Wood flooring has a timeless appeal thanks to the variety of colours and finishes available to bring out the character of your home and enhance a room’s aesthetic. Solid or engineered hardwood flooring and laminate flooring are the two most popular ways to achieve this classic look, but which is right for your home? There are a few factors to consider when making your decision:
Look
When decorating your home, you want the finished project to look its best, and ultimately which of the two options looks better is a personal opinion.
Real wood flooring, whether it’s solid or engineered, has the natural features of wood so will have characteristic knots and rings, offering an unmistakable elegant look, especially when seen up-close. The grooves in the boards offer rich colour and deep texture as the light moves throughout the day.
Laminate flooring, by contrast, isn’t made of wood; it’s printed with a wood pattern. This means that it has a smooth finish rather than the natural texture of real wood, although some laminate patterns include knots and texture for a more authentic look.
Durability and maintenance
Solid wood flooring is loved for its ability to practically last forever with the right care, so makes an excellent investment in a period property or forever home, but keeping it looking pristine does require a degree of effort. Regular cleaning with products designed for your floor type is an important part of the maintenance schedule, as is applying a new coat of finish every three to five years to renew the colour and shine of the boards. Solid hardwood floors will need to be sanded and refinished, although this is usually a once-a-decade event.
Engineered wood flooring only has a top layer of solid wood, known as the wear layer, which doesn’t require as much maintenance as solid wood flooring. This type of flooring can be refreshed, but that’s usually only necessary if there is noticeable widespread damage or if you want to change the colour of the wood.
Getting the look of wood flooring with minimal maintenance is the primary selling point of laminate flooring. Its melamine surface makes it scratch-resistant, but of course not scratch-proof, and laminate flooring won’t fade. As long as you are careful, laminate flooring should stand up to daily life with very little maintenance, although it doesn’t offer the same longevity as solid wood options.
Cost
Overall, laminate flooring tends to cost less than solid and engineered hardwood. If you are undertaking a big project or purchasing new flooring for a large space, high-quality laminates can offer a good balance between mimicking the look of the real deal and a more accessible price.
Engineered and solid hardwood flooring come in at a higher price point, for which you get the lasting quality and natural finish of real wood. These types of flooring are widely considered an investment as they are less susceptible to wear than laminate and, especially in the case of solid hardwood flooring, can be repaired and refinished indefinitely.
Where it can go
It’s probably clear by now that solid wood flooring has quite a few requirements to perform at its best, and where in your home it works best is another one to consider. Because wood is a natural material, it expands and contracts as temperature and moisture levels change. This means that rooms where these aren’t consistent, like kitchens and bathrooms, aren’t a good fit because the floor is at risk of warping and cracking. Solid wood flooring instead makes a perfect choice for rooms where environmental factors are more stable, like living rooms or bedrooms.
Engineered wood flooring combats some of these issues because only the top layer is made from real wood, so the expansion gap that is left during installation will be sufficient for the floor to cope with atmospheric changes without getting damaged. However, you do still need to be wary of water and clean up any spills and splashes straight away. Anything greasy or acidic (like tomatoes) can cause staining that is at best tricky, and at worst impossible, to remove.
Laminate flooring is suitable for any room; just make sure to choose one of the many new waterproof generation products. The absence of grooves on its surface also makes laminate flooring a hygienic choice in rooms like kitchens and bathrooms where harmful bacteria are more common.
Award-winning flooring from First Floors
Looking for flooring companies in Glasgow? At First Floors, we’ve been supplying and fitting wood, laminate, carpet, and luxury vinyl flooring to homes across Scotland since 1994. Visit our award-winning Giffnock showroom or get in touch to experience our full product range, find out more about our price match guarantee and free home consultations, and choose the new flooring that will bring your home to life.