4 min readLaminate flooring landed on U.S. shores in the 1990s, enjoying a burst of popularity among homeowners seeking the premium look of hardwood minus the premium price tag. While it sounded great in theory, early versions had a chintzy, plastic-looking finish that often failed to pass for the natural surfaces they were trying to replicate. There were other issues, including poor water resistance, durability, and fit, and so laminate flooring's reputation took a hit.
But laminate flooring has had a major glow-up since then, and it's making a huge comeback. When you consider the significant advancements it's undergone, and the fact that it remains an impressively cost-effective option, it's easy to see why. Modern laminates have been upgraded in every category, and The Home Depot is at the forefront of the resurgence, offering a comprehensive selection of wood-look options, including rustic and wide-plank, as well as stone-look.
Look and Feel
Gone is the cheap, artificial look of old-school laminate, which fell short of mimicking wood, stone, or whatever organic surface it was trying to simulate. Now, thanks to innovations such as beveling, embossed texturing, and distressed finishes, modern laminates not only look more like particular wood grains or stone varieties, but also feel like them underfoot.
The Home Depot's Pergo Outlast+ Molasses Maple Waterproof laminate flooring, for example, features beveled, six-inch planks with super-easy click-lock installation and a wood-grain finish that'll match a wide range of decors. Like many of today's highest-quality laminate floors Pergo OutLast+ looks so realistic, a flooring expert could mistake it for hardwood, to say nothing of your average houseguest.
Durability
Laminate flooring is built much tougher now than it was in the old days. The modern version is thicker, more stable, and features a denser wear layer that makes it more scratch-resistant. The Home Decorator's Collection Rockwater Oak laminate flooring is a perfect example. With an Abrasion Class (AC) rating of 4, it's suitable for heavy residential and light commercial use. Rockwater Oak is not only highly scratch-resistant, but also resists dents and fading. Add the handsome, super-realistic look, waterproof click-lock construction, and easy DIY installation, and it's no wonder it's one of The Home Depot's top sellers, ideal for any room in the house, including kitchens, bathrooms, and high-traffic areas.
Hybrid Resilient Flooring
Over the last decade, hybrid resilient flooring has emerged as another cost-effective option, providing an even higher level of scratch and stain resistance, along with being dent and gouge proof. It's composed of four layers that provide durability, stability, and waterproofing, along with a highly realistic look. The Home Depot's Lifeproof Hawaiian Koa hybrid resilient flooring is stain-resistant and waterproof, ensuring quality performance and longevity in high-moisture areas such as bathrooms and kitchens.
Hawaiian Koa is one of The Home Depot's most durable lines when it comes to scratch-resistance and surface wear. The 9.4-inch planks have an embossed wood-grain texture and a golden-brown cast that matches the rich beauty of real Hawaiian Koa wood. Like most of Home Depot's flooring products, it comes with easy-to-install click-lock technology, along with a lifetime residential warranty and a 30-year commercial warranty.
Hybrid vs. Laminate
As for choosing between hybrid resilient flooring and laminate, your lifestyle and the rooms you're looking to refurbish will be your guide. Both styles are extremely DIY-friendly, with click-lock design that requires zero nails or adhesives providing a straightforward, mess-free installation process. Modern laminates are thick enough to cover minor subfloor defects, and they won't flex underfoot. Hybrid resilient floors don't require any "acclimation" phase and can be installed right out of the box.
For a wallet-friendly option that looks terrific, laminate is a great choice. Laminate comes in waterproof varieties and will handle routine spills well, but for high-moisture areas, most experts recommend hybrid resilient. Its rigid composite core and waterproof surface
is suited to bathrooms, kitchens, and sunrooms where humidity levels can fluctuate. It's also dent- and gouge-proof, making it ideal for high-traffic areas in more rambunctious households with kids and pets. Finally, hybrid resilient is PVC-free, antimicrobial, and will stand up to extreme cold and heat alike.
Three last tips for an informed decision: First, be sure to use The Home Depot's super-helpful visualizer and calculator tools. The visualizer allows you to view virtual samples and see how the flooring will look in your home, while the calculator tool provides an exact measurement for how much you'll need. Second, it's a good rule of thumb to order a 10% overage to account for cuts as you fit the flooring to your space. Third, always check the AC (Abrasion Class) rating before purchasing laminate flooring. This international grade measures the product's durability: Flooring with an AC3 rating will withstand heavy residential use, while AC4 or AC5 are designed for heavy residential or light commercial use.
Whatever choice you make (and you can vary your selection from room to room depending on your needs), the performance, durability, and installation process of laminate and hybrid resilient flooring are top class. And the ease-to-impact ratio of both is off the charts; you may never take on a home-improvement project this easy yet this transformative. So you're on solid ground (literally), whichever way you go.
