One of the choices that you will face when planning for your home remodeling projects is whether or not to use laminate flooring or wood flooring. Both add warmth to your home, both look and feel lush, but each option brings with it some pros and cons. As you organize which projects to do and how to budget your money, try creating a chart of what is important to you.

With wood floors there is an immediate opulence. All of the great and historical homes had and have wood floors. Finding a home with original wood floors is like finding a buried gem.

Wood flooring is also a benefit to our environment. With the cost of so many utilities increasing one way of keeping your heating bills low is to have the extra insulation that solid wood floors would bring. Planks are also available from recycled wood from either remodeled historic landmarks or schools.

The cost of wood floors is decidedly high. Twenty-four planks can run from as low as ninety-three dollars to as high as five hundred dollars. The installation is pricey as well. Solid hard wood floors require specialists with unique tools to do the installation for you. More costs are incurred when you factor in treating and staining the wood. There is also the cost of time factored in with this extra labor. A typical living room can cost as much as twenty five dollars per square feet. That does not include all of the extras that can make the final bill add up (like the cost of moving furniture and removing carpet).

Laminate flooring, while less impressive, is considerably less expensive. Bulk planks can be purchased from as low as thirty dollars to as high as eighty. This cost usually includes shipping and as there is no need to treat laminate wood, there is no added cost for staining and treatments.

While you can easily hire a professional to install your laminate flooring, the beauty of it is that you don't need to. A pro can have you ready to go in a day, but since the install is relatively simple, so can you.

Laminate flooring is pretty new to the market in the United States. Long on the scene in Europe (since the seventies) most consumers are surprised to learn that there is such a thing as wood laminate floors. Mention the word, 'pergo', and then it makes sense.

The laminate floor is comprised of three levels. First there is the surface level, followed by the core and finally the backing. The surface level is made up of sturdy aluminum oxide and the wood pattern is usually a high quality photograph. The core varies from manufacturer to manufacturer, but it is most often high-density fiberboard. The backing will vary depending on what sort of installation you are doing. Some require just contact to contact in order to adhere, but in places where moisture is a problem heat can be applied to create a stronger bond.

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About the Author

Natalie Aranda writes on home improvement.