All I Want for Christmas is Laminate … or Hardwood Floors?

Should you purchase hardwood floors or laminate flooring to enhance the natural beauty of your home?

While both can be a great option, here are a few things to take into consideration as you decide which is the better fit for your lifestyle and budget.
First let’s define the two options. Laminate flooring is created by pressing composite wood together at high temperatures and then imprinting a textured image designed to look like real wood. Laminate offers versatility in that it can capture the appearance of real wood or materials such as stone, concrete, metal or weathered wood.

Hardwood floors are all natural, offering unique grain and color patterns that are impossible to replicate. There are two types of hardwood flooring – solid and engineered. Engineered wood floors are three to nine plies glued and laminated together with domestic or exotic wood specie as the top finish veneer.
When it comes to durability, scratch resistance and ease of cleaning, laminate flooring wins the battle. However, there’s no getting around the fact that hardwood flooring is the real deal. It’s beautiful to look at and can add more value to your home.

Looking down the road, while hardwood flooring may be more susceptible to the wear and tear of pets and high foot traffic, it can be sanded down and refinished, so it can last a lifetime. Laminate flooring is harder to replace. It can be done in sections, but a new piece may not be an exact match.

Determine your budget. Laminate flooring is very durable, and its price and installation can have a softer impact on your wallet, costing as much as 50% less than hardwood. Hardwood, especially the more exotic the wood, can be pricier to purchase and install. However, the warmth of hardwood floors is unmistakable and can be well worth the value it adds to your home.

Need Help Installing Floors in Your Home? Ask the Experts at Factory Flooring

What type of underlayment should you use? How many inches thick? How do you install it? And how do you avoid damaging your floors in the process? 

When you work with Factory Flooring, you don’t have to worry about these questions. Our team of professional flooring installers will handle all the heavy lifting for you — literally. All you have to do is relax and enjoy the savings on your energy bill. 

Need to get more flooring ideas first? Our design blog has dozens of articles to help you get started. Whenever you’re ready to tackle your insulation project, we’ll be here to help. Contact us online to get started, or call Factory Flooring at 469-583-7053 .