Looking for the beauty of hardwood without the high cost and maintenance? The best fake wood flooring options on the market today are Luxury Vinyl Plank (LVP), Engineered Hardwood, and Laminate Flooring. These affordable, wood-look alternatives deliver the stunning appearance of genuine hardwood floors but are far more durable and much easier to install.
While solid handscraped hardwood requires significant upkeep, modern faux wood options provide superior scratch resistance, easy maintenance, and in many cases act as 100% waterproof flooring. In this guide, we'll break down the top fake wood floors to help you choose the perfect fit for your home and budget.
What Are The Different Types of Fake Wood Flooring?
- Laminate Flooring
- Engineered Hardwood Flooring
- Luxury Vinyl Plank Flooring
Laminate Wood Flooring Is Kinda Faux
What Is It?
To understand what exactly laminate flooring is or how it’s made, let’s consider the first word: laminate. In the manufacturing world, “lamination” is the process of bonding layers of material together, commonly via high temperatures or adhesives. Laminate flooring is composed of four material layers bonded together: a backing layer, a substrate layer, a pattern layer, and a wear layer.
The purpose of the backing layer is to prevent bowing and cupping in addition to providing water-resistant qualities to the floor. The material used for this layer varies depending on the manufacturer, but a common material used is heavy melamine foil.
You can think of the substrate layer as the core of the laminate board. Its purpose is to both provide impact resistance to the flooring and to act as the interlocking tongue and groove system during installation. Laminate consists of high-density fiber board and makes up the bulk of a laminate board.
The pattern or design layer is what gives a laminate board its style. It is comprised of a high-resolution image, typically an image of a real wood board, printed atop a melamine laminate or paper layer that is then bonded to the substrate layer. The wear layer adds shine and protects the pattern layer from moisture, scratches, and fading and is made of aluminum oxide.
When Does It Make Sense To Use It In My Room?
Compared to other types of faux wood flooring, laminate flooring is arguably the most affordable but it isn’t the most water-resistant. This means that you should avoid using laminate flooring in bathrooms, porches, or other high-moisture areas. It might even be prudent to avoid using this type of floor in kitchen areas to ensure you won’t experience any issues with warping or buckling. Laminate floors are great options for living rooms, dining rooms, hallways, bedrooms, and other low-moisture areas of your home.
Where Can You Buy Laminate Flooring?
For the sake of transparency, we at reallycheapfloors.com think that cheap laminate flooring is a thing of the past and that better, similarly priced options exist such as luxury vinyl plank (which we offer a huge selection of, by the way). However, wood-look laminate flooring is still a relatively common material that can be found in most big-box hardware stores and virtually any store specializing in flooring, both online and in-store. It’s not our number one pick for a fake wood flooring option, but if you find a great deal on some, and don’t imagine a risk of water damage, go for it!
Do Engineered Hardwood Floors Look Better?
What Is It?
Most people are unaware that engineered hardwood is technically a premium type of laminate flooring with a solid hardwood top! Engineered hardwood flooring plank core consists of various layers of material bonded together, all with a distinct purpose. It’s considered premium, however, because each of these layers is made of real wood rather than using less natural materials like vinyl or melamine foil.
Engineered hardwood flooring generally consists of a backing layer, a core layer, a veneer layer, and a finish layer. The core layer is generally comprised of multiple layers of softwood or plywood. This provides engineered hardwood superior stability when comparing it to traditional solid hardwood. Each individual board will retain its shape much better, even in varying moisture changes.
The veneer layer is considered part of the “wear” layer and is generally a 100% solid hardwood veneer of varying degrees of thickness, depending on the manufacturer and how premium the product is. The veneer layer is then typically finished with a stain and/or a polyurethane coat that not only add to the look of the flooring but also act to protect it from scratches and moisture.
When Does It Make Sense To Use It?
