Laminate vs Hardwood: Cost, Durability and Which to Choose
Laminate costs less to buy and install, shrugs off scratches and is easy to put down yourself. Hardwood costs more up front, but it lasts decades longer and can be sanded and refinished again and again, which laminate never can. If you already have hardwood under your feet, the honest answer is usually to keep it. If you are choosing for a new space, the right pick depends on moisture, budget and how long you plan to stay.
TL;DR
Cost: Laminate typically runs about $4 to $14 per square foot installed. Solid hardwood runs about $11 to $25, engineered about $9 to $20.
Lifespan: Solid hardwood can last 50 to 100 years with refinishing. Laminate averages 15 to 25 years at best, and some sources say 10 to 15.
Repairs: Hardwood can be sanded and refinished. Laminate cannot be refinished, so damage means replacing boards.
Moisture: Laminate handles spills better. Solid hardwood is a poor fit for basements and bathrooms.
Already own hardwood? Refinishing usually costs a fraction of replacement and often takes a day.
Table of Contents
What Laminate and Hardwood Actually Are
The two look alike from across the room, but they are built differently.
Laminate is made of synthetic materials fused onto a composite wood core, according to This Old House. The “wood” you see is a printed image under a clear wear layer. It is not wood.
Hardwood comes in two forms:
Solid hardwood is one piece of wood from top to bottom.
Engineered hardwood has multiple layers, with a top layer of real, high-quality wood, as the National Wood Flooring Association describes it.
This matters because the flooring aisle is confusing. The NWFA notes that many non-wood products use wood-like imagery and marketing, which makes refinishable real wood hard to identify. A plank that says “wood look” on the box is not hardwood. If you are not sure what you have in your own home, look at a cut edge, such as at a floor vent or a threshold. Real wood shows grain running through the thickness. Laminate shows a thin printed surface over a fibrous core.
If you are weighing solid against engineered, our guide to engineered vs solid hardwood walks through that choice.
Looks and Feel Underfoot
Modern laminate is good. Printing technology has improved enough that it closely mimics natural wood, though This Old House points out that it still feels more plastic-like than real boards, while hardwood feels warmer underfoot.
The differences show up in three places:
Pattern repeat. Laminate planks are printed, so the same grain can appear again within a room. Real boards are each different.
Depth and sheen. Real wood has natural variation in color and depth. A finish on hardwood can be changed later, from matte to satin or from light to dark. Laminate stays what it was the day it shipped.
Sound. Laminate can sound hollow when walked on, depending on the underlayment.
If your goal is the look of wood in a rental, a basement or a low-traffic room on a tight budget, laminate does the job. If your goal is a floor that feels and ages like part of the house, hardwood is the one.
Cost: What You Will Actually Pay
Prices vary by region, species, thickness and the condition of the subfloor, so treat these as planning ranges and get a written quote before you decide.
Flooring type | Typical installed cost per square foot | Source |
Laminate | $4 to $14 | |
Engineered hardwood | $9 to $20 | |
Solid hardwood | $11 to $25 | |
Refinishing existing hardwood | $3 to $8 |
For a 500-square-foot space, HomeGuide puts laminate at roughly $2,000 to $7,000 and hardwood at roughly $3,500 to $12,500 in total.
The last row is the one most comparison articles skip. If you already have hardwood, you are not choosing between a $4 to $14 floor and a $11 to $25 floor. You are choosing between replacing it and a refinishing job that, per This Old House, typically costs $3 to $8 per square foot. That is the gap we explain in why refinishing beats floor replacement cost.
A few cost traps to watch for:
Tear-out. Removing old flooring is often billed separately.
Subfloor repair. Both products need a flat, dry base.
Trim and transitions. Baseboards, shoe molding and thresholds add up.
The second purchase. A cheaper floor that you replace at 15 years costs more over time than a floor you refinish at 15 years.
Durability and Scratch Resistance
Here the answer depends on what “durable” means to you.
Laminate’s hard wear layer resists everyday scratching well, which is why it holds up around dogs and kids. But This Old House states that hardwood is more durable overall and has a longer lifespan, while laminate is more prone to chipping, fading and wear over time.
The key difference is what happens after damage:
Hardwood: Scratches and dents can be sanded out and the floor refinished.
Laminate: It cannot be refinished, so a damaged board has to be replaced, and widespread wear means replacing the whole floor.
A scratched hardwood floor is a cosmetic problem with a repair. A worn-through laminate floor is the end of that floor.
Moisture and Humidity
Laminate is water-resistant. Solid hardwood can suffer water damage if moisture gets through the finish, according to This Old House. Consumer Reports adds that solid wood is a poor choice for humid areas such as basements and bathrooms.
Two caveats keep this fair to both sides:
Water-resistant is not waterproof. Standing water that reaches laminate seams and the fiberboard core can still cause trouble. Wipe spills promptly.
Wood moves with the seasons. The NWFA explains that seasonal humidity changes cause normal expansion and contraction, which you can minimize by keeping the home at a stable temperature and humidity. In Illinois and Missouri, where winters are dry and summers are muggy, small seasonal gaps between boards are normal and often close up on their own.
For a kitchen with a dishwasher and a busy family, hardwood works fine when spills get wiped and the finish is intact. For a basement, laminate or a product built for below-grade use is the safer choice. We cover the kitchen question in more depth in tile vs hardwood kitchen floors.
Cleaning and Day-to-Day Care
Both floors want a gentle routine, and both dislike steam.
Consumer Reports advises against steam mops on wood because moisture and heat may warp it, and also on laminate because heat could damage its plastic surface. For surface-sealed wood, sweep, dust mop or vacuum first, then use a damp, not dripping, mop. On laminate, use a damp mop or cloth.
