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.
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 ..
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...
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.
