wood vs laminate

When you are looking at a flooring investment it is important to take the following considerations in mind.

1) What are the long term goals of your purchase? Will you live in this house for at least 8-10 years?
Will you be able to recover the extra money of a wood floor when you sell your home?

     If you are planning on living in your home for atleast 8-10 years, there is a better chance you will
     re-coup your investment in a more expensive wood floor.

     Are re-sale values a concern? Wood flooring is considered an upgrade and will
     increase the value of your home.

     What are the approximate values of houses in your neighborhood? You don't want to over
     inflate the value of your home compared to your neighbor's.

2) What is your family lifestyle? Do you have children or pets? How much foot traffic do you have in your home:

     If you are the average family with kids, pets and lots of foot traffic. Make sure to purchase
     a high quality wood floor with a good warranty that will stand up to the daily use of your
     busy family. Don't make a bad investment, but installing a "cheap" wood product.
     If budget is a concern, then a good laminate floor may be a better choice for you.
     There are also "cheap" and poor quality laminate flooring as well. Make sure to find out
     about product warranties.

3) Is your home a secondary residence?

     Laminate flooring is less likely to be affected by humidity and temperature changes.
     You can enjoy a wood floor just take some extra pre-cautions. The care of a wood floor
     is very important, please read our care and maintenance section.

There are several factors in determining whether wood flooring or laminate flooring is the best for you.

One of the biggest mis-concepts about laminate flooring is that it doesn't look real or it sounds hollow when you are walking on it. If this is your chief complaint then you haven't looked at laminate flooring in the last few years. With today's technology it is very hard to tell the difference between the two. There is also sound absorbing underlayment, which is installed over your sub-floor and under the laminate that reduces that hollow sound, making it sound more realistic to that of a wood floor.