New laminate flooring

Many people when macking new flooring in home don’t know, how to decide which floor is better, ceramic tile or laminate. We will try to help them.

Both ceramic and laminate are durable floors that would withstand pets and foot traffic. Both come in a variety of styles and price so anybody could find something something he like. However, there are some other things to consider.

Tile floors are inherently harder and will feel colder to the touch. Personally, that’s fine for a bathroom, kitchen or outdoor entrance but it’s not the type of floor I would want throughout my home. Laminate floors have a softer feel and have a small amount of give in them which is easier on your feet. If you usually don’t have shoes on in the house so a laminate will feel better.

Both are easy to clean and very durable but the tile floor will have grout lines that you may occasionally want to seal. it’s also just another place for dirt and dust to collect. The laminate realistically won’t have a seam so it’s just one smooth surface.

Another thing may be cost. Tile can run anywhere from less than a dollar to more than $25 per square foot but a average price is the $3-5 range. Laminates average about $3-5 dollars per square foot at your local big box stores. However, the tile install can cost as much as $10 per square foot while I had quotes of about $1.50 per square foot for installing a glue down wood laminate (and that included the glue). If you get a snap-together laminate which is even easier, the cost should be reasonable. In fact, the install for a snap-together laminate is a DIY’er.

But, if you haven’t already gotten some quotes you can go to Lowes or HD to get an estimate of one versus the other based on material goods and installation price. I would also recommend that you check out a flooring and tile supplier. It seems that Lowes and HD have a pretty good selection of laminates but the tile lacks a little variety…they have lots of tile but it all looks like variation on a theme to me.

Personally, I would go with the laminate but you won’t be unhappy with a tile floor if you decide to go that way. Hope this helps.