Hardwood Vs. Laminate Stairs

Price

• Although the price of both types of flooring can vary considerably, hardwood will generally be more expensive than laminate. If you're looking for a budget solution for your staircase, you should use a fully-synthetic laminate flooring. This is made from melamine resins and fiber board materials bonded together at high temperatures. You can also purchase laminate flooring with a real wood top layer for a more natural finish. If you want an authentic real-wood look and are not too worried about price, a hardwood floor will give you the results you're looking for.

Installation

• Laminate flooring is easier to lay on stairs because it's usually thinner than hardwood. While it's possible to buy engineered hardwood flooring with a tongue-and-groove fitting system, cutting thick hardwood planks to fit your stairs will greatly increase your workload if you're planning to fit your floor yourself. Some hardwood flooring planks need to be nailed into place with a special nailing tool, which will add to your work and your costs.

Wear

• The surface of laminate wood is considerably more durable than hardwood flooring. Hardwood floors are likely to suffer more scratches and knocks over time. Since stairs tend to experience particularly heavy traffic, your hardwood staircase could become worn and tired-looking. While this may be a problem for some, others say that wear adds to the character of a real-wood floor.

Finish

• If your hardwood flooring does become worn, you can refinish it -- an option you won't have with laminate. Once your laminate flooring has been damaged, it will need to be replaced. You can sand down the top layer of hardwood flooring and re-stain it with a new varnish or paint.