Many consumers experience love at first site, not necessarily with another person but with teak hardwood flooring. It is completely understandable, it eventually happens to us all. What could have been a terrific love story more often than not is marred when the smitten consumer discovers the high price of pure teak hardwood flooring. Despair not heartbroken consumers! Teak hardwood flooring has a very attractive cousin that isn't quite as pricey and still might keep you satisfied: teak laminate flooring. Is it possible that it is a good substitution for real teak hardwood? That depends on your individual needs.
Consumers are primarily drawn to teak hardwood flooring for several reasons: the gorgeous dark straw or brownish red coloration, the high durability, the ease of care, the legendary longevity, or to increase the value of their home. Some of these goals can be met to varying degrees by teak laminate flooring, while offering a few benefits all its own.
Before continuing any further, it is important to understand what teak laminate flooring is. Laminate flooring is a general term to describe a wide range of flooring products that are primarily comprised of a laminate material such as melamine resin. Teak laminate is covered with a decorative applique to make each piece look like it is comprised solely of teak. The exterior design on lower end teak laminate flooring is generally little more than a teak imitation design, though many higher end products feature actual thin slices of teak on their exterior.
Either way the question of recapturing the authentic look of the otherwise incomparable teak hardwood flooring is more or less possible with teak laminate flooring. It may not be an exact match for real teak hardwood in all cases, but it certainly offers a striking degree of verisimilitude.
Teak laminate flooring is also very strong and weather resistant, just like genuine teak hardwood flooring. This is mainly due to the sturdy aluminum oxide finish which offers near complete protection against moisture as well as the dense inner core which resists denting. It may, however, still be a good idea to place adhesive felt pads to the feet of furniture in order to avoid unsightly scuffing.
A word of caution: never allow water to build up on any form of laminate flooring. Resistance does not mean imperviousness, and the underlying planks may eventually swell or warp over time. Many brands offer additional water-resistant coating to the main plank, but again it is not impervious to moisture over long durations.
A rare situation where teak laminate flooring actually beats authentic teak hardwood flooring at its own game is how easy it is to clean and maintain. Properly installed teak laminate flooring is widely considered to be significantly easier to maintain than traditional teak hardwood flooring. One never needs to oil, wax, or even stain teak laminate flooring.
The jury is still out when it comes to longevity. The landscape of Indonesia is rife with examples of teak hardwood that has literally lasted hundreds of years, and in India there are multiple examples of teak hardwood lasting millennia. It seems unlikely that without proper care that any hardwoods or laminate flooring will last very long and still be serviceable. It does, however, seem to be possible that high quality teak laminate flooring can stand the test of time so long as it is properly cared for and cleaned.
One area where teak hardwood floors have a major advantage over teak laminate flooring is in resale value. In almost all markets in the world the value of a property with authentic teak hardwood flooring is worth substantially more than a similar property with any kind of laminate flooring including teak laminate flooring. If one is concerned about the resale value of their property, then it might make sense to consider the additional cost of upgrading to authentic teak hardwood flooring.
Perhaps the greatest advantage of laminate teak flooring is the price. The highest quality teak laminates will generally still be substantially cheaper than the lowest quality pure teak hardwood. The difference in price varies from location to location and time to time, but one must also consider installation costs and if opting for teak laminate flooring the additional cost of the underlying foam/film layer which acts to keep the planks dry and reduce noise levels.
So to answer the basic question: is teak laminate flooring a good substitute for teak hardwood flooring. The answer lies within each individual consumer and how they prioritize things such as price, longevity, investments, weather resistance, and so on.