Wright Flooring’s Guide to Choosing Between Hardwood, Laminate, and Tile

Homeowners ask us all the time which flooring they should put down in a busy living room, a kitchen that sees a lot of spills, or a basement that runs a little damp. There is no single winner. Hardwood, laminate, and tile each have strengths, and each can cause headaches if installed in the wrong spot or on the wrong subfloor. We have installed and repaired enough floors to see the patterns. This guide lays out how we look at the decision on real jobs, with the trade-offs, timeframes, and costs you can plan for.

How we evaluate a home before recommending a floor

One thing we always check before starting is the subfloor and moisture. We meter the subfloor and the slab if there is one. On a concrete slab we want to see calcium chloride or RH test results in a safe range for the product, typically under 3.0 lbs/1000 sq ft/24 hr for many adhesives or under 75 to 85 percent RH depending on the manufacturer. On wood subfloors we check for 7 to 9 percent moisture content for most species before laying 3/4 inch solid oak. If your crawlspace is vented and damp, or your basement runs humid in summer, that changes the conversation. Local climate swings matter. We often see seasonal gapping in homes with forced air heat and low winter humidity. If you do not run a humidifier, solid hardwood will show it. In our experience, getting the moisture right saves more floor repairs than any other step.

We also measure the flatness. For hardwood and laminate, we want no more than 3/16 inch deviation in 10 feet. Tile needs tighter tolerances, 1/8 inch in 10 feet for large format. If the floor waves, you will feel it and see it. We will recommend self leveling compound or targeted grinding before we install, and we price that honestly upfront.

Hardwood floors: timeless, repairable, and sensitive to moisture

Hardwood is still the choice if you want a floor that can be refinished and will last decades. We install a lot of 3/4 flooring installation Fort Myers wrightflooringinc.net inch solid red oak and white oak, as well as engineered options like 1/2 inch or 5/8 inch engineered oak with a 3 to 4 mm wear layer. The big difference is dimensional stability. Solid wood moves with humidity. Engineered wood handles seasonal swings better because the cross laminated core resists movement.

A common mistake we see is skipping acclimation or doing it wrong. Boxes need to be open and the boards should sit in the installation space, HVAC running as it will in daily life, for at least 3 to 7 days. In a dry winter home, solid hardwood that is installed right off a cold truck tends to gap later. On the other side, in a humid summer, wood laid without proper moisture checks can crown. We often tell homeowners, allow us the extra days for acclimation. For a 500 sq ft living room, the full job with sanding and finishing usually takes 4 to 6 days if site finished, or 2 to 3 days for prefinished boards, not counting acclimation.

Species and finish matter. Oak holds stain evenly and hides wear. Maple shows scratches more. Walnut is beautiful but softer. Prefinished aluminum oxide finishes last longer than site finished polyurethane, though site finished can look more seamless. Costs vary widely, but a reasonable installed range is $8 to $16 per square foot for prefinished engineered or solid, and more for site finished or premium species.

Wright Flooring Inc 2775 N. Airport Rd. #102, Fort Myers, Florida 33907 Tel: (239) 938-9999

Where hardwood shines:

• Main level living areas, bedrooms, hallways
• Homes where humidity can be controlled, 35 to 55 percent RH is ideal
• Long term value, since you can refinish 2 to 4 times depending on wear layer

Where hardwood struggles:

• Kitchens with frequent water leaks or a habit of wet mopping
• Full baths and laundry rooms
• Basements on slabs that aren’t fully controlled for moisture

A practical tip from the field: we leave 3/4 inch expansion gaps at the perimeter for solid hardwood and hit the high spots on the subfloor instead of trying to pull boards tight across a hump. For nail down over plywood, a 15 lb asphalt felt or Aquabar B underlayment helps reduce squeaks and moisture migration. For engineered wood over concrete, we prefer a moisture mitigation system or a urethane adhesive with a built in moisture barrier for slabs testing in the moderate range. Bostik’s GreenForce and Bona R851 are products we have used successfully.

Laminate flooring: budget friendly, good visuals, not waterproof

Laminate flooring has come a long way in visuals. The click systems are strong, and modern AC4 or AC5 rated laminates handle abrasion well. But here is what most people do not realize about laminate: the core is still HDF. If water gets into the seams and sits, edges swell and do not go back. We have pulled up kitchen laminates after a dishwasher leak and the edges looked like potato chips. That is not installer error, that is laminate doing what it does.

