Engineered or laminated flooring?

justaquestion

Hi folks,

We have to replace a laminate floor in living room, just done over eight years ago, but with wear and tear and wee lad dropping stuff and playing on it, some of the top layer is lifting (really surprised the top layer with the design on it is so very thin, probably even thinner than a postage stamp)

Anyways I have been looking at prices and taking some advice.

Seems solid wood can damage easily, and just been told that engineered flooring is much the same, just has real wood on top. Cost is a lot more expensive as well, in Homebase yesterday engineered flooring was over £40 a square yard, where as laminate is around £13 a yard.

Advice really appreciated as to what to go for taking into consideration that we have a very active wee lad who is constantly dropping things and playing about.

Thanks for any advice.

martinsurrey

justaquestion wrote: »

Hi folks,

We have to replace a laminate floor in living room, just done over eight years ago, but with wear and tear and wee lad dropping stuff and playing on it, some of the top layer is lifting (really surprised the top layer with the design on it is so very thin, probably even thinner than a postage stamp)

Anyways I have been looking at prices and taking some advice.

Seems solid wood can damage easily, and just been told that engineered flooring is much the same, just has real wood on top. Cost is a lot more expensive as well, in Homebase yesterday engineered flooring was over £40 a square yard, where as laminate is around £13 a yard.

Advice really appreciated as to what to go for taking into consideration that we have a very active wee lad who is constantly dropping things and playing about.

Thanks for any advice.

laminate, its not as fashionable or posh, but its so hard wearing if you go for good stuff, and cheap enough that you can replace when the little one is a bit older.

TheCyclingProgrammer

If you still need something hardwearing, get laminate. I'll be the first to admit that engineered or real wood looks nicer but its probably not suitable if you have children of pets. You can get good quality, reasonably realistic looking laminate.

Most of our downstairs has QuickStep Impressive in soft oak and it looks great, is very scratch resistant and minor damage can be repaired (guess who dropped a hammer on his) with a small wax kit (not an invisible repair but good enough).

I'd highly recommend QuickStep if you go for laminate. The Impressive is about £22/sqm although they have cheaper ranges. Don't skimp on the underlay.

rob7475

Another vote for quick step laminate here.

It's easier to lay than the cheaper brands as the locking system is much better.

We have the perspective wide in oak which looks realistic and the planks are wider and have a textured grain. This costs about £24 per sq. metre I think.

I've also just fitted quickstep elite to another house which cost me about £15 per sq. metre. The quality is just as good but the boards are a bit thinner. It looked lovely fitted though and I'll be using the same again in another house I'm renovating.

For best prices, I tend to go to either wood2u or flooringsupplies.co.uk depending on who's cheapest at the time.

onomatopoeia99

I fitted 6+18mm engineered oak in my bedroom and hall, but it's considerably more expensive (around £30/sq m, I ordered from an online supplier, not Homebase). No fitting charge as I did that myself, just needs some PVA, a saw and patience..

I find it hardwearing - I picked lacquered as it doesn't need annual treatment like the oiled varieties do, but I don't have pets or toddlers to destroy the place!

Laminate would definitely be cheaper and likely to survive longer in a hostile environment.

justaquestion

Thanks so much for the replies folks, so I think laminate it will be.
Can I just ask, as the top layer of laminate is so thin, is this top layer a uniform thickness across all the different brands?


Just asking regarding the durability of it, if there is a reasonable noticeable dent on a board then if possible it needs to be replaced.
Thanks

TheCyclingProgrammer

Laminate isn't indestructible. Good laminate will withstand every day wear and tear, light knocks and should be fairly scratch resistant but if it gets dented or chipped you either need to repair it using the aforementioned wax repair kit (to prevent any moisture damaging the bottom layer) or replace the board.

Jonesya

Most flooring product, if you check over the boxes, will have a grade marked on it indicating how tough/tolerant of wear and tear it is - light use, medium, heavy to give a guide of how robust it is.

martinsurrey

justaquestion wrote: »

Thanks so much for the replies folks, so I think laminate it will be.
Can I just ask, as the top layer of laminate is so thin, is this top layer a uniform thickness across all the different brands?


Just asking regarding the durability of it, if there is a reasonable noticeable dent on a board then if possible it needs to be replaced.
Thanks

All laminates top layers are roughly the same thickness, what sets brands apart is the density of the substrate, and the bonding of the laminate, the better the brand the thicker and denser the substrate and the better the laminate is stuck on, both which increase durability, nothing will stop a knife attack though!

Aylesbury_Duck

Bit late to the party here, but I prefer real wood over engineered over laminate. I've used all three at various points and in various settings. I just prefer the look and feel of the real wood or real wood layer but have used laminate in areas where budget or use means it's been more appropriate.

andrewf75

I'd vote for real wood in a living room. Scratches can be sanded out or just left as "character". My son has been dropping stuff on my engineered wood floor for a few years and there is no mark on it that bothers me in the slightest. But ultimately you need to weigh up what is more important, the look and feel of wood or durability.