Solid Flooring Choices: Hardwood, Laminate, Bamboo and Cork

A generation ago, “wall to wall carpeting” was an indicator of wealth and luxury. Today, many people with a choice are opting for a solid, smooth flooring materials, such as solid hardwood flooring or engineered wood flooring, bamboo flooring, or cork flooring.

Solid floors are easier to clean, do not hide allergens like carpet fibers can, are more durable than carpet, and stay attractive far longer than most carpets. Solid hardwood floors, engineered wood floors and other solid flooring like bamboo and cork just offer more advantages than carpet these days.

How do you make your decision?

If your main motivator is price, cork flooring is about half the cost of solid hardwood flooring, is very durable, and has a bold, dramatic look.

If you are most interested in the environmental impact of your flooring material, bamboo and cork are both sustainable and renewable. Bamboo flooring is very environmentally friendly, in that the bamboo can be harvested every two to three years without harming the plant. Cork floors are made from the bark of the cork oak tree, which can survive having its bark harvested every nine to ten years.

If you love the look of solid hardwood flooring but want a less expensive option, you might look into engineered hardwood flooring or wood laminate flooring, both of which offer a hardwood flooring look without a hardwood flooring price.

If your main concern is durability and a lasting floor, you can't go wrong with any of these choices. Solid hardwood flooring, engineered hardwood flooring, wood laminate flooring, cork flooring and bamboo floors are all good, dependable choices for a solid, smooth flooring surface that will last for many years and provide you with a beautiful, smooth flooring finish.

Solid floors offer so many advantages, and with the choices so wide, whether you choose solid hardwood flooring, engineered hardwood flooring, wood laminate flooring, cork flooring or bamboo floors , you are bound to be glad that you made a solid flooring decision rather than carpeting.