So while the upfront price might be right for laminate, know that in the long run, wood might be a better buy. Wood, of course, can be revived multiple times over its lifetime, with the potential to last decades. RELATED: Hardwood or Laminate: Which is the Right Flooring for You? …but you can’t refinish it.ĭespite technological advancements in laminate flooring, it still gets its look solely from the image layer, which can’t be sanded and refinished when it starts getting worn. You’ll typically find laminate options starting at less than $1 per square foot and topping out around $5 per square foot.

Some look more realistic than others, and some are less substantial in the thickness of the different layers, making them more likely to wear out sooner than a higher-quality product. Laminate flooring can run about half the price of wood flooring but, as with wood, you’ll find a range of varying quality.

Still, some critics insist that no matter how high-end the product, laminate simply can’t compare with the natural beauty of real wood or stone. It comes in a variety of colors, lengths, and widths and, these days, texture can even be embossed to give the flooring a more realistic feel. Photo: There’s an option for virtually every style.Īll laminate flooring has a core layer topped by an image layer, into which a digitally enhanced photo of a natural material is embedded to mimic everything from exotic hardwoods to concrete to natural stone-a major pro.

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