Solid wood flooring or “hard wood floors” and laminate flooring both have their advantages and disadvantages. Solid wood is beautiful and ageless. Many old homes have solid wood floors and they have held up very well over the years.
Todays solid wood floors are available unfinished or prefinished and come in many different species such oak, maple, cherry, mahogany, bamboo and many more. Most of the solid wood floors in older homes were unfinished and then varnished or polyurethaned after installation.The benefit of putting the finish on after installation is all the joints and seams get sealed over which prevents water and moisture from getting between the boards and damaging the wood.
Prefinished floors on the other hand are already finished so when they are installed, the floor is ready for immediate traffic and furniture can be placed right away. Solid wood floors are usually more expensive than laminate floors and are often the flooring of choice in higher end homes. They also add market value to a home and are a good selling point.
Laminate floors have become very popular in recent years. Manufacturers have gone the extra mile to make these floors look amazingly like the real thing and they continue to improve them. Many now have textured wood grain with color variations that simulate real wood. Laminate floors are easy to install and can be done by most do-it-yourselfers. They can be put down over any existing floor such as linoleum or vinyl without much preparation other than making sure there are no curled edges on the old linoleum. Carpeted floors need to be pulled up and any foam backing remaining on the floor needs to be scraped off beforehand. Any spills on laminate floors need to be cleaned up as well because water or liquids getting between the boards will damage the core material.
A laminate floor can be put down in a weekend with basic tools. In both types of floor, you will need to leave about a 1/4″ gap on all edges to allow for expansion and contraction. The baseboard will then cover this gap when it is re-installed after the floor is completely installed. Consider these factors when choosing between solid wood or laminate when doing your next floor project.
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