Wood Flooring Options – A Comparison Guide
Besides wall paint, flooring is one of the most dramatic ways to update a space. It’s like an instant clean slate and changes the whole mood. Choosing the flooring, though, is not such an easy task. There are so many options and seemingly endless variables! From hardwood to LVP, it can be difficult to figure out what is best for your home. After several flooring projects and countless hours of research, I came up with a guide of wood flooring options.
When considering all of the options out there, I think it’s helpful to consider flooring on a continuum. Starting at hardwood floors, through various synthetic and combination options, then all the way through to wood look tile. Wood flooring adds texture and line, two of the 7 Elements of Interior Design (read through for complete list).
Pros and Cons of Solid Hardwood Flooring
This type of flooring is exactly like it sounds. The planks are cut from a single piece of lumber and solid wood all the way though.
Pros of Hardwood Floors
Solid hardwood floors are a tried and true classic available in many different wood species (I’m partial to white oak). Because they’re made of solid wood all the way through, solid hardwood floors can be sanded and refinished over and over again.
What Are Disadvantages of Hardwood Flooring?
Well, as you probably know, hardwood flooring is very expensive and labor intensive. Pricing can depend on geographic location and type of wood chosen. Additionally, hardwood floors have limitations on where it they should be installed. They are not recommended for below grade install (meaning below level, like a basement) and anywhere else moisture would be an issue.
If you’re asking yourself this question, check out my reflective post on 5 Things I Wish I Knew About Hardwood Floors. The main disadvantage to hardwood flooring is the cost and difficulty to install. It’s certainly not a DIY project – at least one for the faint of heart.
Pros and Cons of Engineered Hardwood Flooring
You might’ve heard about this type of flooring but felt a little confused. Engineered hardware is the next step from solid hardwood floors. It includes hardwood top layer and a durable, manufactured core bottom.
Pros of Engineered Flooring
With engineered wood floors, you get the beauty of the hardwood top yet more water resistant. The bottom core layer means there are more options for installation than traditional hardwood.
Cons of Engineered Floors
Despite the common misconception, engineered hardwood flooring tends to be relatively expensive. Also, it is not waterproof and cannot be refinished indefinitely like solid hardwood. Some engineered wood includes a protective top layer and cannot be refinished at all.
Pros and Cons of Laminate Flooring
You’ve probably heard of laminate and have some visions of it’s 1980’s origins. Laminate flooring is made with a thin fiberboard core with an image of wood grain on top. It is sealed with a clear protective layer.
Advantages of Laminate Floors
Laminate flooring is VERY cost effective and pretty simple to install with a click and lock design. It is also somewhat resistant to moisture and humidity. Bob Vila (who I’ve loved since I was a kid!), has a great step by step Laminate Flooring Installation Guide for DIY enthusiasts.
Cons of Laminate Floors
While it has a wood look image, laminate is not as realistic as other wood flooring options. It is often confused with Vinyl flooring (see below), but not as water resistant. Mr. Handyman has a great comparison of Laminate vs. Vinyl Flooring if you’re deciding between the two flooring options.
Pros and Cons of Vinyl Flooring
Vinyl flooring is a synthetic flooring material often referred to a LVP (luxury vinyl plank) or LVT (luxury vinyl tile). The Flooring Store has a great Luxury Vinyl Flooring Guide to find the best vinyl flooring brands.
Pros of Vinyl Flooring
There are so many benefit to luxury vinyl flooring. There are so many options that look like natural wood. Vinyl flooring is easy to install with a click and lock design. It’s also relatively inexpensive and easy to install.
One huge bonus is that LVP Is generally waterproof so it can be installed in areas like a basement, which is why I chose it. It can also be installed on a concrete subgrade floor (unlike many other flooring options).
Cons of Laminate Flooring
Although it’s super durable, vinyl flooring is not indestructible and can scratch. Newer versions though are even more scratch resistant. Unlike hardwood or engineered hardwood, repair often means replacing an entire plank or two (which is why you always want to order 10% more than the actual square footage).
Pros and Cons of Bamboo Flooring
Bamboo is technically a grass, but it functions like a hardwood which makes a good wood flooring option contender to mention.
Advantages of Bamboo Flooring
As a natural material, Bamboo is considered very sustainable as it regrows very quickly. In addition to being more eco-friendly, it is also really durable.
Cons of Bamboo Flooring
Because it’s a natural and not synthetic, bamboo flooring tends to be fairly expensive. It’s also not suitable for below grade or basement applications. The Flooring Store really covers all the technical details of Bamboo Flooring I would recommend.
Ceramic Wood Look Tile:
Wood look tile is a ceramic or porcelain tile imprinted and colored to mimic natural wood variations.
Pros of Wood Tile
Wood look tile is very durable and scratch resistant. It is also waterproof making it good option for kitchen or bathrooms in that regard.
Cons of Wood Tile
Wood look Tile can be difficult to install (I mean, it’s tile! so you need consider grout and cutting pieces with a wet saw). Just like other tile, it will be very cold so depending on geographic location, that’s an important variable.
Common Wood Flooring Questions
Hopefully this guide helped compare many wood flooring options. Since there are a lot of common questions, let’s make sure we answer those while we’re at it!
Solid hardwood can be installed on concrete but it’s much more difficult and requires additional steps. An underlayment of wood is often need to nail the wood down. Also, prevent water damage with a moisture barrier.
However, many other flooring options easily install on concrete. Specifically, Luxury Vinyl Planks as it can ‘float’ on the concrete and is waterproof. I chose LVP for our basement living area.
Engineered hardwood can be installed on concrete though not recommended for a basement level since it’s not waterproof.
If dogs are part of your family, you’ll want to select more durable options that don’t scratch as easily. Laminate and LVP would be great for this reason. Not to mention waterproof for possible dog accidents.
If you want solid or engineered hardwoods, then at least choose a harder wood such as hickory, hard maple, or white oak. (Pine and fir are much softer and easier to scratch).
Best: LVP (completely waterproof).
Better: Engineered wood (handles humidity better than solid).
Not Recommended: Solid hardwood (prone to warping in moisture)
Final Thoughts on Wood Flooring Options
Hopefully this guide helps deciding between many of the wood flooring options out there. Whether you choose hardwood over LVP or ceramic, it’s important to consider what works best for your space. While you’re looking at wood floor colors, you might want to check out my post on How to Mix Wood Tones.
