How to Compare Laminate Wood Floor to Hardwood
Nothing warms up a room like the rich glow of wood flooring, and thanks to the huge number of quality laminate and hardwood products on the market today, it's a look that's truly attainable for anyone. Once you've armed yourself with a little foreknowledge on how hardwood floors and laminate flooring products are graded and rated, it's easy to compare the two in order to emerge with the flooring option that will best meet your needs. Does this Spark an idea?
Things You'll Need
- Room photos
- Paint sample cards
- Stain sample cards
- Tape measure
- Pencil
- Paper
- Calculator
Instructions
-
Preparation
-
1
Take photos of the room in which you would like to install your new wood-look flooring, and do so in both natural and artificial light.
-
2
Get paint sample cards for all paint colors currently on your walls, so that you can choose a wood color that will work harmoniously with your wall color.
-
-
3
Decide whether you would be able to self-install the floor you pick or whether you would prefer to pay a professional to do so.
-
4
Measure the room in which you want to install your floor and determine the square footage to be covered by multiplying the length times the width of the room.
-
5
Create a rough budget for yourself by utilizing the square footage you calculated to see how much you can afford to spend per square foot. Most laminate floors begin at around 80 or 90 cents per square foot, with hardwoods ranging from 90 cents to $3 per square foot and more, based on 2010 prices.
Shopping
-
6
Use your rough budget to work with your salesperson, and evaluate only those products in both laminates and hardwoods that you will be able to afford.
-
7
Eliminate any laminate product groups which do not bear an AC rating or which are rated 1 or below.
-
8
Work with your salesperson to eliminate any hardwood flooring options that are not the appropriate grade or hardness for your project. Hardwood is graded according to its clarity, smoothness and hardness, from "Rustic" at the low end to "Clear" at the high end.
-
9
Choose your favorite shades from the products that meet your rate or grading criteria in both laminate and hardwood flooring choices so that you have at least two or three potential options in each flooring type.
-
10
Use your room photo to pick your favorite shade, also taking into consideration such other previously determined factors as price, installation options and durability.
-
1
References
- Photo Credit thin laptop on floor image by .shock from Fotolia.com
