Oak flooring – words that mean luxury, beauty and longevity for anyone in the know. Real oak flooring has even finer connotations as one of the most premium types of flooring you can choose for a property. So is it really possible to tell it apart from laminate flooring, and will it be worth the investment on your part?
Real wood has been around for many years and it’s no coincidence that it has stood the test of time. Few other types of floor can offer the same qualities and the same beautiful finish. There is a distinctive look about real oak flooring in particular that makes it stand out. Laminate flooring can’t compare to the appearance of real oak floorboards. Even if laminate flooring is very high quality, it’s not going to achieve the same beautiful natural appearance of real wood.
What are the features that make real oak flooring look different to laminate?
Real oak flooring has a distinctive appearance but at the same time, it’s difficult to say exactly what that appearance is. That’s because oak floor boards are all unique and the appearance of them will depend entirely on the tree they have come from. While oak floorboards may be treated, they are usually left relatively natural so that the beauty of the wood can shine through. It would be a real shame to have such high quality wood only to cover up its appearance.
The knots in solid oak floorboards set them apart from laminate flooring. Knots in oak are completely unique and no two patterns will be exactly the same. This is hard to replicate accurately in a laminate flooring and it simply will not look as good. The knots in real wood give it such a distinctive character and nothing can ever beat this natural look when working on appearances alone.
The finish of the floorboards will also help to set it apart from laminate. Laminate flooring will be quite shiny and almost like plastic in its appearance. Wood flooring will be more matte in its finish and will look more natural, free from high gloss or varnished finishes. Some people choose to re-purpose older wooden floorboards, which will often be quite dull, but incredibly beautiful. This eye-catching feature of real wood flooring is difficult to forget once you have seen it and fallen in love with it.
How does real oak flooring compare to laminates in terms of performance?
Real oak flooring isn’t to be messed with. It’s tough and hard-wearing, standing up to the majority of wear and tear over a very long period of time. If you want to recover an older wood flooring or use older boards, they can be sanded down and will still retain their beauty.
Laminate flooring is also quite tough but it will tend to scratch more easily. It isn’t as high quality as real, sold wood and won’t be able to stand up to as much. In general, solid oak flooring is going to outperform laminate in all circumstances.