Laminate flooring and engineered wood flooring are two obvious choices if you want a flooring that looks like solid hardwood but at a more affordable price.
Laminate or engineered hardwood flooring.
Laminate flooring and engineered hardwood are sometimes confused with each other because they can look similar.
It provides the unmatched beauty of real wood without solid wood flooring s tendency to shrink or warp.
Upwards of 2 20 per square foot for engineered hardwood compared to upwards of 3 40 per square foot for solid.
However despite similar appearances there are key differences between them.
Both laminate flooring and engineered hardwood floors can be floated with a diy click and lock installation.
If your remodeling project or new construction calls for the look and feel of traditional hardwoods then your three main flooring options will be laminate hardwood and engineered wood floors.
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.
Shaw flooring shaw flooring offers many flooring projects ranging from bargain laminates selling for 2 per square foot to quite expensive solid hardwoods.
Explore which is better for kitchens basements based on cost resale value durability and more.
One major difference is the subfloor requirements.
Most importantly engineered wood contains a top layer of solid wood while laminate uses a photographic layer coated with a wear layer to achieve the wood.
While solid hardwood floors are ideal for the diehard wood lovers engineered hardwood is a greener option and laminate is a cheaper one.
If you are having trouble deciding be sure to read our laminate flooring project guide or any of our flooring cost estimators.
The company offers laminate flooring as well as solid and engineered hardwood.
And whether you re looking to gather information select a new style or care for the floors in your home we look forward to helping you along the way.
Which one will you go with.
Its products are widely available at home improvement centers.
Both floor coverings were developed as economical and versatile alternatives to that mainstay of flooring material solid hardwood flooring.
Better still it s competitively priced compared to solid hardwood flooring.
In the meantime stay organized by creating a my shaw account where you can compare your flooring options save your favorites and keep track of your orders all in one place.
Let s explore the differences between laminate and hardwood floors.