Hardwood Flooring Vs Laminate Flooring

Both hardwood and laminate have their own pros and cons. Hardwood is a solid wood that looks incredible but is expensive. Contrarily, laminate flooring in North Vancouver is a manufactured material that can give your home a hardwood like look and feeling at a fraction of the cost. When you compare these two flooring choices on the basis of their longevity, then you might discover that hardwood is much more durable than laminate because it can be refinished. However, if you take care of your laminate flooring properly, then you can enjoy great looking floors for 20 years. Meanwhile, hardwood floors serve you for your whole life. It can easily serve you for 60-80 years. So, the choice is a tough one.

In this blog, we are going to compare these two flooring choices for you.

Refinishing

Laminate cannot be refinished while hardwood can be. So, if your laminate floor loses its colour, you will have no other option than to replace it. On the other hand, if you have a hardwood floor in your home and that loses its shine, then you can have it refinished. A more surprising and interesting fact about hardwood is, it can be refinished for multiple times, depending on the thickness of the flooring.

Prone To Dents

Laminate can resist dents more than hardwood does. This is because laminate is hard enough to deal with a hit. If you want to dent a laminate floor then you will have to hit it hard. However, if you want to dent hardwood, you will not have to put in that much effort, because hardwood flooring is softer. But, the likelihood of possible dents should not be the reason you reject hardwood because dents can easily be fixed. An important point to note here is, dents in laminates are irreparable and if a dent does occur, you will have to get the dented portion replaced.

Exposure to Moisture

Hardwood shouldn’t be placed in any place where there is a chance of moisture. Moisture can cause the hardwood to swell or warp. Traditional laminate is also not recommended for any place where humidity is a concern, but, an advanced laminate can be used anywhere. Advanced laminates have protective layers to protect the floor from water and dent.

UV Damage

As hardwood is a natural product, it gets faded when it gets exposed to direct sunlight for long periods of time. On the other hand, the laminate is safe from UV damage because it is a manufactured product that comes coated with a UV protection layer.

Pattern

Laminates are available with repeat patterns, but not hardwood isn’t. Hardwood floors are made from solid wood, so every board looks different.

Now that you know some of the major differences between these two flooring choices, you can make your decision. Please call us. We will help you make the right choice.

Some Advantages and Disadvantages of Vinyl Flooring

Everything has two sides – one positive and one negative. You cannot make the right judgement about anything until you see both sides, and vinyl flooring is not an exception. It has also many advantages and disadvantages, and if you want to make the right decision about whether you should choose it for your home or not, it is important to understand vinyl properly. To help you make a fast decision about vinyl flooring, we are going to inform you of some advantages and disadvantages of vinyl flooring. 

Let’s begin with the advantages of vinyl flooring. 

Advantages of Vinyl Flooring

Adds Elegance to Your Room

Vinyl flooring planks are available in manyvisually appealing colors, patterns, and designs. Vinyl can also add the elegance of marble, ceramic tiles, or hardwood floors to your room, at a fraction of price.

Easy to Care For

To care for vinyl is quite hassle-free because it needs very little maintenance. Sweeping, wiping, and vacuuming are enough to clean your vinyl floors. You can also use a damp mop for cleaning vinyl. If you want optimum cleaning, then you can use green vinyl cleaning products. 

Water-Resistant 

Vinyl floors are resistant to water, so you can install them in high moisture areas of your home, such as the basement, bathroom, and kitchen.

Comfortable

Vinyl floors are softer than ceramic tile and wood floors, so walking on vinyl floors is more comfortable for you. The best fact about vinyl floors is they do not get too cold in winter, so you can walk on them barefoot as you do in summer. 

Cost-effective 

Vinyl is a low-cost flooring choice. Vinyl planks are available in a range of prices, depending on the quality, design, and color.  If you choose premium vinyl flooring planks, they will cost you less than premium flooring choices, like hardwood and stone. 

Durable 

If you install flooring correctly, obeying the installation instructions of the manufacturer, vinyl flooring will serve your home for fifteen to twenty years. However, the lifespan may increase or decrease based on the quality of the planks you select. 

Stain-Resistant 

Vinyl flooring has a protective layer that protects it from stains and spills. If anything falls on the floor and leaves a stain on it, you can easily remove it. 

Ease to Install 

Installing vinyl tiles and planks are relatively easy. You can install vinyl flooring with help from online installation videos. But, we don’t recommend it until you learn the process – a wrongly done installation can cause lumps and wear down. 

Cost-Effective Replacement

If ever you notice a part of your floor is damaged, then you don’t need to replace the entire floor. Instead, you only have to replace the damaged part. This is a great feature that makes it more cost-effective. 

Disadvantages of Vinyl Flooring

Yellowing

When you are buying vinyl flooring, you should pay serious attention to the quality of the product, because if you compromise with the quality of the product, then you will over time notice your floor loses its original color and become yellowish. High-quality vinyl planks resist discoloration.   

Cannot Be Refinished 

Unlike hardwood and engineered wood, vinyl flooring cannot be refinished. 

Prone to Chemical Stains 

Despite being resistant to stains, vinyl cannot resist chemical stains caused by rubber. Rubber stains are permanent and don’t get their original shine back. 

For detailed information about vinyl flooring Vancouver, call us now. We provide optimum vinyl, engineered hardwood, hardwood, bamboo, and laminate flooring Vancouver.