Engineered vs Laminate floor?

ErVikingo · 10-07-2010, 06:17 AM

Gents,

I must change the carpet on one of the areas of my current home (which will be for sale in the next 6-10 months as we begin construction of the new one).

We are thinking of going with wood but looking at the cost of hardwood I'm considering the options.

Are engineered or laminate floors any good? Do they look OK? or, should I stick with a new carpet.

Thanks!

MotoSook · 10-07-2010, 06:34 AM

I've installed laminate flooring in several houses and they are great. The quality varies so chose a good brand. They designs and material choices are great. I'd go laminate over carpet any day. The laminate floors are easy to clean and they are pretty durable.

Scott Clarke · Scott Clarke's Garage

Engineered wood floors look great and are easy to install. You can't beat real wood!

ErVikingo · 10-07-2010, 06:39 AM

Thanks!

The contractor carries UGDFloors. Lets see......!

Cheers!

glewis80SC · glewis80SC's Garage

We had engineered hardwood put in about 8 months ago, so far so good. We liked the look of real wood over the laminate very happy so far.

porsche4life · porsche4life's Garage

The laminate is nice with one exception... Don't put it anywhere where water might get under it. My uncle had it in his kitchen and didn't realize his dishwasher had a slight leak until it looked like he had several mountain ranges in his kitchen...

A930Rocket · 10-07-2010, 08:10 AM

Engineered over laminate, but price out carpet if your going to sell it.

The only thing I don't like about engineered wood is that has a bevel. No matter how small it is, it still traps dirt that can't be easily swept away like sand in place wood.

I'd still take it over carpet though.

Scuba Steve · 10-07-2010, 08:39 AM

I've had houses with either, and strongly prefer engineered over laminate. Looks MUCH better.

911pcars · 10-07-2010, 09:11 AM

Just so we're perfectly clear.

Engineered wood is a laminated wood product with various finishes (stain, sealers, clear coats, etc.) applied at the factory.

Laminated flooring is a plastic product with a wood-like image on top.

Similar wood appearance. Big difference otherwise.

Sherwood

RWebb · RWebb's Garage

Kahrs is a quality brand

somebody likely has a bunch of stuff sitting in a warehouse that did not sell so check around at each flooring place & supplier to see what kind of deal you can get

downside I've found to eng. wood "panels" is that they have a tiny open gap where they fit together - any spill will get in there and you have just seconds to wipe it up

with a sealed wood finish you have scores of minutes to do the same

also you can re-sand the real wood a few more times than the eng. wood - matters to your grandkids I guess

Dottore · 10-07-2010, 10:18 AM

Is there some advantage in using "engineered" wood over using real hardwood???

Scuba Steve · 10-07-2010, 01:43 PM

Yes - for a concrete subfloor at least. Building in a plywood subfloor + solid wood flooring would have been too thick for surrounding areas with carpet or tile at my house.

For what it's worth, the wear layer for the Kahrs engineered I bought is equal thickness to the wear layer in 3/4" solid.

JavaBrewer · JavaBrewer's Garage

+1 engineered for concrete slab install. Another benefit is that it comes pre-finished from factory so the install is quicker and less dusty/messy/toxic. Unlike laminate a quality engineered wood floor can be refinished 2-3 times in it's life - though not as many times as a real hardwood of course.

If my home had a wood subfloor I would probably go with real (3/4") T&G wood floor. Being that I am in Cali and we have concrete slabs (no basements) I went with engineered. No complaints at all.

ErVikingo · 10-07-2010, 10:44 PM

Thanks for the feedback. Its going on a concrete slab.

911pcars · 10-07-2010, 10:48 PM

[QUOTE=ErVikingo;5603878]Thanks for the feedback. Its going on a concrete slab.[/QUOTE

The "experts" suggest not scrimping on the adhesive to install engineered wood over concrete and to ensure the concrete is prepped correctly (flat, dry, clean, etc.).

I just installed about 700 sq. feet of the stuff.

Sherwood

rnln · 10-08-2010, 12:21 AM

I am on the same boat now, cheap wood, engineer wood, or good looking laminate? Real wood is expensive to buy and to install, Engineer wood seem like the best choice but still need to maintenant and can be scratched, Good looking Laminate can not be scratched (good point), and cheapest to install. Somehow, I still think the best looking Laminate still looks plastic-like.
There is another type, the DIY Engineer wood. They are clicking in, and installed on the thin foam pad just like Laminate. This is engineer wood but installation labor/cost is the same as Laminate. One of the brand I found is Exotic Collection, the other I found is Scottsdale. Anyone experienced these?

Scott Clarke · Scott Clarke's Garage

I installed Shaw Epic wood engineered flooring over my slab with radiant heat. It's only 3/8" thick, and the edges are glued together using Titebond. The whole assembly "floats" on top of a foam pad/vapor barrier over the slab. The above comments about cleaning are true, but it sure beats carpet. Anyone that's ever had a wood floor sanded in a house can appreciate how nice it is to just install a pre-finished product!

Scuba Steve · 10-08-2010, 06:49 AM

FWIW I would seriously look into the possibility of floating an engineered wood product if installing on a slab. The glue was that foul, and starting that first row when building backwards from the hallway and newly completed room in front of my first row was a total nightmare because the wood has to lift slightly in order for the interlocking parts to mate. Don't get me wrong - the end result is great, but it was total hell getting to it.

VINMAN · 10-08-2010, 06:53 AM

My only complaint with the laminate I installed in my house, is that the fact that it scratches VERY easily. Ive put a few in for customers. My word of advice; Whether going with engineered or laminate, don't go with a cheap one. Definitely a huge difference btween the higher priced ones.

red-beard · red-beard's Garage

What are the advantages/disadvantages to floating vs. glueing down an Engineered floor?

I have 4 smallish areas in my house, slab floor, that we want to change from carpet. I'm looking at Engineered (I'm an Engineer, so Engineered must be good, right?), since it will be butting up againt tile.

One area is an office and it will have office chairs rolling around. I suppose if needed, I can put a hard clear plastic over the wood area with the chairs. I was considering laminate for that area, but...

The areas are: Office, Dinning room, Bedroom, Closet. I want to note that the master-bath is between the bedroom and the closet.

Thoughts?