They both have their places.

Hardwood when budget (and house price) allows. It is the gold standard of wood-based floors. Laminate has its place but it is not a "break the bank" type of floor. A magnificent hardwood can add a second mortgage to a home. Laminate should never cost you your home! There-in lies the difference.

Hardwood = high-end investment that will pay off at time of future sale.

Laminate = budget/install friendly floor that can last 15-20 years (not much added value for investment).

I do not like either but I also live in a 70 year old house that has beautiful natural wood underneath the carpet. I have seen this wood in a couple of closets that were not carpeted. Real wood is the best!

Mine too rollinggirl!

Depends--if it is a high end house and you want to consider resale, go with hardwood. If low or middle or you,plan to stay a longtime and have kids/dogs to contend with, go with laminate m

All of the laminate floors I have come across are junk. They are slippery, poorly done, look cheap, and are too often thrown into homes before selling.

I have yet to see a really good laminate floor! We put a 12mm laminate floor for resale of an old-home that sold quickly, but it would not have been something I would have wanted to live with. It was middle of the road quality, but was solely for resale. It was still awful.

I would love to be fooled by a really good laminate, but it hasn't happened yet. Why buy paper-covered junk when real hardwood is nicer? If you cannot afford hardwood, then do carpet.

Just my opinion. I hate faux or fake anything.

luvourhome, I think there exists a situation where laminate would be a solution. The carpet in my home is in bad condition (as it was when we bought it two years ago). We're planning on ripping both it and the tile floor our in the next year. Hardwood floors would be great, but our neighborhood doesn't really support that kind of investment, especially because we'll be selling in a few years. But we don't want carpet because we have three dogs who love playing in the rain and then coming inside with muddy paws. Between the return on investment and maintenance, it seems like laminate flooring is going to be the best option for us. My in laws have a condo with laminate flooring that everyone thinks is hardwood, to the point where my sister in law thought she was installing the exact same flooring, only to realize she paid for hardwood when the condo has laminate. So maybe nice laminate is still out there? :)