. Today Majic is weighing in with the pros and cons of each option to help you arrive at the best decision for your home. Both options have been evaluated based off of three key aspects.
Price
This is without a doubt one of the most important aspects for any homeowner. In this arena laminate beats hardwood by a long shot. Laminate wood flooring is made from composite wood pressed together at high temperatures. The photographed image of hardwood is then covered over the composite wood to form a laminate. On the other hand, hardwood flooring is made from harvested trees which are often times exotic and expensive. For these reasons, laminate wood is substantially cheaper than hardwood. On average, laminate wood installation costs are 50% less than hardwood installation costs. However, the costs of hardwood flooring can be slightly offset by the resale value. Hardwood floors can add considerable value to your home.
Aesthetics
When it comes to looks you just can’t beat the real deal. Hardwood floors are absolutely gorgeous to look at. Laminate simply isn’t as visually appealing and lower qualities of laminate may sport a very obvious artificial looking wood grain texture.
Durability
This is another key area where laminate triumphs over hardwood. Since laminate is comprised of pressed wood it is far more durable and resistant to scratches, moisture, and general wear and tear. Moreover, laminate flooring is also easier to clean.
Repair
Hardwood wins when it comes to repairs. Hardwood can be repaired simply by sanding and refinishing out perfections which allows your floors to last for years into the future. Laminate is not so easy to fix. If you bought flooring that came in individual pieces then you can replace certain pieces, but even then depending on the sunlight and age of your existing flooring, your new pieces might not match your old ones.
Both types of flooring have their strengths and weaknesses. The decision of which flooring option to go with rests upon which of the above aspect are the most important to you. If you care about price more than anything laminate is your best option, but if looks are more important than price the obvious choose is hardwood. No matter which type of flooring you decide on Majic Window carries them both and we can install your floors for you. Visit our laminate and hardwood flooring pages to learn more.
