Wood flooring, and wood effect laminate flooring continue to be one of the most popular types of floor covering in Brighton and Hove. Both have a natural appearance, and can be warm underfoot. They’re practical, hard wearing and don’t harbour dirt in the same way that a carpet would. Which one is best for your home though?
Cost
Although you may not be able to tell them apart at first glance, your wallet will certainly know the difference between a laminate and hard wood floor. Don’t necessarily assume pricey solid or engineered wood will be the best solution for you though. Laminates have a lot to offer.
Laminate flooring can be 50% cheaper than solid wood to both purchase and install, and is a great option if you want the wood floor look but are sticking to a budget. Laminate flooring is compressed pieces of composite wood, similar in construction to chipboard. An image of a plank of wood is printed onto a material which is then glued to the top of the composite plank, giving a realistic look.
Solid wood floors are made by slicing trees into think planks, and can be made from a huge variety of timber types. The more exotic the tree, the more expensive your flooring will be. You can also expect to pay more for your installation than you would with a laminate, as the production costs significantly more. If you can put up with the initial outlay, a good solid wood floor can add a lot of value to your home.
Endurance
It’s important to think about the level of foot fall which your flooring will encounter. Consider the sort of conditions it’s going to encounter. Kids, pets, high traffic and potential damage from its installation location will affect how your flooring looks. Do you have the time or money to devote to maintenance?
A laminate floor can take a lot more wear and tear than solid floor. Its compressed wood construction means it copes well with moisture, scratching and general wear and tear better than solid wood. Its plastic top surface means it’s really easy to clean, too – just wipe or mop it clean. However, once the top photographic layer is worn down, it really does not look very attractive, so if your room will be well-trodden or heavy duty, laminate may not be the best choice.
Solid wood, despite its name, scratches pretty easily, and doesn’t cope well with moisture. The lovely grain will obviously wear down over time, although it won’t look as damaged as worn down laminate.
Maintenance and repair
It’s quite likely that thanks to general wear, or those little household accidents, you’ll need to repair your wood or laminate flooring.
Laminates are not easy to patch up. As we already mentioned, it’s made to be clicked together, so it may be easier to keep a stash of extra laminate planks from your installation, then you can simply have a new plank slotted in to replace a damaged one. Remember that the top layer of laminate is essentially a photograph though, so it may not match the existing planks very well.
Solid wood floor can be repaired quite easily. Just sand out the dents or scratches, and if a varnish is needed, brush a coat over the top of the newly exposed area.
If you’re still unsure whether wood or laminate flooring is for you, speak to our team at Amwick Floors, and take advice from Brighton and Hove’s flooring experts.
