For those who dwell in Miami or South Florida generally and are contemplating changing your flooring with wooden floors, take the time to do your homework on whether or not it is best to select hardwood flooring or laminate wooden flooring. Whilst you might want the look of a hardwood over laminate wooden, there are variations within the set up, upkeep and put on and tear of every kind of flooring. Contemplating the subtropical local weather in South Florida, one explicit wooden flooring possibility might emerge as the best alternative.
Hardwood
It’s true that hardwood flooring are made out of actual wooden and due to this fact have the look of actual wooden. In northern states, hardwood flooring work, however the issue with putting in hardwood in South Florida is the humidity. Hardwood retains moisture, which might trigger the ground to warp. This isn’t to say the expense of hardwood over laminate or that putting in hardwood flooring is extra difficult than putting in laminate Solid wood flooring. Tougher set up additionally means you are not solely going to pay extra for the supplies, however you are additionally going to pay extra for the set up.
Laminate
Whereas laminate wooden floors should not actual or pure wooden, a majority of these wooden floors have a number of advantages, particularly in South Florida. The wooden materials look alike used to create laminate flooring tends to be water resistant, which is an enormous bonus in South Florida with the humidity, rain, flooding and hurricanes. Second, wooden laminate is less complicated to put in than hardwood flooring, so you aren’t solely going to pay much less for the supplies however you are additionally going to save lots of on the set up. The draw back of those flooring is that the wooden laminate can chip, however it doesn’t scratch and dent like hardwood flooring do.
Hardwood vs. Laminate Wooden Flooring
Hardwood
Moisture: Humidity and moisture warps the wooden (HINT: South Florida is VERY humid.).
Set up: Troublesome
Sturdiness: Dents, scratches and fades, however may be refinished.
Longevity: 80 years
Laminate
Moisture: Most are water resistant, however verify with the producer or provider.
Set up: Simpler to put in than hardwood and comes with choices for set up, together with glue-less.
Sturdiness: Doesn’t dent and scratch, however can chip. Refinishing is feasible with some wooden laminates.
Longevity: 20 years
In much less humid and moist areas of the nation hardwood flooring is a high-quality alternative. With the excessive humidity and water points South Florida offers with every day, wooden laminate undoubtedly pulls out forward because the main alternative for wooden flooring.