Hardwood vs. laminate floors?

Question

How do you tell if the floors are hardwood, or, laminate? We just bought a place and are not sure. We cannot contact the seller, so, please do not suggest that. (he has made himself unavailable since we closed).

Also, is the care & cleaning of laminate different from hardwood? If so, how do you clean laminate?

It's a brand new condo. The developer totally overhauled everything, including the floors, but, we can't ask him which he installed due to him never picking up his phone. :(

Answer 1

http://www.flooringandcarpets.com/solid-wood-flooring.html
http://www.doityourself.com/stry/floorwoodlaminate

Answer 2

It is easiest if you can look at the edge of the floor (near a door or under the skirting?). There you will see if a laminate has actually been laid over something else.

Failing that, laminates tend to be laid as tightly interlocking strips and a hardwood floor may have slightly more open joints.

A laminate just sounds different as well (noisier), although the more expensive it is - the more like a solid hard floor it will be. A laminate might just be laid over the substrate without being glued down, in which case there will be some flexing as you walk across it.

A hardwood floor will definitely be glued down or nailed with secret nails - it will feel a lot more solid.

Laminate can suffer from a lot of water unless well sealed at the joints (it can start to absorb water and swell up). So clean as normal but try not to leave it wet.

Answer 3

I put in my house a 5/16 hardwood made by Bruce Hardwood. It is a pre-finished product. It goes down really quick. not as fast as Laminate. I have a Retriever and there are some scratches. The varnish isn't as durable as what i expected. I refinished another room that the floor is 46 years old and applied a high-gloss finish. The high gloss has more durability than a gloss. there are no dog scratches on the high gloss. The hardwood can be replaced and or repaired a lot easier than laminate. I have installed both types, and have repaired both types. I will refinish the 5/16 this fall after 5 years of 2 kids and the dog.

Answer 4

I have both in my house, I like them both. You can't see the expansion joints when they are covered up with baseboards, but the best way to tell is to look at the boards themselves. They look too perfect to be real, the feel is not quite the same as real wood. My wood floors look somehow warmer, glowier, not artificial looking, as if they have depth. Real wood has imperfections and you should be able to tell if it is varnished or sealed. There are some new laminates that you can hardly tell from hardwood without very close inspections, we just laid some in a house we recently sold, and it looked good! Which ever it is, you can not go wrong by cleaning it with Murphy's oil soap, dusting it regularly, and damp mopping in between. You never want to get a lot of water on either, I always dry mine with a clean towel when I mop it with the Murphy's, as I go. I don't wax my real wood floors because I am basically lazy, but you could rent a floor waxer and give it a good coat of paste wax to protect it from stains and spills, if it is not already finished with polyeurethane. If it is laminate, there is a laminate floor cleaner made especially for laminate floors.

Answer 5

The best way to find out is to look at the edges of the flooring. If you have base molding, try to remove it to see down the side. Laminate is only about 3/8 thick and interlocks. Hardwood is 3/4 thick and nails in the tongue and groove. Laminate floors should only be cleaned with a laminate floor cleaner( Bruce puts out the best) and never put any kind of sealer on a laminate floor. Not only will it not stick, but it will void the warranty. Same thing with using water to clean laminate.

Answer 6

A Laminate floor will definitely/should have expansion door trims that divide two rooms. Wood does not have these.

There are many cleaners available for laminate, and wood.
In either case be sure to clean the flooring throughly.
With wood, too often, wax is applied over the old wax,
AND DIRT.

Wood will indent and scar quicker than laminate, from normal usage. They are not bullet proof.

Answer 7

laminate floors are alot cheaper you would be able to tell hard wood from laminate.do the floors look bran knew for the house is it a knew house or an old house if it is an old house even if he refinished the floors they would still have there charecter to them.i am an antique dealer so i would know just by looking at them hard for me to see from there just waite till you get in touch with him and ask if your happy with the floors then your ok with them i would use murphys oil soap anyway just to protect them any further for the future and buy a swiffer sweeper for the dust they work awsome and enjoy your bueatyful floors.

Answer 8

Go with Hardwood flooring, I was used to all hardwood when I lived at home.Laminate wood is not as durable.

Answer 9

Just look at it. Laminate is fake, wood is real.