When planning to furnish your outdoor space, one of the first choices you face is which type of deck to use. The two most common options are wood flooring and wood-plastic composite flooring. This article will discuss various aspects of the differences when comparing wood flooring with laminate flooring.

Wooden floor

There are also many different types of wood that can be used to make decking and railings. Common wood types include cedar, redwood, and pressure-treated pine, among others. Add to this the tropical hardwood mahogany floors.

Wood plastic composite floor

Invented in the late 1980s, wood-plastic composite flooring (also known as “wood laminate”) is a mix of wood fibers and plastic. With the progress of the times and the development of science and technology, the performance of wood-plastic composite materials is getting higher and higher, and the application of wood-plastic composite materials is becoming more and more extensive. More and more builders and homeowners choose high-performance composite flooring.

Laminate Flooring vs Wood – Pros and Cons

Many homeowners choose wood flooring because of its familiarity, availability, and lower price. At the same time, some common problems with wood floors, such as splintering, rot and relatively high maintenance costs, can cause people a lot of trouble. In comparison, composite wood flooring requires almost no maintenance. At the same time, with the advancement of technology, the appearance of wood-plastic composite flooring is also richer and more beautiful.

Here are a few key questions to consider when evaluating wood versus laminate flooring:

Exterior

Due to technical reasons, the early composite flooring has a strong sense of plastic and few colors to choose from, but modern composite materials have a variety of imitation natural wood grain appearances and 3D embossed texture patterns, and products with the same wood grain but different colors can also be produced .

Waterproof

A key problem with long-term use of wood floors is that the planks absorb water easily. Regular stain removal, sealing or painting is required, otherwise wood floors are prone to warping, chipping, cracking and rotting. In contrast, the materials of wood-plastic composite flooring brands have good water resistance, which allows them to be installed in high-humidity environments without rotting.

Maintain

In order to prolong the life of wood decks, homeowners must regularly perform maintenance work such as painting, staining or sealing the decks, which costs a lot of time and money. In contrast to wood-plastic composites, laminate floors only require sweeping or washing with soapy water to keep the panels looking good.

Insect resistance

Unlike most wood floors, laminate floors are less susceptible to damage from termites and other wood-destroying insects due to the nature of the material from which termites and other insects cannot breed.

Fragments

The whole wooden floor is prone to cracking after a long time of use, and it is easy to be injured when walking barefoot on the floor. Laminate floors are made of wood fibers mixed in plastic so they won’t splinter. This is especially important for children who walk barefoot on deck and have sensitive feet.

Price

In general, wood floors are less expensive to purchase than composites, and while the initial cost of wood is lower, when you include annual maintenance costs, after 2-3 years the total cost of wood floors can be higher than that of laminate. Of course, the price difference also depends on the type of wood selected and the brand of laminate flooring as well as local market conditions.

Optional

The color and wood grain of the wooden floor are usually related to the type of wood. The more expensive the wood, the more expensive it is. However, wood-plastic composite materials can be customized in different colors and wood grain surfaces according to customer needs, which is conducive to adapting to different design needs of customers.

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