Which is better – laminate or hybrid flooring?

Nowadays, with so many flooring possibilities available, it is important to find out as much as you can regarding all the different types of flooring to ensure that you choose the best type for your home – whether you are building a new house or renovating your current home.

However, when you start looking around you often end up with two or three types of flooring which could be “ideal” for your home. Then you have to compare different aspects of the two or three “ideal” flooring types in more detail to really find the best option for your home and budget. We’ve found that in many instances where homeowners don’t choose solid timber flooring they end up choosing between laminate and hybrid flooring.

In this blog, we’ll look at some aspects of laminate and hybrid flooring to make it easier for you to decide which is better for your home – laminate or hybrid flooring.

What is hybrid flooring?

Generally speaking, manufacturers create hybrid flooring and hybrid vinyl flooring by combining materials. They, for instance, blend vinyl and wood or stone to combine the durability and water resistance of vinyl, with the natural look and feel of stone or wood.

You can choose from a variety of hybrid flooring brands such as Marvel SPC (with high acoustic sound test ratings), Godfrey Hirst (offering double surface layer protection), and Dunlop (made from 90% recycled materials)

What is laminate flooring?

“Laminate flooring” refers to a synthetic flooring product consisting of multi-layers which manufacturers fuse with a lamination process. With its photographic applique layer, laminate flooring simulates wood. Usually, fiber board and melamine resin form the inner core layer of the flooring material. The Swedish company, Perstorp, invented laminate flooring in 1977.

Which is better – laminate or hybrid flooring?

To determine which type of flooring is better, you have to compare the similarities and differences between the two types of flooring.

What to compare

You have to compare at least the following aspects:

• The overall quality,
• the easiness to install, clean and repair,
• the different styles and options available,
• the “feeling” of the flooring,
• the waterproofing ability, and
• whether the type of flooring dents or scratches easily.

Comparison – more detail

To help you to compare laminate and hybrid flooring we’ve compiled a short list of the similarities and differences between the two types.

Similarities

• Both types offer an advanced and relatively sturdy quality.
• You can install both laminate and hybrid flooring tiles quite easily with a click-and-lock system.
• Both types of flooring offer multiple color and style options.

Differences

• Hybrid flooring is 100% waterproof.
• Both hybrid and laminate flooring are exceptionally durable. Laminate, however, is slightly more resistant to scratching.
• Hybrid flooring cleans more easily than laminate flooring.
• Hybrid flooring has a soft surface” feeling” while laminate flooring is harder on the surface.
• Although both laminate and hybrid flooring prices are less than hardwood floors, laminate flooring is more affordable than hybrid flooring on the whole.

Conclusion

When you have to decide whether you should install laminate or hybrid flooring in your home, it is actually not so important to determine which flooring type is, on the whole, the best, but it is more a question of which of these two flooring types will be the best for the circumstances in your home. We stock and install laminate and hybrid flooring in Brisbane and therefore, if you have any questions or want assistance when choosing the right flooring for your home, contact us.