Installing laminate is usually the fastest of the three. For a 300 to 500 sq ft space, we can often complete it in 1 to 2 days if the subfloor is flat and we are not moving a kitchen island. It floats, so we use an underlayment suited to the subfloor. Over concrete we like a vapor retarder rated under 0.1 perms. Over wood we use a sound dampening foam underlayment with a built in film if needed. Most laminates ask for 48 hours of acclimation in the room.

The price point appeals to many. Installed costs can run $3 to $7 per square foot depending on brand and trim details. We like products with well milled locking systems and realistic textures. Brands change year to year, so we focus on specs and warranties more than the logo on the carton.

Where laminate works well:

• Dry living areas and bedrooms
• Households that want a wood look without hardwood pricing
• Second floors where a floating assembly helps with deflection

Where laminate is not the right choice:

• Full baths
• Basements with seasonal dampness
• Entryways without a good walk off mat program

A common mistake is bridging rooms without proper expansion breaks. Floating floors need expansion joints at doorways if the runs exceed the manufacturer’s limits, often around 30 to 40 feet in any direction. We have seen buckling in the first hot week of summer because the floor had nowhere to go. We plan transitions and cuts before the first row is snapped together, and we staple base and shoe molding to the wall, not the floor, so it can move.

Tile flooring: tough as nails, unforgiving on prep

Tile is as durable as it gets under everyday wear and pet claws. Kitchens, baths, and entries are all fair game. The part most folks underestimate is the prep. Tile will mirror every hump and dip, and grout joints do not hide lippage. For large format tile, 12 by 24 and bigger, the substrate needs to be very flat. We use self leveling underlayment where needed, and we respect joist deflection limits. On wood structures we install cement backer board like 1/4 inch HardieBacker or a decoupling membrane like Schluter Ditra over plywood. On concrete we check for cracks and movement and address them before setting tile.

We set a lot of porcelain, it is dense and consistent. Ceramic is fine for walls and light floors, but for kitchens and main baths, porcelain is our go to. In wet areas we stick with a quality modified thinset, and we use appropriate trowel sizes, usually 1/2 by 1/2 square notch for large format to get proper coverage. We back butter large tiles, and we lift a tile here and there to check coverage. A common DIY mistake is using too small a trowel and ending up with voids that pop later.

Tile installation is slower. A 200 sq ft kitchen can take 3 to 4 days from backer prep to grout, longer if leveling is involved. Add time for shower pans and waterproofing if we are in a bathroom. Pricing varies with tile choice and prep, but a reasonable range is $8 to $18 per square foot installed for straightforward floors. Patterns, inlays, and large format leveling systems add time and cost.

Where tile shines:

• Kitchens, bathrooms, laundry rooms
• Entryways and mudrooms with heavy grit
• Homes with radiant heat, since tile transfers heat efficiently

Where tile is not ideal:

• Second floors with bounce in the subfloor
• Spaces where you want warmth underfoot without rugs
• Areas with weak structure or where future access to subfloor is likely

We often tell homeowners, if you want a tile look with a little warmth and easier repairs, consider luxury vinyl plank with a 20 mil wear layer in a tile pattern. It is not tile, but it takes moisture and is friendlier on joints. We install a lot of vinyl plank flooring in basements and family rooms for that reason. It is not part of the title of this guide, but it is a tool we use often in damp or high traffic spaces.

Moisture, humidity, and our local seasons

Our area sees dry winters with forced air heat and sticky summers. That swing is hard on wood. Hardwood wants stable humidity, so we recommend a humidifier in winter to keep RH above 35 percent. In summer, air conditioning and a dehumidifier keep RH below 55 percent. Basements need particular attention. Even if a slab looks dry, moisture can move up with seasonal pressure. We use RH testing to make the call, and we do not shortcut that step. Floating laminates and engineered floors over concrete should have a proper vapor barrier. Nail down hardwood over a crawlspace needs a sealed, conditioned crawlspace or at least a solid vapor retarder on the ground with vents managed properly. We have pulled cupped floors off homes with damp crawlspaces more times than we care to count.

For tile over concrete, vapor emission is less of a direct issue for the tile itself, but high moisture can weaken some adhesives used for transitions and base. We use appropriate mortars and make sure movement joints are in place. Expansion joints around room perimeters are not optional, they are part of a healthy tile assembly.

