Great question. Laminate wood flooring is designed to look exactly like wood. Even though it is made of synthetic products rather than real wood. Wood will outlast laminate, but if you have children laminate is better for your home.
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Laminate flooring is not real wood, it just imitates the look of it.
Natural hardwood flooring is a higher quality flooring, generally more expensive, and can have some restrictions in where it can be laid. Engineered flooring is made to look genuine, but it is a cheaper material with only a veneer glued on to look genuine, but it is much cheaper.
The advantages of laminate flooring are simple, they look really nice, almost everyone enjoys the look of them, laminate flooring is actually much more durable than hard wood! It's also very easy to take care of, it doesn't stain easily! A disadvantage to how easily it stays clean is that you have to care for it a lot to make sure it finishes properly, and it is somewhat expensive!
In recent years, a trend in home design has been to rip up old carpets and tile and to install hardwood flooring. Hardwood floors create a warm and cozy look because of their rich colors. Not only this, but they will stand the test of time, being both elegant and timeless. They will fit into any decorating style and will last a lifetime if cared for properly. When purchasing hardwood flooring, homeowners will be confronted with two choices: solid hardwood flooring and engineered flooring. Solid hardwood floors are made from solid planks of various hard woods. They are cut to size and must be either glued or nailed to a subsurface. One good thing about solid hardwood floors is that they can be refinished over the years many times. During the lifetime of the hardwood floor, the surface may develop scratches or fade. Once every decade or so, depending on the wear, a hardwood floor can be sanded and refinished to restore its former glory. Engineered flooring may sound like fake hardwood flooring, but it is every bit as real as solid hardwood. Engineered flooring is constructed from real wood, however, instead of being a solid plank, these pieces of wood are manufactured in such a way that wood and a high strength resin are layered. When compared side by side, it is almost impossible for the naked eye to deduce which surface is engineered flooring and which surface is solid hard wood. This is because the top layer of the engineered flooring is made up a thin strip of wood that looks exactly like solid wood. Engineered flooring has a few advantages over solid hardwood flooring. For one, it is more durable than solid hardwood. Next, engineered flooring is able to handle humid conditions more easily than solid hardwood flooring. The many layers prevent it from buckling when exposed to water and moisture. Finally, the many layers of engineered flooring make it an excellent insulator that can help to keep a house warm in the winter and cool in the summer. Although it may seem like engineered flooring would cost less than solid hardwood, this is not the case. In almost all situations, engineered flooring and solid hardwood flooring cost about the same, making engineered flooring an excellent choice for new homes and renovations.
Bamboo flooring is usually more environmentally friendly. Bamboo also gives a very different visual look to a room than wood. Renewable bamboo flooring cost less than hardwood and look great. Bamboo grows significantly faster than hard wood so it is sustainable. Some bamboo trees grow to over 60 feet in a matter of months. They're cost-effective, attractive and unique. And think of the pandas you'll be feeding.