Laminate vs
Real Wood.

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.

Short answer: Laminate is a printed image of wood on a fibreboard core: cheaper to buy, but it cannot be sanded, can sound hollow and is replaced rather than restored. Engineered wood has a real oak surface that can be sanded and refinished for decades, feels warmer and quieter, and adds more to the appeal of a home. Updated October 2026 by the LIGNORA flooring team

Cost ComparisonDurabilityProperty ValueFeel & SoundLifespan

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Side by Side

The Honest
Numbers

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, especially at the budget end.	Higher, 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.

Where Laminate Has Genuine Advantages

When Laminate is
a Reasonable Choice

Very Low Budget Projects

At the entry price point, 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.

Children's Rooms

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.

Short-Term Tenancies

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 Real Wood Case

What Laminate Suppliers
Don't Tell You

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 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.

Real wood at a
price that surprises.

A lot of people who call us after pricing laminate assume real wood is simply out of budget. More often than not it is closer than they expect once the full installed cost is compared like for like.

Our Timeless Line starts at a price that sits right alongside mid-range laminate on a fully installed basis — and unlike laminate, it can be sanded and refinished rather than replaced.

If laminate is honestly the better call for your project — a short-term let, say, or a tight budget — we'll say so. We would rather lose the sale than sell you the wrong floor.

Still deciding between carpet and a hard floor? See carpet vs wood flooring.

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Laminate or Real Wood,
Answered

The questions we are asked most often.

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Is real wood flooring better than laminate?

For most homes, yes. Real wood can be sanded and refinished, feels warmer and quieter underfoot and usually adds more to the appeal of a home. Laminate is cheaper and quicker to fit, which can make sense for a short-term let or a tight budget.

Is laminate cheaper than engineered wood flooring?

To buy, usually. Once fitting, underlay and lifespan are counted the gap narrows: laminate is replaced once its surface wears through, while engineered oak is sanded and refinished.

Can laminate flooring be sanded?

No. The wood effect is a printed layer under a thin protective coating, so once that is worn or scratched through the board has to be replaced. Engineered oak has a real oak surface that can be sanded and refinished.

How can you tell laminate from real wood?

Look at the end of a board: laminate shows a fibreboard core under a printed surface, while engineered wood shows a layer of real timber on top. Real wood grain never repeats exactly, while laminate patterns repeat every few boards.