While hardwood flooring and laminate flooring may look alike, nearly every other aspect is different—cost, maintenance, lifespan, installation and resale value for each varies. Hardwood flooring is a major financial investment, but its upfront cost can be worthwhile if you expect to live in the home for many years. Laminate flooring has a shorter lifespan than hardwood and it cannot be refinished. But it’s less expensive than hardwood, especially since DIY installation is so easy.
Learn more below about the major differences between these flooring types and decide which is better for your home between laminate and hardwood.
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Key Differences
Laminate Flooring
Laminate flooring is a synthetic floor covering made of fiberboard, a printed image (or appearance) layer that simulates wood and a sturdy clear top wear layer. Laminate flooring boards are 6mm to 12mm thick. Boards are manufactured with edges that snap together, eliminating the need for nails or glue during installation.
Hardwood Flooring
Hardwood flooring is a natural flooring material made of softwoods like pine or hardwoods like oak. Hardwood flooring can either be pre-finished in the factory or site-finished by the installer with stain and a protective coating. Hardwood flooring must be nailed (or stapled) to the subfloor.
| Laminate Flooring | Hardwood Flooring | |
|---|---|---|
| Top Layer | Clear plastic wear layer | Liquid protective coating |
| Attachment to Subfloor | Floating (no fasteners) | Fastened with nails or staples |
| DIY Self-Installation | Easy to do with a few tools | Difficult to DIY |
| Core | Fiberboard | Solid natural wood |
Which Flooring Is Best?
Hardwood flooring is better for appearance, lifespan and resale value. Laminate flooring is better for cost, ease of installation and comfort. Overall, hardwood flooring is considered to be better than laminate flooring since it is a complete floor material, not simply a floor covering. Hardwood is a premium material.
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Appearance and Comfort
Laminate Flooring
Laminate flooring can look exactly like real hardwood flooring from a distance due to crisp graphics and surface embossing. Close inspection, however, reveals the laminate to be a copy of real wood. Laminate flooring is smooth and comfortable to walk on due to its soft foam underlayment.
Hardwood Flooring
Hardwood flooring is, of course, real wood. Some hardwood boards may be flawed, but these are typically culled out (meaning that they are often pulled from inventory because of the flaw or damage). Hardwood is smooth underfoot but it is hard. That’s why area rugs and runners are often a good idea with hardwood.
Best for appearance and comfort:
Hardwood flooring is better for appearance. Laminate flooring is better for comfort.
Maintenance and Care
Laminate Flooring
You must keep laminate flooring dry at all times and can’t let water pool. Accordingly, you should only clean laminate flooring with a soft broom, a dry mop or a slightly damp mop. If damaged, laminate flooring cannot be refinished. Damaged boards must be removed and replaced.
Hardwood Flooring
You should also keep hardwood flooring dry. Hardwood floor cleaning is limited to dry or slightly damp mops or brooms. Damaged hardwood flooring can be sanded down and refinished.
Best for maintenance and care:
Though laminate flooring and hardwood flooring are equally averse to moisture, hardwood flooring can be refinished if it is damaged. Laminate flooring cannot be refinished.
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Lifespan
Laminate Flooring
Laminate flooring’s average lifespan is estimated at around 15 to 25 years if well-maintained. Laminate floors typically come with limited warranties that cover stains, normal wear, fading and manufacturing defects. Some warranties range up to 30 years.
Hardwood Flooring
Hardwood floors can last up to 100 years with proper maintenance. Durable hardwoods may last even longer. Hardwood floors made of softwoods like pine, cypress, cedar or spruce may last up to 50 years, especially in high-traffic homes.
Best for lifespan:
Hardwood flooring is better for lifespan since it will usually last for at least as long as the owner remains in the house.
Cost
Laminate Flooring
- Low: $1 per square foot
- Medium: $3 per square foot
- High: $6 per square foot
Hardwood Flooring
- Low: $6 per square foot
- Medium: $9 per square foot
- High: $12 per square foot
Best for cost:
The cost to install laminate flooring is nearly always less than the cost to install hardwood flooring. When considering the cost of laminate and hardwood flooring, laminate installation is at least half of the cost of hardwood flooring installation.
Installation
Laminate Flooring
As a floating floor, laminate is easy to install, even for do-it-yourselfers with basic skills. After a foam underlayment is rolled out, the planks are installed on top and attached side to side. Floating floors are not attached to the subfloor. Laminate flooring often has a pre-attached underlayment, eliminating the need for separate underlayment.
Hardwood Flooring
Hardwood flooring is typically not a do-it-yourself project. You’ll need to rent a floor nailer or stapler, and it requires some learning time. You’ll also need to cut hardwood flooring with an electric miter saw. If the hardwood flooring is unfinished, it must be sanded and site-finished.
Best for installation:
Laminate flooring is far easier to install than hardwood flooring, potentially saving on costs since it can be self-installed.
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Water, Heat and Environment
Laminate Flooring
Laminate flooring is considered by manufacturers to be water-resistant as long as the seams are tightly sealed and water is quickly removed. Laminate flooring is not recommended for high-moisture spaces like bathrooms. You can also install laminate flooring over radiant heating systems.
Hardwood Flooring
Hardwood flooring is not recommended for areas that experience moisture or for below-grade (basem*nt) installations. Hardwood flooring can be installed over radiant heating systems but the heat may have a long-term detrimental effect on the wood, causing wood to crack and seams to open up.
Best for water, heat and environment:
Flooring materials other than laminate and hardwood are better for moisture-prone areas. Consider installing sheet vinyl flooring, ceramic or porcelain tile or vinyl plank flooring in your bathroom. Laminate tends to be better than hardwood in lightly moist areas because some parts—the top wear layer and the bottom underlayment—are completely waterproof.
By contrast, all parts of hardwood flooring except the top finish are not waterproof or even water-resistant.
Resale Value
Laminate Flooring
Laminate flooring is believed to have a lower resale value than hardwood flooring. For homes up to mid-range value, laminate flooring can be a quality addition, especially if the previous floor is in poor condition or of lower value.
Hardwood Flooring
The resale value of hardwood flooring is around 70% to 80%. So, hardwood flooring that costs $20,000 to install could return up to $16,000 upon the sale of the house.
Best for resale value:
Hardwood flooring is generally considered to have a higher resale value than laminate flooring.
Bottom Line
Laminate flooring is a good option for mid-priced or lower-priced homes where budget, easy care and self-installation are important. Choose hardwood flooring if appearance, resale value and long-term durability are the most important factors.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
What is the downside to laminate flooring?
The downside to laminate flooring is that it is prone to moisture damage, yet it cannot be refinished. Hardwood flooring can be damaged by water but it can be sanded down and refinished if the damage is not extensive.
Is laminate flooring as good as wood?
Laminate flooring is not as good as wood flooring from a physical standpoint. Laminate flooring is made of a pressed-wood core with an image layer simulating the look of natural wood, all topped with a clear wear layer. Wood flooring is all wood, from top to bottom. But laminate flooring may be as good as wood flooring when other factors like cost and self-installation are considered.
What flooring is better than laminate?
One flooring similar to laminate flooring that is often considered to be better than laminate flooring is solid core luxury vinyl plank (LVP) flooring. LVP is waterproof; laminate flooring is not. Solid wood flooring and engineered wood flooring are also considered to be better than laminate since both have authentic wood surfaces.
Does laminate flooring increase property value?
Laminate flooring can increase property value if the existing flooring is in poor condition or if no floor covering has been installed yet. Between hardwood flooring and laminate flooring, hardwood flooring in good condition will typically increase property value more than laminate flooring.
