Wood vs laminate flooring

[Scott K]

I was looking to replace some flooring in my house, and I wanted some of it to be either real wood, or a laminate floor, which would you choose and why?

I am thinking of going with laminate, due to the durability, and cost, compared to wood, but I also like the look of the real wood better.

[JeffB]

I wouldn't be afraid of real wood if thats what you like. Look how many 100 year old houses have the carpet torn out just to have people refinish the wood. We have an oak staircase and landing that three kids have tried there best to wreck sending cars and trucks down them, but the stairs still look perfect. I still yell at them when I hear something big going down the stairs, but don't panic like I used to. Think about how many 100 year old housed still have their original floors. That being said I used laminate at the lake because it was much cheaper and I felt comfortable putting it in myself.

[Scott K]

I guess I should include the location of where I want to install it, it would be in the entryway from the garage, and to a back patio, so it will be an area that will get wet and dirt from shoes.

[soldoncass]

In those types of places, I don't consider either one a good choice. Ceramic would be best IMO.

[BoxMN]

My two cents - I like the laminate and put it through most of the place we built. Cost is good and it looks good. Went with a mid-high end/cost laminate. But at our mud room, I did vinyl that looks like ceramic tiles, incredibly like it actually.

I have laminate in our old cabin, and you can see how the moisture sort of lifted the edges od the laminate, and right at where I had a dog water bowl, and right by the door. So I would not put it where you are thinking. The vinyl is easier on the feet than tile, and cleans easy, so I like it for that area.

Good luck.

[croixflats]

In those types of places, I don't consider either one a good choice. Ceramic would be best IMO.

Good call. I agree.

If you still would like a wood appearance, still a good choice, one factor might help with the decision between wood and laminate. I am not sure but lamanite comes thinner than wood so there would be less of a transition to surrounding floors. Just a thought I would throw out there.

[DonBo]

We put real wood in our house a while back. I wanted vinyl because of the cost...of coarse the wife won that debate. Gotta say though it looks really nice and I'm not unhappy with the decision. My sister put in the laminate at the same time and though she's happy with it, to me it looks like just what it is, fake wood.

[crothmeier]

i just did my kitchen and dining room with laminte. if i had the money and time i would have done real wood. I was pressed for time (had 4 days to finish before moving in) so i did laminate and it has held up nicely, and was super easy to install.

[Scott M]

I did laminate in the kitchen to cover some nasty, i know it was the 70's but what were they thinking with this color vinyl flooring. I also have some some wood I found under the carpets. Both look great. Good love the cost and ease of installation on the laminate, but if you got the money, go for the real thing.

[Scott K]

I know for the place I am putting it, neither is ideal, but those were the two my wife, and I decided on. We (she) like's the wood look in the room we are redoing. I think, because of cost, it will end up being laminate, but I was looking for others opinions, other then mine.

[Stratosman]

If it had to be one or the other. I would pick wood hands down, looks much more classy and like someone else stated, laminate looks like laminate. Real wood has non repeating patters, laminate has repeating patterns that can be very noticeable depending of style, color, installation, ect. Wood can be buffed and recoated or sanded and refinished. Real wood if done right will last a lifetime. For a few bucks more a square foot get a quality wood, (not lumber liquidators either).

Now if it were me a quality porclain tile would be my choice 10 out of 10 times. If installed correctly will also last a lifetime and will not be damaged by sand, water, or anything else that gets dragged in the house entry. Can't remember if you mentioned if you were installing yourself or not, but as far as homeowner ease in installing and tools needed, laminate is easiest and tile is hardest.

[Coach1310]

For the areas you mentioned, I wouldn't go with wood or laminate, but it it works for you go for it.

If you really like the look of wood, they do make some vinyl that looks like wood.... it can take a beating and cleans up really well....

Then again.... you did mention "wife" so what you or the rest of us think.... might not really matter

[traveler]

One thing I'll throw in...for the potentially wet areas you mention, laminate is slippery, and doesn't hold up well to wet conditions (baths, etc...) Maybe your areas won't get too wet...?

