Hardwood floors are gaining popularity among homeowners everywhere. While carpet once reigned as the leading type of flooring, hardwood is now preferred for several reasons. Hardwood floors are easier to clean, won’t hang on to allergens, don’t stain, more durable, and can last for a very long time.
Installing hardwood floors can increase your home’s value, update its style, and instantly modernize your home’s interior. If you’re thinking about replacing the flooring in your home, it’s time to consider hardwood.
RomanR / ShutterstockHardwood Flooring is High-Quality
Hardwood flooring is made of 100 percent real wood. They’re crafted out of wood that’s been taken from trees. As such, you can choose from many different types of tree woods for your floors. The more exotic the wood, the more expensive the flooring will be.1
Regardless of wood type, hardwood floors are a particularly great choice if you’re looking to add monetary value to your home. They can increase your home’s resale value by 2.5 percent. Hardwood floors are incredibly durable. In fact, they can last as long as 100 years once installed.2 That’s a great return on your investment.
However, it does take care and effort to properly maintain hardwood floors. They can warp with water or wetness, get scratched, and wear out over time.
Hardwood or Laminate?
Hardwood floors are the top pick for flooring in many homes throughout the UK. Despite the popularity, there’s another option that looks and feels just like hardwood. It’s called laminate flooring.
These two types of flooring can appear very similar. While there are pros and cons to each, laminate flooring can be a more budget-friendly alternative.
Laminate flooring looks very similar to hardwood flooring. However, laminate flooring isn’t made with real wood. Instead, it’s made from compressed wood or particle board. The particle board is compressed at a high temperature, then layered with a top surface that mimics the appearance of real wood, with grains, whorls, and lines.
Laminate flooring can be more wear-resistant. Plus, it won’t scratch or become damaged as easily as hardwood. Though, it can suffer from other issues and usually lasts 10 to 15 years.
While laminate flooring may not add value to your home, it can be a great way to refresh and update the flooring in need of replacement.3
How Much Does Hardwood Flooring Cost?
Whether you decide to install hardwood or laminate flooring, you’ll be upgrading your home in an important way. The floors are one of the most visible pieces of your home. Therefore, a refreshed floor can breathe new life into your living space.
Hardwood flooring is certainly a financial investment. As such, the cost can vary significantly. In fact, the cost will depend on the:
- Type of wood you choose,
- Amount of labour required;
- Plank size,
- Wood finishing, and;
- Sub-layer of your home’s floors.
Hardwood plans can cost as little as £19 per square metre or as much as £109 per square metre. If you choose engineered wood — something of a middle option between hardwood and laminate — you can find flooring planks for £20 to £50 per square metre. To have hardwood flooring installed by a professional, you should expect to pay between £12 and £25 per square metre.
Laminate flooring is typically cheaper than hardwood flooring. The price of laminate flooring starts at £20 per square metre. On average, you can expect to spend about £600 to have laminate flooring installed in a room that measures 20 square metres.4
Keep in mind that flooring prices change from area to area. They’ll fluctuate based on popularity and availability, the type of flooring you choose, and the installation services you need. That’s why it’s so important to do research before choosing a type of flooring and an installer. You’ll want to search online to discover how much the wood you’re interested in will cost and how much it’ll cost to install that wood with a professional installer.
How to Find a Budget-Friendly Installer
If you’re hoping to cut costs and save money on new hardwood flooring – or even new laminate flooring that looks like wood – you’ll need to choose your installer carefully. While any professional installer can get your new flooring in place, you want to search for installers who offer prices within your budget and experience with the kind of hardwood flooring you’ve chosen.
To find a budget-friendly hardwood flooring installer in your area, you need to search online. You can search for installers and get free price estimates. Also look into installers’ backgrounds, experience levels, and customer reviews. All of this information will help ensure you pick the perfect person for your attractive new flooring.