Laminate flooring is an engineered wood product that basically has a wood effect images mounted on top.
The bulk of the plank is made up of high density fibers bound with resin, the base of the board is covered by a moisture resistant backing. This makes the planks more highly resistant o moisture which is a great advantage over real wood floors.
The visible layer on top of the plank is a high-resolution image of wood with a transparent protective wear layer on top. Most laminate flooring is highly realistic these days, top of the range laminate flooring has such realistic appearance that it can be extremely difficult to tell for sure if you have laminate of real wood floor boards.
Here is a guide to help you examine your floors to determine whether they are real wood or laminate:
1. Examine the grain of the wooden floor closely. Natural wood grains are random, so if you have hardwood floors, the pattern of the grain will never repeat. Laminate floors are factory-produced, so every few boards will match perfectly. The more expensive the material, the more variation will appear, so don't give up on finding the matching pattern until you have examined a large area of the floor.
2. Check the floor for scratches and dents. Hardwood damages more easily than laminate, so if the floor is covered in small dings and gouges, it is probably hardwood. Laminate does scratch, so don't assume that a single scratch mark guarantees your floor is hardwood -- but a floor showing signs of frequent damage is probably natural.
3. Look for water marks, stains and faded areas on the floorboards. Laminate doesn't stain the way natural wood does, so if you see water rings, random splotches or discolorations on the floor, it is probably hardwood.
4. Determine how the floorboards are attached. If you see staple holes or nail heads on the floor, it is more likely to be hardwood than laminate, because laminate floors are often glued in place.
Sourced from:http://homeguides.sfgate.com
One of these two floors are Laminate and the other is solid American Black Walnut ~
Can you tell which is which?
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