What to look for when shopping for hardwood and laminate flooring

Let's tackle hardwood first. Basically, there are two types of hardwood floors to consider - Solid and Engineered. Many people have the mistaken idea that solid hardwood is the better choice. Really, that could not be further from the truth. Solid hardwood flooring can be quite susceptible to problems from moisture and temperature. Whereas engineered hardwood is much more stable in the presence of moisture and temperature extremes.

When shopping for either type, ask how many coats of urethane finish was applied to the surface of the wood. Some of the cheaper varieties only use three coats, where the higher-grade hardwood floors will have 7 or 8 coats or more. When looking at solid hardwood floors, check the grade of the hardwood. At one end of the grading system you will find wood that has no knots or mineral streaks, lending itself to a more formal look. At the other end of the spectrum is wood that has many knots and mineral streaks, looking good in a more rustic environment. Neither type is better than the other. It is merely a matter of personal taste.

For engineered hardwood flooring, aside from the number of urethane layers applied, you want to look at how thick the top layer of wood is. Some of the cheaper varieties have a paper-thin layer of wood. That is not good for the long-haul. Try to get as thick a top layer as your budget will allow.

Next, let's consider laminate flooring. This one is a bit tougher because most laminate floors look quite similar to each other in the way they are constructed. The best thing I can tell you is to stick with brandnames that have a high reputation for quality, such as Mohawk and Quick Step to name a couple. In general the better laminates as compared to the cheap ones will have a much higher quality coreboard and a thicker, tougher wear-layer on top.

Hopefully this will give you some things to look for when shopping for your next floor. One last bit of advice is regarding laminate underlayments. Get one with a built-in moisture barrier. And consider a premium grade underlayment if having a quiet floor matters to you. If it doesn't, then grab the one with a good sale price.