[muskyhunter57]

The Wood and Laminate industry has exploded over the few years. You have lots of choices. Water sitting on either will damage both over time. Myself wood wins. I like the look, feel, sound of wood. In these areas that you describe somone mentioned tile. Beautiful floors but lots of prep to install Mudset or Durock, Thinset, Grout...what a pain. There is a family of products that goes over existing subfloors, looks great, durable. Dura Ceramic...that is one product in a whole group. No fancy tools. You can cut with a utility knife. Cleans up well, handles water, durable. No height issues. Great product for a do-it-yourselfer.

[Surface Tension]

Wood, vinyl, and a lam will be very slippery. Rugs will help that but if your entry way is like mine the rugs aren't always where they belong. Doors swing in so you have to step forward enough to clear the door.

I'd go with tile myself. Something with a surface that won't send you for a fall when you have snow on your boots.

If it has to be wood or a lam, considering the location I'd go lam since your going to be tearing it all out after it gets ruined.

What size areas are we talking?

Large, then go with tile at entry ways and wood to fill the rest of the field.

[Farmboy1]

I have laminate floors in my house. I hate them. Every seam is visible in the sun and this drives me crazy. It seems to have held up well with the kids and dog running over it, and does not show scratches like I was worried about.

I am installing wood floors in my cabin. Wood is timeless, and can be refinished numerous times. I am not a big fan of the prefinished wood floors for the same reasons as above. I want the floor to be seamless, and the prefinishes do no do this.

My recomendation, ask your wife what she wants and then agree A happy wife is a happy life.

[T&KK]

Here's my .02 and have plenty of experience with all three

Laminate: if you go with this option, don't go cheap. really not worth it. If you are considering wood then cost shouldn't be a factor. If you don't get the boards installed well, the seams will be visible and will also have a better chance of retaining water in the fibers below the laminate. If you want temporary or 10 a 10 year floor, a floating hardwood laminate is very very easy to install and very cost efficient for the look you get. Just be sure you do it right since it is in the entry way and you live in an all seasons area.

Wood: looks best, you can put the finish and coloring on it that you want, and ensure that it is protected to the right level needed for that area. Now with that in mind, hard wood is not a traditional flooring for the entry way. There is just way to much going on there and you will see the beating fairly quickly. Installing is not hard but you will want a small compressor and a nail gun, way more efficient. Also don't be shy when learning how to install hard wood. Nothing will make you madder when it's all in and it starts making noises.

Ceramic: by far best option, doing it your self can prove to be a big headache if you haven't done it before. Ceramic can be done in your taste. make artistic pattern, put a mosaic or just break up some tiles and piece them together. Well worth the extra work for the unique (noone else has your floor) look! No one will ever have my kitchen floor because of what i did. Once again, MAKE SURE your underlament and cement board are very very secured. If not, you will get cracks in the grout which can lead to deteriation under the floor and the exact look that you don't want. Installing is time consuming and percise. Not terribly difficult, just way more steps and measuring and cutting than other options. ps, take advantage of a wet say for the detail cuts and a scribe for the straight cuts. a cheap wet saw for a small job will do the trick, a cheap scribe will not. Don't go cheap there. Plus have a drill powerfull enough to mix the mortar and grout. you will burn out your little every day drill before you get your fist batch mixed.

There are some great new products that mimic other textures that are great quality and easy to install that you may want to look into. go to a specialty flooring store for the best advice. No offense to Home depot and manards but they are just like me, a do it your selfer that has a broad knowledge of a lot of stuff. Go with the professional advice when it comes to your home.

Don't forget to take into consideration how much each product will raise your floor. if its just your entry way, it will effect your entry door, your trim transition into the next area, and stubbed toes if its really drastic!

Enjoy and I hope I helped.

[Scott K]

Thanks everyone for the info, I am having a pro do it, which ever way I go. The actual area that is in question is about 120 sq feet, so not a huge area, the rest of the surrounding area, will be getting new carpet.

