Engineered Wood Flooring

[kestrel83 0]

Hi. I'm new here. Just wanted to ask if you guys have heard about Engineered Wood Floors. Whats the pros and cons of engineered wood vs laminate & solid wood floors? Thanks.

[khengjoo 1]

Hi. I'm new here. Just wanted to ask if you guys have heard about Engineered Wood Floors. Whats the pros and cons of engineered wood vs laminate & solid wood floors? Thanks.

Stick with a Good laminate Brand, it has lots more pro than con compared with the other two

That is unless you are a housing developer in which case you may need to boast that you are providing expensive materials to cater to the snob's appeal of certain class of buyers.

Edited April 11, 2010 by khengjoo

[kestrel83 0]

Stick with a Good laminate Brand, it has lots more pro than con compared with the other two

That is unless you are a housing developer in which case you may need to boast that you are providing expensive materials to cater to the snob's appeal of certain class of buyers.

Care to share why laminates are better? Not just cost, but in terms of other factors as well.

[jaskel 2]

Care to share why laminates are better? Not just cost, but in terms of other factors as well.

If in terms of other factors rather than cost, the other 2 may have more pros than cons compare with laminate. I have different views with the other fourumer.

[ctan 0]

If in terms of other factors rather than cost, the other 2 may have more pros than cons compare with laminate. I have different views with the other fourumer.

Engineered wood compound are generally resemble to the tree itself.

It is more 'alive' as it is affected by changes in humidity. It requires a moisture barrier to be laid down first prior installation while many laminate floors are water-resistant.

Engineered wood tend to dent and scratch more than laminated wood (well, you want the natural look). They also fade in area with sunlight exposure, but it can be refurnished.

While Laminate floors are very resistant to scratches and dents, but can be chipped.

Laminates do not fade in sunlight and are stain-resistant.

However, a well maintained engineered wood flooring can last anywhere between 40-80 years while average laminate lifespan is estimated about 20 years.

You see the difference. Natural characteristic or Durability.

Natural processed wood vs an image of wood on a HDF

[Umaisarah 2]

Just to share.

My current (soon to be ex-) house is laid with engineered wood flooring in the living room. I laid it over the granite flooring left behind by the original owner. I like the look and feel of the wood floor cuz it feels warm and genuine, not like laminate. That's the reason why my DH and I are turned off by laminate, cuz it feels 'fake' underneath our feet, and dun like the hollow feel when you walk over it. Some pictures to share of my living hall whr you can see part of the flooring. I really, really love the flooring and am so sad to let it go. And to m ake it even worse, my new place has granite flooring!!!!

But true, engineered wood is very prone to scratches and dents so you've got to really take care of it. For maintenance, you just need to sweep regularly (magic wipe is best) and if u need to mop, make sure it's not dripping wet, and if you hv ceiling fan, switch it on at full blast to speed up the drying. And u hv to be careful to close the windows if it rains to avoid rainwater seeping thru. A bit leceh lah, but worth it to hv that kind of feel in my house.

For the life of me, I can't remember who did the flooring as it was some years back, but I hv a contact for Derako flooring in my phone, so mbe tt's the one? I just remembered going to their showroom and office somewhr in Ubi.

[khengjoo 1]

Care to share why laminates are better? Not just cost, but in terms of other factors as well.

As ctan mentioned: higher moisture, light, abrasion, and impact resistance.

The other things that I would like to add is aesthetics and ecology.

Laminate is able to accentuate the beauty, and eliminate the flaws associated with real wood. With the higher quality laminates, you get the rich textured handscraped look of real wood, with broad variations in wood-grain. An example is Quick-Step's Largo, which has 60 variations, so it is not easy to spot a repeat of a particular patern in a room.

And of course you are assured that no exotic trees were cut down for your home

[kestrel83 0]

Ok, in terms of investment cost-vs-returns, which floor would increase your home's resale value the most?

[khengjoo 1]

Ok, in terms of investment cost-vs-returns, which floor would increase your home's resale value the most?

lol, of course the floor that still looks good at the time of sales.

[gimz63251073 0]

Ok, in terms of investment cost-vs-returns, which floor would increase your home's resale value the most?

i doubt the difference is significant anyway. After years of usage? The new owner may hate wood?

Heck, just do the flooring you prefer and live with the pros n cons, afterall its your house right?

[gordon1985 0]

Care to share why laminates are better? Not just cost, but in terms of other factors as well.

laminates are easier to repair, easy to remove, install as well And in the future when u are sick of the design, cost of changing to a new laminate design is cheaper as well. Most important thing is that use better laminate flooring so that it can last longer.