Subfloor realities and installer tricks that help

Subfloors tell the truth. Here are a few practical points we rely on:

• We re screw squeaky plywood before installing wood or laminate. A handful of 2 1/2 inch screws can save years of creaks.
• We run a 6 foot level, not just a 2 foot torpedo, to catch the slow waves that make a floor feel off.
• We mark out plank layout to avoid sliver cuts at walls and to plan board staggering. We keep end joints 6 inches apart or more on laminate and engineered.
• We pre prime dusty concrete before self leveling for a proper bond, and we honor control joints through tile with soft joints in the grout.

Those little steps separate a floor that looks fine on day one from a floor that still looks right in year five.

How installation timeframes and disruption really play out

Most homeowners want to know how many days the crew will be in the house. For a typical 400 to 600 sq ft main area:

• Prefinished hardwood nailed to plywood, 2 to 3 days, plus acclimation before that
• Site finished hardwood, 4 to 6 days, sanding plus two to three coats, with limited access during coating and cure
• Laminate floating, 1 to 2 days if flat and clear
• Tile, 3 to 5 days including setting, grout, and cure time before heavy appliances go back

Moving furniture, removing old flooring, and leveling can add a day or more. For kitchens, plan to pull the fridge and stove. We shim dishwashers thoughtfully. A common mistake is flooring too high under a dishwasher, trapping it under the counter. We measure before we start and discuss options.

Cost expectations that do not sugarcoat the reality

We hate surprises as much as you do. Here is what we tell neighbors who ask for ballpark numbers:

• Laminate flooring: $3 to $7 per sq ft installed for decent quality AC4 or AC5 rated products, trim and transitions included
• Engineered or solid prefinished hardwood: $8 to $16 per sq ft installed, standard species like oak, more for hickory, maple, or wide planks
• Tile flooring: $8 to $18 per sq ft installed, with prep and underlayment driving the higher end, mosaics and patterns add cost

Old floor removal runs $0.75 to $2 per sq ft depending on type, glue down removal costs more. Self leveling and subfloor repair can be $1 to $4 per sq ft depending on how far out the floor is. We price these after we put a level on the floor and probe for soft spots. Straight talk avoids tension later.

Matching your lifestyle to the right floor

A common question we get is, will this floor handle our 80 pound lab and two teenagers. If you are rough on floors and do not want to babysit spills, laminate will resist scratching but hates standing water, tile shrugs off both but is hard and cold, and hardwood can take daily life if you choose a matte finish and use rugs at entries. For kitchens with busy cooking, tile is our first choice, engineered hardwood is second with the understanding you will wipe up spills quickly. For basements that get damp in July, we steer away from hardwood and laminate and suggest vinyl plank flooring with a rigid core and a 12 to 20 mil wear layer. We have installed products like Coretec and Shaw Floorte in lake homes where humidity spikes, and they hold up well.

For resale, hardwood still carries weight. Buyers know it can be refinished. If you plan to stay 10 plus years, a good engineered with a 3 mm wear layer like many from Mirage or Lauzon will take one sanding and keep looking sharp. If you rotate furniture and do not wear shoes indoors, solid oak with site finish can look great for decades.

Why working with a local professional flooring contractor matters

Local knowledge saves you from the pitfalls that do not show on a sample board. We have homes around here with crawlspaces that sweat in shoulder seasons, basements that wick moisture, and HVAC systems that pull RH below 30 percent in winter. We tailor the install to those realities. We specify the right underlayment, expansion gaps, and adhesives for our climate. We have seen what fails and what holds up. Wright Flooring stands behind our work because we build it to handle the conditions it will live in, not just to pass a quick walkthrough.

We are not out to push one material across the board. Hardwood floors still make sense in many areas, laminate flooring fits plenty of budgets in dry spaces, and tile flooring is tough where water lives. We also handle floor repair and refinishing, so if your existing hardwood is worth saving, we will say so. In our experience, a good repair and a fresh polyurethane or waterborne finish can make a 20 year old floor look new again for less than a replacement.

If you want an experienced set of eyes on your home, give Wright Flooring a call. We will check your subfloor, talk about how you live in the space, and lay out a plan that is honest about costs and timelines. No pressure, just the same advice we would give a neighbor who asked us over to look at their floors.