Solid Hardwood vs Engineering vs Laminated (Pergo) flooring?

Question

If I am not wrong Solid hardwood is one piece hardwood, engineering is multiple peice sheets glued on top of each other and Laminated is just plastic. Please correct me.

Here is my situation. I just purchased townhouse, which has ceramic tiles installed and I want to replace it with hardwood. I will be staying in this house for approx 5 years and I want to install something that look good for these 5 years, which can also help me in selling after 5 years and does not require me to spend couple of thousand dollar every couple of years to maintain/polish it or change it.
Total area I am considering would be around 400 sq ft including living room and common area and does not include dining or kitchen.
I don't want to spend lot of money but also don't want to get something that look cheap (now or after couple of years of use).
http://www.epinions.com/Pergo_Laminate_Flooring/display_~reviews
this site says that laminate has problem of scratches too.
Please suggest among these three types.

Answer 1

The first thing to ask is: where was the original tile laid? Before choosing a type of flooring, it's best to figure out the location and the kinds of forces up against which the flooring will be set - foot traffic, pets, moisture sources, climate, etc. So, if it's a kitchen with a laundry area close by, a hardwood floor may not work so well. Also, is the space environmentally controlled? This type of thing should have an impact on your decision-making process. And as previously stated by others, you can float a laminate floor over tile. You can't with hardwood.

From what I'm hearing, it seems to me that look is what you're after primarily, not so much structural value. You want to be able to impress a prospective buyer five years down the line without spending too much right now. So in the spirit of that, I'd suggest a laminate floor, one which is rated AC3 or above to make sure that it will stand up to the kind of traffic most common to general residential use. After this, laminates offer a lot of the same kinds of visual effects you can get through solid hardwood or engineered hardwood.

And laminate is not a plastic floor, per se. It's made up of a number of elements, including a fiberboard core that allows it to adapt to changing temperatures and generally provide stability to the individual boards. In addition to this, these days you can get laminate flooring which provides "hand scraped" or distressed effects. You can get laminates which have beveled edges to each board which makes them look even more like a real wood floor. In some cases, the untrained eye cannot tell the difference at all. And you've got a range of colors and grain patterns (or a picture of real grain patterns in this case) to choose from to create any sort of effect you're after for your space. You can even get matching moldings, just as you can with hardwood floors.

And there are plenty of laminate floors - some you've heard of like Kronotex or Pergo, and some you perhaps haven't heard of like Toklo or Lamton laminate floors - which don't require glue to install them, as well as tongue and groove locking systems. This means minimal mess, no nailing, and a generally quicker installation. Also, laying laminate is something you can do yourself, depending on how comfortable you are with a table saw and a tape measure. This can save you money too.

Whatever you decide, good luck with your floors!

Answer 2

Pergo Vs Hardwood

Answer 3

Hardwood flooring would give you the best resale for the money, but is expensive. Hardwood could run anywhere from 3 to 10 dollars per square foot. If it is scratched, it can be sanded and redone later on. Engineered is a hardwood floor, but cannot be refinished in case something happens. Also costs around 2.5 to 4 dollars square foot. Laminate looks a little cheaper, but will hold up better than hardwood or Engineered in the long run. I would suggest the Pergo 30 year warranty. Hardwood has to be nailed down to the floor, Engineered has to be tacked or glued down and laminate is free floating. In the case of the hardwood and engineered, you would have to pull up the ceramic tile. With laminate, you MAY not have to do that. Laminate in stock should cost around 2 to 4 dollars a square foot. A lot of laminate floors now look like the real thing. I suggest you do some window shopping to find out for yourself.

Answer 4

Pergo is a good product because it is very durable - IE water proof - but it looks cheesey in my opinion. I have done laminate - I used to use the the Bruce because it really looks real - but it was not at all impervious to water. The prep for a good laminate job is brutal - because the floor floats - it has to be dead flat because the floor will act like a drum head over low spots - IE you will bounce on a cushion of air - & - otherwise you end up shaving the bottoms of your feet with the sharp edged gap edges - the melamine is very hard and it is like a razor blade until to floor get worn it. Further, you really shouldnt use pergo on stairs because the cap-toes are really expensive & the stuff is so slick - you will kill your self with stocking feet. Pergo is also slick as ice - Im suprise they havent been sued out of business by slip & fall claims. Engineered floors are a great compromise, they are laminates wood verneer on very stable substrates- Again here, Bruce makes very nice engineered floors - they have the benefits of hardwood and laminate - IE prefinished - extremely hard finishes - stuff hardly expands at all in normal use, and they are usually nailed down. Virtually can tell the difference between engineered & traidtional - engineered - the difference is that engineered will have gaps in the crakes and traditional - the gaps will be filled by the swedish finsih. Traditional hard wood is alot more work because you have to install, sand, seal and finish. Both engineered & traditional take about the same prep. I only buy closeouts or wholesale - price is everything to me. Also, if you do use laminate - use the compressed felt pad - it insulates your floor, softens the walk and quites the clicky - clicky noise that accompanies laminate when you walk on it. There are people on Ebay that drop ship flooring from local warehouses. IKEA also has some interesting low cost hardwood floors - usually from asia or east germany hardwoods ..

Answer 5

This Site Might Help You.

RE:
Solid Hardwood vs Engineering vs Laminated (Pergo) flooring?
If I am not wrong Solid hardwood is one piece hardwood, engineering is multiple peice sheets glued on top of each other and Laminated is just plastic. Please correct me.

Here is my situation. I just purchased townhouse, which has ceramic tiles installed and I want to replace it with hardwood. I...

Answer 6

I have a personal preferance for solid hardwood flooring. Reason? they CAN be refinished!! All of the floorings you list do scratch, are about the same in $$$ to lay down, and need to be cared for very carefully.

If the hardwood is properly layed, properly sealed, and varnished, it will last a lifetime. It must be dust mopped with oiled wool pads once a week.

Best to keep scratches off, is to require all guests to remove shoes before entering. Have them bring a clean pair of socks or slippers. Have a bench and shoe shelf outside the door. This also helps to keep dirt and grime out of the house!!!

Answer 7

Home depot has really good prices on the Laminate flooring. No glue, shoudl run you about 450 for floor and the under laying. Are you doing it yourself? If so, this is the way to go. Has a 6-8 life depending on traffic. My basement looks great, and I have 5 kids...

Answer 8

your pretty much correct but I install all three and hardwood and engineered are pretty close to the same thing......
laminate looks ok but comparing it to real wood and saying it is better as some do is ridiculous.......after all they make laminate to look like wood........
If I was you I would go with the engineered..........you can refinish it up to two times and it looks great......
also homes with real wood add more cost to your home than laminate so for me if its ok with your budget,go with the real stuff...........

Answer 9

I agree with Don_WW.