Is Laminate the new hardwood?

Let’s face it, laminate flooring has come a long way since the original finish that looked almost as nice as 70’s wall panelling….shinny, plastic, nasty colours.

Sure, you can still get some of the good old stuff, but the main stay has drastically improved.

Laminate Flooring Features

Here are a few new goodies that push the newest laminate styles to achieve the look of modern solid and engineered hardwood.

Embossed

Laminate floors are embossed on register.  This basically means that where the laminate surface shows grain or knotting, the surface is embossed (raised or lowered) to achieve a natural wood-like touch or feel.  Some laminates even imitate in feel wire brushed and hand scraped hardwoods.

Range of Patterns

Laminate flooring is available in a wide Range of patterns.  Laminate floor visuals are pictures or digital representations of the real thing.  Many of the first laminates and some of the current cheaper brands only include a small number of different patterns, or pictures (ie, there are 4 types of “patterns” and they continuously repeat).  The better lines have a very wide range of patterns/pictures, thereby accomplishing a very natural, real wood look.

Range of Sizes

Laminate comes in a wide range of widths.  The trend with engineered and solid hardwood is wider and wider widths of boards. Laminate patterns are increasingly catching up to this trend, and now we are seeing single width planks commonly in the 4″-6″ range. There is even a new line that comes in Single plank sizes of 8 inches wide by 6 feet long…. A little tricky to install, but the finished look is rich and authentic.

Great Wearability

As beautiful as natural wood is, it still is, well, wood.  Life tends to dent, scratch, cut (and by life, I mostly mean my kids) wood.  A good quality laminate will withstand much more wear and tear than hardwood.

If you haven’t considered laminate for a high end look, it may be worth your while to look at the new options available today….you might just be surprised. Get an estimate or ask us a question online!