 | Aaron McPeak has over 11 years of experience in the floor covering industry, holding various positions including sales, operations, marketing and advertising, installation, and leadership. Other significant experience was with the U-haul Company where he spent 10 years ending as the district manager for Kansas. He is degreed from Friends University in business management and is currently attending Wichita State’s EMBA program. He can be reached at amcpeak@starlumber.com or at 316-941-1753. |
Carpet, Tile & Floor Covering
2007-09-01 09:59:00
Engineered vs. laminate flooring
What’s the difference between engineered flooring and laminate flooring? Can I have a solid 3/4” hardwood glued to concrete? What kind of hardwoods can I place on concrete sub floors then? In one room, I have a particleboard subfloor. Can I have nail down hardwoods installed?
The main difference between laminate and engineered flooring is their basic construction. I will review the basics behind engineered flooring first.
Engineered flooring is a wood option that has been around for quite some time and involves gluing multiple thin layers of wood together to ultimately provide the consumer a more stable, thinner option. The top layer, which is what you see, is the only “finished product” in the planking as the rest of the layers are products added not because of their aesthetics but instead because of how they strengthen the plank. The multiple layers of wood give the product dimensional stability and allow for it to be manufactured thinner which increases installation methods, location options, and to a lesser degree reduces cost. Contrary to popular belief, these floors can be sanded and refinished but it takes a craftsman with a very fine touch as the top layer can easily be sanded through.
Laminate flooring is completely different. I will admit that some of today’s laminate floors look so much like wood that even industry professionals can be fooled but the similarity ends with the look as the construction and overall performance characteristics vary significantly. Laminate flooring is nothing more than a clear layer of protectant, over a picture which is laminated on a backerboard. Sometimes in the lamination process, the manufacturer will texture the product which gives it the grained look that most manufacturers have these days. Laminate is typically less expensive than real wood.
Installation guidelines for these products differ slightly as well. You can install either laminate or engineered flooring over a wood subfloor, as well as solid ¾ wood flooring. Solid floors nail down, laminates click together at the seams and “float”, and engineered (depending on product line) can either be full-glued to floor, nailed, or in some cases floated.
Concrete subfloors are much more limiting as to what can/can’t be installed on them. Although some manufacturers will approve it, I would not recommend any laminate, engineered, or solid wood flooring be installed on concrete below grade (basement). Concrete is always emitting moisture and the moisture levels most basements around here emit due to relatively shallow water tables is such that it can cause damage to these floors. Concrete floors on-grade or above however can be a suitable substrate for this type of flooring. For a floating application (either laminate or engineered), I would recommend a vapor barrier be installed first to block any moisture that might still migrate through the slab. If you are laying an engineered floor that is fully glued, there are glues out there that not only adhere the floor to the concrete but also act as a moisture barrier. Solid flooring obviously cannot be nailed to the concrete, but a secondary “stringer system” of wood can be installed on the slab to nail to. If you would like details on this, contact a flooring professional.
