Between engineered wood and well-finished laminate, there are hardly any differences you will find in bare eyes. Laminate manufacturers are trying to get closer to the look of natural wood surfaces with new decors. But in terms of their structure and actual materiality, the two floor coverings differ greatly from each other. Laminate can’t match the beauty and quality of solid wood or engineered wood. Incidentally, so-called prefinished engineered wood is also a wood product. It consists of a solid wood surface and a carrier layer of wood-based material.
Laminate, on the other hand, is a wooden-look floor. It simply imitates the look of the real wood. A thin decorative layer is glued to a support plate, which can be printed in every conceivable texture pattern and can look like oak, teak, or other types of wood. You can choose any color of the wood you prefer for the laminate floor.
Laminate flooring vs engineered hardwood flooring:
The biggest advantage of laminate is, of course, the price. You can often get the wood look on the floor for only a few bucks per square meter. When people opt for laminate, it’s often because they do not know whether the engineered wood investment is worthwhile in the current housing situation. Another reason for choosing laminate is the quick installation. If you have limited time for completing floor installation, you can choose a laminate without any hesitation.
For laminates, which come pretty close to real wood flooring, the price also increases. As a carpenter, of course, I am an advocate of real wood. And yet, I have to admit, some decors you have to look very carefully to see the difference – and to feel. Laminates with grains that are not constantly repeating but are therefore less expensive than engineered wood floor.
In addition, engineered wood is several times harder and stronger than laminate. Even if you occasionally scratch the floor with the chair or even drop a hammer on it, quirks rarely arise in the floor. Therefore, laminate is usually moved to rental apartments.
Also, moisture differences and temperature fluctuations made laminate flooring little. Since laminate is only a pressed wood material, it is mainly subject only to temperature fluctuations. In contrast to wood, elongation and shrinkage do not occur.
So, you can choose any material for installing the floor. But you have to keep in mind the weather condition, moisture, price, installation time, cost, repair, resell value, and other so many options while installing a floor with a particular element.
