Wooden Flooring or Alternative

StevenMarks

So when I move into my next house I'm going to replace carpet in lounge with something else.

I'm favouring real wood but I know there are alternatives such as laminate or a sort of hybrid stuff where there is a few millimetres of real wood on top of something else.

Laminate is cheapest and hybrid most expensive.

The room in question is wooden floorboards with insulation below.

I wondered what the pros and cons are? And what people would go for and why?

System

after almost 10 yrs of solid wood flooring have to say never again ! we recently moved and its been carpeted throughout.

We found the wood so cold in winter ,its easily marked.

cyclonebri1

CHRISSYG wrote: »

after almost 10 yrs of solid wood flooringi have to say never again ! we recently moved and its been carpeted throughout.

We found the wood so cold in winter ,its easily marked.

I vote exactly the opposite, carpet and it's parasites is crap:A:A:A:A

jackomdj

We moved here two years ago and love the laminate flooring. We Hoover/mop the floor more regularly as we can see the bits that would be hidden in the carpet.

Yes it is colder, but we tend to put on slippers (which I never did in the old house)

jellie

I have laminate and am about to have this replaced with a better quality laminate or engineered oak. Considering the amount of dust I get up off my floor some days when I clean it, the thought of that lurking in a carpet is a bit off putting.

I don't find the floor cold at all.

You could always soften it with rugs if you wanted to.

homerhotspur

We were quite impressed by this range of wood effect laminate flooring.

http://www.karndean.com/en-gb/floors?

I_have_spoken

I just ripped up cheap laminate in the lounge and but down carpet. Far better IMHO, laminate was cold and made the home feel unwelcoming

StevenMarks

The house I sold last year had good quality laminate in lounge, dining room and hallway and had lino (or whatever the current preferred name is) in the kitchen, utility and downstairs toilet.

Never really had problems with cold.

It is my intention to do one of the three and wondered which people preferred and why; solid wood, engineered wood (couldn't remember the name when I wrote the OP) or good laminate.

cyclonebri1

The thing to remember is that although you would expect solid Oak, (or any other wood for that matter), to be have a longer life that say engineered oak, it's not the case.

Engineered oak is available in better grades with a 6 mm top finish layer, it can be refinished at least 4 times, solid is exactly the same, sand any further and the T&G joints are exposed.

Again if you go Eng Oak ensure that the backing is solid ply. I looked at the crap B&Q are offering the other day, oak on top, 2mm play on bottom and 6mm mdf in the centre:eek: Not a good idea, and this stuff was something like £35 mtr

DirectDebacle

All very subjective. Personally I would sand the original floor.