Engineered hardwood flooring is more durable and affordable than solid hardwood flooring. It makes sense to use engineered hardwood flooring anywhere you would use solid hardwood. However, engineered hardwood is still a higher maintenance product than luxury vinyl plank. Engineered is not entirely water-resistant or maintenance-free. Avoid using this product in high-moisture areas like bathrooms or kitchens. Even so, it is a far better choice than solid hardwood or laminate.
Since engineered hardwood flooring uses a solid hardwood top called a veneer, you may even be able to refinish them. Depending on the thickness of your wear layer, you can potentially refinish a high-quality engineered floor a couple of times. This also means that you can change the look of your floors each time by simply choosing a different stain option. This is generally why engineered hardwood flooring options with a thicker wear layer tend to be more expensive. Theoretically, you can get more use out of your floors with a thicker wear layer than with a thinner wear layer.
Where Can You Buy It?
Well, from us of course! We have provided a wide variety of flooring options at amazing prices for over 40 years! Most of our engineered hardwood flooring options are manufactured in the United States. Browse our selection of engineered hardwood flooring products to find the perfect option for your space.
Engineered hardwood flooring is well-stocked in most big-box hardware stores as well. Most flooring-specific stores, whether you choose to shop in-store or online will stock it. Be sure you understand the quality of the engineered hardwood flooring you are buying before you order. If you need more information on what types of engineered hardwood flooring are the best choices for your needs, check out our blog article dedicated to the topic: What Is Engineered Hardwood Flooring?
Luxury Vinyl Plank
What Is It? Does It Cost More Money?
Luxury vinyl plank (LVP) flooring is a popular flooring type made of a special mix of vinyl, limestone, and hardened plasticizers. This combination of materials layers together to form a strong, durable, waterproof plank. The reason this type of flooring uses the term “plank” as opposed to “board” when referring to a single piece of flooring is due to the material being much thinner than hardwood. LVP is considered a rigid floor because it is not a flimsy sheet vinyl floor. LVP shares a similar stability to hardwood in its rigid form.
It seems counter-intuitive, but this flexibility and the typical mode of installation both provide a great deal of stability to an LVP floor. LVP floors are purpose-built for a floating floor installation. You can glue down LVP if you want the hassle. There are LVP options that come in a glue-down product as well. You won’t need nails to keep any contraction or expansion of warping or bowing as hardwood can experience after installation. Vinyl plank has a core with heat-bonded limestone and synthetic material in it. This allows it to have some of the best features flooring can have since it’s waterproof, durable, and affordable.
An LVP floor has a backing layer, a vinyl core layer, an image layer, and a wear layer. The material used to make LVP flooring is typically a combination of vinyl, limestone, or wood composite. LVP construction materials provide flexibility, antifungal properties, and UV protection.
When Does It Make Sense To Use It?
LVP is a great flooring option for pretty much any room in your home. Luxury vinyl plank comes in a vast variety of styles. LVP is commonly in production to look like wood, tile, or stone. That means you can find a style that works for any area in your home, no matter the environmental conditions or purpose of your space. LVP is basically plastic, meaning it is waterproof. There would be no issue using this type of flooring in high-moisture areas like bathrooms. It’s extremely durable, quite comfortable underfoot, and typically textured to provide a realistic feel and appearance while also providing anti-slip properties to the floor. The real question is “when doesn’t it make sense to use it?”
Where Can You Buy It?
You’re already here! We consistently provide unparalleled savings to our customers. We offer a wide variety of flooring options. Browse our selection of LVP flooring products to find the perfect look and utility for your space.
LVP flooring is in stock at most home improvement stores. You can also find it at any building supply as well as any flooring-specific store, both in-store and online. Be sure you understand what type of LVP flooring you are buying before you order. If you need more information on what types of LVP are the best option for your needs, check out our blog article dedicated to the topic: What Is Luxury Vinyl Plank Flooring?
Our Fake Wood Flooring Conclusion
We hope this sheds light on the similarities, differences, and uses for laminate flooring, engineered hardwood, and luxury vinyl plank flooring. Please shop our large selection of engineered hardwood and luxury vinyl plank styles.
