Flooring, in home interior design, can be called the foundation, binding force, or thread that brings together all other components to achieve the desired harmonious look. Along with creating a complimentary interior space, flooring is a deciding factor in the overall value of the house. It also regulates temperature and provides comfort, durability, and aesthetics. Are you looking for flooring options for your home and cannot decide between hardwood and laminate? In this blog, we bring you the comparison advocated by interior designers in Whitefield and all you need to know about hardwood and laminate flooring options.
What is hardwood flooring?
In house flooring design, hardwood is considered the most durable and stylish option. As the name suggests it uses solid wood, which comes from trees like maple, cherry, oak, timber, walnut, etc. In this option, wooden planks from a single wood are milled and placed straight in wooden support beams.
Advantages of Hardwood flooring
- Enhanced Look: Hardwood flooring adds incredibly to the overall look, value, and acoustics of home interior design. Being a solid wood, it gives the floors a natural, regal, rustic, and earthy finish which goes well with almost all types of colour combinations and furnishing.
- Easy to clean: Another benefit that makes this option hit is it is very easy to maintain and clean. Due to its robust nature, hardwood floors are generally immune to scratches, environmental hazards, and stains. Moreover, you can use mops, vacuum cleaners, and steam cleaners in this house flooring design without worrying about any damage.
- Longevity: The durability, life span, and strength of hardwood flooring are very difficult to match by any other flooring option in the market. With little care, it can last for decades which results in adding to the value of the house in case in future you want to sell or rent the place.
- Easy to refurbish: Another advantage of hardwood flooring is, in case it is cracked or damaged it can be refurbished and sanded without much labour.
Disadvantages of Hardwood flooring
- Termite attack: All types of timber are prone to termite attack and damage in wood home interior design. So, on a hard floor, it is always advisable to keep checking and examining your floor for termite attacks which is very common in high moisture areas.
- Expensive: If you are on a tight budget, then hardwood flooring can burn a hole in your pocket. As compared to laminate flooring the raw material and installation of hardwood is considered way more expensive in the realm of home interior design.
- Damage by water exposure: In the long run, problems like the expansion of wood due to water exposure or wood getting squeaky and creaky are not uncommon.
What is Laminate flooring?
In-home interior ideas, laminate flooring is a four-layered flooring solution, made with wood fiber that is designed to look after hardwood flooring but at a much less cost. This flooring is very popular and considered ideal for all types of living spaces – living room, bedroom, kitchen, etc.
Advantages of Laminate flooring
- Cost-effective: The first and foremost factor that makes laminate flooring a hit in wood home interior design is its cost-effectiveness. Moreover, laminate flooring is way less costlier than hardwood flooring when it comes to both material and installation.
- Easy to install: Another benefit of laminate flooring is it is very easy to install and even comes with a – do it yourself – script manual. With this aspect, it could save a lot of time and extra labor costs.
- Water resistant: Laminate flooring is multilayered and comes with tightly sealed water-resistant properties, which makes it perfect for bedroom wooden flooring. However, it is also not recommended for high moisture areas like bathrooms and open spaces with heavy rains.
Disadvantages of Laminate flooring
- Hardwood is hardwood: No matter how closely laminate flooring replicates hardwood, but with close inspection, the difference is evident.
- No option to repair: Once damaged, the whole floorboard needs to be replaced; there is no option for repairing, refurbishing, or sanding.
- Non-durable: As compared to hardwood the duration and agility are less, for instance, if hardwood can go up to 100 years, laminate flooring with high quality and good maintenance can go up to 30 years.
Different criteria and choices
As explained above, it is clear that both hardwood and laminate flooring come with their pros and cons. However, once you have your priorities and budget set, you can easily make a viable choice. In the case of budget-friendly options, you can go for laminate flooring, but if you do not want to compromise on style and look then hardwood is your thing. Again, in case you want to add to the value of the house, you must go for hardwood options, but if you want better water resistance, laminate flooring will suit you better.
Key Takeaways
With all this information at your disposal, you are now well equipped to distinguish between the two. However, if you are still confused or need some of the best home interior ideas, you can connect with us at Asense Interiors. Our in-house team of interior designers in Whitefield have many years of expertise in flooring and we will be happy to help!
Follow our WhatsApp channel
