While solid hardwood floors are ideal for the diehard wood lovers engineered hardwood is a greener option and laminate is a cheaper one.
What is engineered wood vs laminate.
Solid wood flooring vs.
Appearance of laminate flooring vs engineered hardwood engineered hardwood floors give the look of a hardwood floor and come in a range of looks textures styles and colors.
Related content flooring trends.
The base is fiberboard with a photographic image layer bonded over the top.
It is always nailed down to the subfloor a process that requires some skill.
Solid wood flooring comes in long planks usually made of a hardwood species.
Laminate flooring is a fully man made material that consists of several layers.
In this engineered hardwood vs.
Laminate is also much thinner than engineered wood averaging around 12mm whereas engineered wood tends to be thicker like hardwoods.
This is because the top layer is actual real hardwood.
Keep reading to determine which wood look floor is the best choice for you.
Which one will you go with.
A less expensive option than engineered planks laminate flooring simulates wood with a photographic image of wood sealed on top of dense fiberboard.
If you re set on having a real hardwood look an engineered hardwood is an easier installation and more affordable price point than a solid hardwood.
It is milled with tongues and grooves on opposite edges so that the boards interlock when installed.
Engineered hardwood flooring has a similar construction as laminate except the top decorative layer is a thick veneer of real wood protected by a coating of clear acrylic.
Laminate flooring showdown we ll lay out all the pros cons and major differences that should know.
Engineered wood flooring.
Engineered wood contains a slice of natural wood on top while laminate uses a photographic layer that is coated with a protective layer.
If you are having trouble deciding be sure to read our laminate flooring project guide or any of our flooring cost estimators.
You can obtain beautiful exotic wood species at a much lower price when compared to solid hardwood because engineered wood only uses a thin veneer layer.
Laminate comes in a variety of wood patterns.
Engineered wood flooring.