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Question:

Engineered hardwood floors vs. Pergo for a townhouse?

What is better for a townhouse we cannot do normal hardwood due to the concreet bottom so it's between engineered hardwood (Brazilian Cherry Br111) or the wood laminate(Pergo Brazilian Cherry). What's better?

Answer:

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.
I just attended a Br111 product seminar and came away with a good impression. They are a small company and make a quality product. Engineered hardwood is going to look the same as solid hardwood the only difference being that it is made of 3, 5, or 7 layers of real wood instead of 1. It will look and feel much better than laminate, but is obviously more expensive. If you use engineered, I strongly suggest full glue down installation. This will give a very solid look and feel making the floor indistinguishable from solid hardwood. Floating, hardwoods have proven quite problematic so far. Most Br111 engineered products can be refinished 1 time, laminate can not. If you use laminate, Pergo is a good way to go, having a 25, or 30 year wear/stain/fade warranty.

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