Engineered wood and laminate can look almost the same in a showroom, but they behave very differently once they're down in a busy family home. If you're replacing floors in a Sutton terrace, a 1930s semi in Cheam or a flat near the town centre, this guide explains what actually separates the two, so you can choose on facts rather than sales patter.
Engineered wood is a layer of real hardwood, usually oak, bonded to a plywood or softwood core. The top layer, called the wear layer, is typically 2mm to 6mm thick. That is the part you walk on, and on thicker boards it can be sanded and refinished once or more over the life of the floor.
Laminate is a high density fibreboard core with a printed photographic image of wood on top, sealed under a tough clear wear layer. Good modern laminate looks convincing, but it is a picture of wood. When it's worn or badly scratched, you replace the boards because you can't sand them.
Prices vary a lot with quality, board size and how much preparation your subfloor needs, so treat these as rough guides rather than quotes. Decent laminate often costs around £15 to £40 per square metre for materials, while engineered oak usually runs from about £35 to £90 or more per square metre. Fitting across Sutton and the surrounding area tends to add roughly £15 to £35 per square metre, with engineered wood at the higher end because it takes more care to cut and fit.
For a typical 15 square metre living room, that difference in materials alone can easily be several hundred pounds. The hidden cost is often the subfloor. Older Victorian and Edwardian houses around Sutton and Carshalton frequently have uneven suspended timber floors that need levelling or boarding first, whichever product you pick.
Laminate is very resistant to surface scratches, which makes it popular with families who have dogs or young children. Its weak point is water. Standing water that gets into the joints can make the core swell, and swollen edges don't go back down. Some newer laminates have water resistant cores and sealed joints, and they're worth paying a little extra for in hallways.
Engineered wood scratches and dents more easily because it's real timber, but those marks tend to blend in as part of its character, especially with brushed or oiled finishes. It also handles moisture better than solid wood, although it still isn't a bathroom floor.
Both products can go over underfloor heating if the manufacturer approves it, but engineered wood is usually the better match because it transfers heat well and is dimensionally stable. Check the maximum surface temperature, which is commonly 27°C, and the board's thermal resistance before you buy.
If you live in a flat, check your lease before choosing anything. Many leases in converted houses and purpose built blocks around Sutton require a minimum level of sound insulation, which normally means a specified acoustic underlay. Laminate can sound hollow and clicky underfoot without a good underlay, and your downstairs neighbour will hear it.
Choose laminate if you want a hard wearing floor on a tighter budget, you have pets that scratch, or you're preparing a property to let or sell. Choose engineered wood if you plan to stay put, want a floor that can be refinished in ten or fifteen years, or are laying it over underfloor heating.
Whichever you go for, the fitting matters as much as the board. A properly levelled subfloor, the correct underlay, expansion gaps at the walls and a few days of acclimatising the boards indoors will make far more difference to how the floor lasts than choosing one brand over another.
Real wood floors tend to appeal to buyers, particularly in period terraces and family semis, so they can help a home present well. It's unlikely to change a valuation on its own, but worn or cheap looking floors can put buyers off.
Often yes, provided the boards are sound, fixed down and reasonably level. If they're uneven or springy, we'd usually recommend overboarding with plywood or hardboard first so the new floor doesn't move or creak.
A single average room is often fitted in a day, sometimes two if the subfloor needs preparing. Boards should also sit in the room for 48 hours or so beforehand to adjust to your home's temperature and humidity.