Is It Okay To Install Hardwood Or Top Of Laminate

The key to a beautiful long lasting hardwood or laminate floor is a well prepared subfloor.

Is it okay to install hardwood or top of laminate.

This guide will walk you through the home depot s selection and provide average laminate flooring installation. The more you spend the better quality floors you ll install. If your laminate has a built in underlayer you may install it right on top of the hardwood. Keep your new floors in tip top shape with laminate accessories such as laminate sealants floor cleaner and repair kits.

Laminate planks feature a transparent top layer which protects an image layer right beneath it. You also want to use a quality underlayment in your home to ensure insulation and give your laminate the sound of real hardwood. Considerations for installing laminate flooring over hardwood. Solid hardwood flooring can be damaged by standing water and floods and even installation against concrete slabs is frowned up engineered hardwood flooring is a better choice in these situations.

However the national average for laminate installation is reasonable at about 3 000. No nails or staples needed. Laminate flooring is a great choice for homeowners who want the look of real hardwood at more affordable costs. Engineered hardwood flooring has a locking system similar to laminate flooring so the floor can be floated using an underlayment and or vapor barrier.

It s not recommended that you install hardwood flooring over radiant heating systems as the boards can shrink and cause the joints to open up. Like traditional wood laminate flooring is available in a variety of colors to complement virtually all design styles. It is considered an inappropriate installation for laminate. Steam from a dishwasher has cause delamination buckling and splitting inside of 3 years.

Low end laminate installation can cost an easy 550 while high end laminate floors can climb up to 7 000. Before you install your plywood subfloor first calculate the room s square footage to find out how much flooring you ll need to buy. I would also caution the use of laminate in a kitchen. What s the moisture content in the installation room.

Laminate flooring can be installed directly over hardwood often with no preparation necessary. Spills aren t the only problem. Installing natural floors in certain areas of the house such as bathrooms and kitchens is ill advised but that doesn t mean you can t get a hardwood look in the kitchen. This image can be virtually anything from ceramic tile stone wood to brick.

So instead of solid hardwood flooring consider installing engineered hardwood. Laminate is a photograph over top of some sort of board normally a wood based product.