Laminate flooring has been sold as a wood flooring alternative for thirty years. The technology has improved significantly — but so has engineered wood flooring, which has moved in the opposite direction from laminate on every metric that matters. We sell real wood. We don't sell laminate. Here is an honest breakdown.
| Category | Laminate | Engineered Oak |
|---|---|---|
| Material | HDF core with photographic print layer and wear coating. No real wood in the visible surface. | Real oak — sawn, dried, milled. The surface you see is the material itself. |
| Feel underfoot | Hard and hollow. The characteristic laminate click underfoot is well-known and immediately identifiable to any buyer or visitor. | Warm, solid, quiet. Each board sounds and feels like the wood it is. |
| Entry cost | Lower. From ~£10–25/m² supply only at the budget end. | Higher. From ~£45–80/m² supply only depending on grade and collection. |
| Installation cost | Click-fit — fastest and cheapest to install. | Float or glue-down — comparable labour cost but requires more preparation. |
| Realistic lifespan | 5–10 years in high traffic. Wear layer is typically 0.2–0.4mm — once through, the floor is finished. | 25–40+ years. The wear layer on engineered oak is real wood — it can be sanded and refinished multiple times. |
| Repairability | Cannot be repaired — the photographic layer cannot be touched up. Damaged boards require full replacement, and discontinued ranges often cannot be matched. | Oiled finishes can be spot-repaired. Any engineered oak floor can be sanded and refinished in its entirety. |
| Property value | Treated as mid-range practical finish by estate agents and valuers. | Treated as premium finish — increases asking price and sale speed in London. |
| UFH compatibility | Compatible. PVC expands less than wood. | All engineered oak is UFH compatible when correctly specified. |
| Wet areas | Not suitable for wet rooms or areas of standing water — the HDF core swells irreparably when wet. | Not suitable for bathrooms or wet rooms. Engineered oak handles kitchen and general domestic moisture well. |
| Environmental | HDF core uses wood fibre but with high resin and adhesive content. Difficult to recycle. Often contains formaldehyde off-gassing in budget products. | Natural oak. FSC-certified sources available. Biodegradable. No synthetic wear coating. |
| 20-year cost | Lower upfront, but likely one or two replacements — total cost rises. | Higher upfront, but one installation for 25+ years. Lower cost per year. |
At the entry price point — £10–18/m² supply — laminate provides a wood-look finish that engineered oak cannot match on pure cost. For temporary installations, staging properties for sale, or budget-constrained projects where longevity is not a priority, laminate is a rational choice.
In a child's bedroom or playroom where the floor will be subject to heavy use, paint, marker, and the kind of treatment that would genuinely damage any finish, a budget laminate makes more sense than a real wood floor. Once the child is older and the room is redecorated, the floor can be replaced with something permanent.
For landlords furnishing a property for a short-term let where the floor will be replaced before a long-term lease begins, laminate keeps costs low without pretending to be a permanent solution. The honest framing is: it is a temporary floor, priced and treated as such.
The click sound. Laminate flooring has a characteristic hollow click underfoot that is immediately recognisable — to buyers, to tenants, to anyone who has lived in a London flat. It is the sound of a temporary floor. Engineered oak, correctly installed, is solid and quiet underfoot.
The swelling problem. Laminate's HDF core is highly sensitive to moisture. A dishwasher leak, a burst pipe, or even prolonged humidity will swell the boards irreparably. Once the core is wet, the floor is finished — there is no recovery. Engineered oak handles domestic moisture variation without this vulnerability.
The 10-year calculation. Budget laminate at £15/m² installed twice over 20 years — including disposal of the first installation — costs more than engineered oak installed once and refinished. The upfront saving disappears when the real lifecycle is accounted for.
The value gap at sale. Laminate flooring in a London property is recognised immediately by buyers and estate agents — and it reduces rather than adds to the perceived value of a home. Real wood in a reception room, hallway, or master bedroom is a premium finish that justifies a higher asking price and faster sale.
One of the most common things we hear when people call us after pricing LVT is that they assumed real wood would be out of reach. In many cases, the difference is smaller than expected — particularly when installation cost is factored in alongside product cost.
Our Timeless Line collection starts at a price point that competes directly with mid-range LVT on a total installed basis. We are happy to give you a straight comparison figure for your specific project — no obligation, no pressure.
If real wood is genuinely not the right choice for your project, we will tell you. We would rather give you an honest answer than a sale that leads to regret.
Get a Straight Price →Tell us your project, your budget, and what you are trying to achieve. We will give you a straight answer on whether real wood makes sense — and if it does, what it would cost. One call, no obligation.