So, can you mop laminate? Yes, with a barely damp mop and no standing water, and no steam.
Some practical habits for either floor:
Put mats at exterior doors to catch grit, which is what actually scratches floors.
Add felt pads under furniture legs.
Wipe spills right away.
Skip oil soaps and wax-based products unless the manufacturer calls for them. On hardwood, buildup is a common reason floors look dull or sticky. If that is what you are seeing, wax removal is the fix, not more polish.
Installation, Repair and Replacement
Laminate is easy for do-it-yourselfers to install, and individual damaged boards can be replaced. Solid hardwood is difficult for non-professionals to install, as The Spruce notes.
Whichever you pick, give the planks time to adjust. Consumer Reports recommends letting wood or laminate flooring sit in the installation space for one to three days before installing to help prevent buckling or gaps.
Refinishability is where engineered hardwood needs a closer look. Under the NWFA’s program, factory-finished smooth engineered wood needs a wear layer of at least 2.5 mm to qualify as refinishable. Thinner veneers may allow only a light screen and recoat, or none. Our walkthrough on refinishing engineered hardwood explains how to tell.
If you do tear out laminate, plan for the old material. Bulky planks and underlayment take space, so arrange laminate flooring disposal before demolition day rather than after.
Lifespan and Long-Term Value
This is where the cheaper floor stops looking cheap.
Solid hardwood: 50 to 100 years with proper care and refinishing, and it can be refinished several times, per This Old House.
Laminate: an average of 15 to 25 years by the same source. The Spruce is more conservative at 10 to 15 years at most.
The NWFA calls the ability to refinish a wood floor a foundational attribute that can make it a multi-generational product. It also notes that refinishing keeps a floor out of landfills and lets you update color and sheen.
Let’s do the arithmetic on a hypothetical 500-square-foot room using the ranges above. Laminate at $4 to $14 per square foot is $2,000 to $7,000, and if it lasts 15 years, you pay again. Refinishing the same room in hardwood at $3 to $8 per square foot is $1,500 to $4,000 for a floor that comes back looking new. Your actual numbers will differ, but the pattern holds: the more years you stay, the better hardwood looks. For more on this, see why hardwood outlasts other flooring types and our breakdown of the refinishing investment.
Which One Should You Choose?
If this describes you | Lean toward |
You have existing hardwood that looks tired | Restore it |
Tight budget, DIY install, stay under 10 years | Laminate |
Basement or below-grade room | Laminate or another moisture-tolerant product |
Staying 15+ years, want resale appeal | Hardwood |
Want to change the stain or sheen later | Hardwood |
Busy household with pets | Either, with realistic expectations |
A quick rule: if you can see real wood under the worn finish, you probably do not need a new floor.
Our Perspective: Look Before You Replace
We have been restoring floors across the St. Louis metro and central Illinois since 2003, and the most common mistake we see is a homeowner about to rip out a floor that only needed its finish renewed. Floors that look gray, scuffed or sticky are often a dull top coat, old wax or surface wear, not a dead floor.
Laminate is a fine product for the right room. We would never tell you it is wrong for a basement or a rental. But when someone with hardwood asks whether to swap it for laminate to save money, our answer is almost always no. The wood is the asset. A new floor costs several times what a refinish does, and you give up the one thing laminate can never offer: the ability to start fresh.
That is why our tagline is what it is. Before you reflooring it, let us restore it. We use dustless techniques and eco-friendly products, and most restoration work is finished in a single day, with floors ready to walk on in about three hours.
— Kim
Restoring Hardwood Instead of Replacing It
Not every tired floor needs the same treatment, and the right service depends on the damage:
Light dullness and scuffs: clean and buff refreshes the surface.
Worn finish, but the wood is sound: screen and recoat renews the top coat without a full sand.
Deep scratches, stain changes or heavy wear: full sand, stain and refinishing takes the floor down to bare wood and starts over.
Not sure which applies? Our in-home consultation lets us look at your floor in person and tell you what it needs. If the answer is “nothing yet,” that is a fine answer too. Our guide to the signs your hardwood needs refinishing is a good place to check first, and our piece on the $5,000 replace-or-restore mistake shows how the decision plays out.
We serve homeowners in St. Louis, Monroe and Madison Counties, including Columbia, Belleville, Fairview Heights, Waterloo, O’Fallon, Edwardsville, Glen Carbon and Chesterfield. Book an in-home consultation before you commit to new flooring.
FAQ
Is laminate flooring better than hardwood?
It depends on the job. Laminate is cheaper, resists scratches and tolerates moisture better, so it suits budget projects and damp rooms. Hardwood lasts longer, feels warmer and can be refinished, which makes it the better long-term investment for most living areas.
Can you mop laminate flooring?
Yes, but use a damp mop or cloth, never a soaking one. Consumer Reports advises against steam mops on laminate because heat can damage the plastic surface. Wipe up spills quickly so water does not reach the seams.
Can laminate be refinished like hardwood?
No. Laminate has a printed image under a thin wear layer, so there is nothing to sand. Damaged boards must be replaced. Hardwood can be sanded and refinished several times.
Does laminate or hardwood add more value to a home?
Buyers generally associate real hardwood with quality, and it can be refreshed before a sale in a way laminate cannot. Resale effects vary by market and house, so ask a local real estate agent about your neighborhood. If your hardwood looks worn, a refinish is often the simplest pre-sale upgrade.
How can I tell whether I have laminate or hardwood?
Check a cut edge, such as at a floor vent or under a threshold. Hardwood shows grain running through the plank. Laminate shows a thin printed surface over a fibrous core. A consultation with a floor pro can confirm it in minutes.
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