I will ask the installer his opinion when he gets comes here.

[dougger222]

The rental house has original 1936 hard wood floors on the main and upper level and are in very nice condition. Prior to buying they must have been sanded and clear coated.

The current house has brazilan cherry floors and they look amazing. Whole first level and the hall ways on the upper. For someone who didn't like dark wood it would be too mcuh.

My wife watches a lot of the home shows and from time to time I'll sit through a few episodes. When the realtors look at wood they right away want to see if they are real because it adds considerable value to the house. Most buyers want real wood in both old and new homes.

[deerminator]

You could also look at engineered wood flooring. We went that route as you can't do solid hardwood over the heated floors we had installed. It looks just like real wood flooring except that its a "sandwich" of plywood underneath and finished hardwood on top. It's fairly easy to install and it supposedly handles light mositure better than real wood because it breathes better, or so I'm told. We have it near our rear entry door and just have a thick rug down to catch snow and moisture brought in from the kids and dog. Kahrs makes a nice engineered floor. Also, you get what you pay for in terms of thickness and quality when it comes to these floors. The top finished layer of our Kahrs flooring can be sanded and finished up to three or four times. That's not true with all such engineered wood flooring.

We also had porcelein tile installed instead of vinyl in many rooms. It was a little more but its durable and will last a lifetime unless we decide we don't like the colors anymore, which I doubt since we went neutral. The only downside is that the grout gets dirty after awhile but some oxyclean and a bucket of hot water gets that out quick enough with a scrub brush.

[fishinchicks]

We have laminate flooring in our dining room, and ceramic tile in our kitchen, mudroom, and entry. I would go with ceramic tile in an entry way.

Our laminate was about middle of the road quality wise when we installed it about 5 years ago, and it is showing wear more than we anticipated. Cleaning it is a pain in the neck since you cannot use the typical wet cleaning methods. No matter how careful you are, moisture will get into the seams.

If she is still stuck on wood, I would maybe bring up the care a floor like that takes over a ceramic floor.

[Scott K]

After talking to the installer, he said in the last 3 years laminated products have improved a lot, and there is a 30 year free replacement warranty on the finish for normal wear. Normal wear would include moisture from entry ways, and finish wear that would normaly happen in front of the doors. This may not apply to laminate you buy from Menards, or other big box stores.

With that, I feel comfortable to go with the wifes choice, of the laminate floor. The installer will be installing it in the next week or so.

Thanks for all of the info!

[CRAZYEYES]

I would not go on warranty alone. I have managed a store for a major flooring company for the last 6 years and the manufacturers do everything that they can to void the warranty. There is no such thing as a free replacement warranty!! I've been to a seminar on almost every major laminate brand and the fine print is about the same on each one. The Deffinition of "normal wear" is not what most people would consider normal for their home and moisture is never covered. What they dont tell you is that you will not wear through the wearlayer of most major laminates for a hundered years with what they consider normal wear but it still can scratch and you can scratch through it by dragging in rocks it shoes and things of that nature but that will never be covered, they will consider it abuse and deny your claim if you ever had one. The warratny is generally the same from small stores to box stores but the difference is at the box stores you wont get jacked around on price, Its gotten worse than car sales. You will get a more personable service at a samller store and ususally better advice but there are'nt many flooring salespeople that care about anything exept commision so beware of the direction they steer you. IFf you have any questions I know the history and specs of a lot of the major brands.

[echo2010]

I was browsing through a flooring store a while back and foun d the most convincing wood floor looking Vinyl I have ever seen. I even had to run my fingers over it on the "Seams" I am considering putting this vinyl in my Kitchens and baths due to the sheer beauty of it.

I have seen some crappy looking "wood" vinyl but there is definitely some awesome stuff out there

I have never met anyone really happy with Laminate in their wet areas

[icefishing21]

my dad is a wood floor installer so our whole house pretty much is real hardwood flooring and i have seen laminate flooring and in my opinion it doesn't compare to real hardwood flooring.