Is it a $700 difference between the laminate and the engineered wood? Or is it 700 sq ft?

If it is $700 difference, then go with the engineered wood.

If it is 700 sq ft, what is the cost difference?

I like laminate over hardwood, engineered hardwood, etc, and have it in my $500k home on main floor, but that is normal here at that price range. I like how durable it is (scratch resistant) and you can also get water resistant stuff now.

All laminate is also not the same. It comes in different wear layers, and thicknesses, and “joining” mechanisms, all which can change the feel underfoot.

Hardwood can have a better ROI at resale (unless your buyer is someone like me who does not prefer it, especially depending on the hardwood). And you can’t assume that if your house is in the $190-200k range you will get more than that because you have hardwood.

If you plan to be in this home a while, go for what you like.

I have had laminate in my last 2 houses because I have big dogs and they can total a hardwood floor in no time. Neither of my laminates felt fake when walking on them that is because we used proper underpadding. The floors we have now do not even look like wood they are so close to looking like slate people actually get down and touch them they even have a texture like slate. Laminate like anything else is a product that you get what you pay for. BTW you can get some pretty awful cheap engineered flooring too. These pics are of my 2 floors.

Denita - Sorry, it is 700 sq ft. The cost difference would be about $2500. The engineered flooring I have been looking at is around $6.50 per sq. ft and laminate usually runs around $2-$3 per sq. ft

I have shown homes with the bottom of the line laminate that has that awful clicking sound when you walk on it. That is a real turn off to buyers.

However, there are better quality laminate floors. Put in a decent quality laminate since that is what works for you and your situation. Don't put in the cheapest of the cheap or you will see a disproportionate reduction in your sales price when you put it on the market.

You might also ask a local Realtor about buyer preferences in your area.

I have an eye for detail and can usually differentiate laminate from engineered hardwood pretty easily. I don't like fake anything, so I don't like laminate floors, and I would not do it if I was planning on a resale in the foreseeable future. Obviously, some people feel the opposite, Just my 2 cents....

Hi! Have you looked at the recent innovation in wood looking porcelain tiles, that are available in all different type of wood finishes. Honestly you can barely tell the difference unless you feel it. With dogs or kids that give it a beating, I feel it is the best choice since an engineered floor will take a beating and needs maintenance when abused.

The wood looking porcelain tiles look like boards but you can wipe them off and they won't scratch or chip, You can do al different designs straight, herringbone,etc

Today the porcelain advancements have been amazing. The color goes all the way through the tiles and they have a process that photographs real wood floors, marble, almost any type of finish desired and it's extremely hard to tell the difference.

Check it out? I think it will be the answer for you.

IMO wood look tiles will be out of date very soon and the install cost is huge.

SJ McCarthy's analysis is correct. If you plan to move in a relatively short period of time, then find out what kind of flooring is typically expected for your comps.

Based on the thread title, you are not designing based on your own aesthetics but interested in ROI. Obviously as a personal design decision, there is nothing like wood floors but it's expensive. Mine are costing about $18 per square foot installed - but part of that is because of all the subfloor preparation required included self leveling layer as well as soundproofing. The moderately good engineered floor were about $8.00 per square foot without installation and were not any kind of exotic wood or finish :-)

I wouldn't install tile because it really is taste specific and is expensive to install and remove.

As an aside, when I used to watch HGTV House Hunters there would be at least one idiotic buyers each week who would insist they wanted granite and wood floors and then would have to ask whether the flooring was wood (it was often laminate in the starter home category) and whether it was granite (sometimes it was granite looking formica). They also didn't differentiate between granite tiles (inexpensive) and slab solid surfaces nor did they ever differentiate between cheap stainless steel appliances and higher quality appliances whatever their color.

As far as I'm concerned, in addition to the cost of doing a tile floor, wood-look tiles are a trend that has passed its prime.

I've been told by a real estate appraiser that laminates do not increase the value on a home, but that wood floors (including engineered) do increase the value.

I've been told by a real estate appraiser that laminates do not increase the value on a home, but that wood floors (including engineered) do increase the value.

That depends on your market. In a 200k market someone is most likely not going to pay more for hardwood flooring over a laminate floor, although the wood floor might sell faster.

In a house that is say 500k, then yes, there might be a difference in the selling price, but it won't be as huge as you think.

In a 1 million dollar house, anything less than hardwoods would be considered a price reduction.

Have you also looked at luxury vinyl planks instead of laminate? Some of the better ones can't be distinguished from wood flooring unless you get down and feel it and it's easy to install and less expensive than engineered hardwood.

If it was myself, I'd go with the LVP flooring.

Lastly we have laminate flooring in our apartment in NY and I hate it.

cpartist - Do you know which brand/collection of laminate you have in your apartment? I've been told that some laminate options are better than others and don't have that hollow "clacky" sound.

The tech has come a long way -- there are certainly better quality laminate floors than ever before. But as someone else suggested, have you looked into wood-like porcelain? These guys have really helpful flooring guides with more details: Flooring Materials Guides

Laminate would be an excellent choice at your price point and with a dog. New owners can change flooring if they wish, and you cannot reliably guess what they would want anyways.

@Amanda Gogolin

The hollow " clacky" sound doesn't come from the type or the brand of the laminate floor. It has to do with the thickness of your floor, quality of the pad and mostly the subfloor flatness. Hope this will help.

@ cpartist

I like the idea of WPC or LVP with good pad attached. Most of them claim to be water, child and dog proof. The designs are so close to the look of real wood floor.