Updated on Apr 11, 2024 8:34 AM EDT
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Traditional hardwood flooring can be expensive and susceptible to scratches, dents, and water damage. Alternatively, laminate flooring is made from composite wood that’s been pressed together, offering the look and feel of real hardwood at a lower price.
The best laminate flooring brands manufacture easy-to-clean products that are more durable than natural wood, making them ideal for high-traffic areas and rooms that may be exposed to moisture or direct sunlight.
I conducted extensive research on more than 20 brands to narrow down to the best laminate flooring options. To make my picks, I compared the specs for each product and scoured through dozens of consumer reviews to glean feedback from customers who have actually installed and lived with these products in their homes. Read on to learn which type of flooring might be right for your home and why the following are among the best laminate flooring products available.
We researched the most sought-after laminate flooring options in their respective categories and chose best picks based on AC rating, dimensions, number of finishes offered, ease of installation, and other special features.
The best-of list prioritizes quality, so our picks have AC ratings of AC3 to AC4. For an in-depth discussion of this term, please see the section on AC Ratings below. Each top pick also has an ideal thickness, length, and width. While some options are thinner at 7 to 10 millimeters for low-traffic areas, most come with 12-millimeter thicknesses, providing durability in high-traffic zones and absorbing sound.
To match the home and a shopper’s preference, each laminate flooring option has a range of finishes, most with individual textures per plank, and has click-in technology for easy installation. To ensure this list includes the best options, we also confirmed that most of our selections were waterproof and resistant to stains, dents, scuffs, and scratches.
These flooring products are at the top of their class for different rooms in the home, featuring some of the best laminate flooring brands in the business.
With its waterproof construction and a look that is almost indiscernible from real wood, Pergo TimberCraft is one of the best laminate flooring products that can be laid in the home. It features Pergo’s WetProtect technology, which waterproofs this laminate flooring. It also has an AC4 rating, which means this laminate flooring can handle commercial use, making it suitable for even the busiest areas in the home.
Timbercraft uses Pergo’s UltraDef technology to achieve the illusion of natural hardwood flooring. This means each plank has different grains, knots, and other inconsistencies expected in real wood. And, at 12 millimeters thick, it also feels like real hardwood underfoot. Pergo’s Timbercraft line comes in a wide variety of finishes, with sizes running 54.33 inches long and 7.48 inches wide.
Get the Pergo TimberCraft+ laminate flooring at Lowe’s or Pergo.
Laminate flooring doesn’t have to come with an exorbitant cost. TrafficMaster offers quality products at a fraction of the price of other higher-end laminate floorings. Despite its budget price, this product still holds up against moderate foot traffic thanks to a scratch-resistant top wear layer.
TrafficMaster strives to make this laminate flooring look like the real thing with textured planks and designs that ensure no two planks look the same. This product is 7 millimeters thick, with planks just over 7 inches wide and around 4 feet long. TrafficMaster’s laminate flooring comes in two attractive finishes.
Get the TrafficMaster laminate flooring at The Home Depot.
A common concern from shoppers regarding choosing a laminate floor is that it can be susceptible to water damage. Nowadays, though, technology has advanced far enough for several manufacturers to introduce waterproof protection to their laminate products. A great example of this is the SpillRepel line from QuickStep, offering 15 wood finishes, each with a fade-, stain-, and water-resistant finish to give owners the peace of mind that their new flooring can withstand spills without getting ruined.
This waterproof laminate’s AC4 rating is suitable for heavy use in any room in the home, including high-traffic areas like kitchens or living rooms. It can even be cleaned with a wet mop without worrying about warping. Installation should also be simple thanks to the Uniclic locking system.
Get the QuickStep laminate flooring at Lowe’s or QuickStep.
Shoppers with busy households filled with children or pets looking to update their home’s flooring with affordable laminate should take a look at this scratch-resistant laminate flooring from Style Selections. The embossed finish adds some hardwood realism while also resisting wearing, scratching, and fading.
Note that this laminate does not come with preinstalled underlayment and will require a separate purchase. Once installed, the AC3-rating wood laminate can easily stand up to heavy residential traffic in any room in the home.
Get the Style Selections laminate flooring at Lowe’s.
RevWood Plus uses Mohawk’s WetProtect technology, which covers each plank in a waterproof finish with water-tight joints that prevent liquids from infiltrating the seams between the planks. RevWood Plus is completely waterproof, making Mohawk’s RevWood Plus line well-suited for kitchens or bathrooms.
With over 40 different finishes and a plank width of 7.48 inches, Mohawk RevWood Plus offers plenty of styles to choose from. Finishes range from the bleached look of Buff to the dark brown of Buckthorn Pine. Multiple layers of texture build up a multidimensional look that rivals real hardwood for its beauty and resolution.
Get the Mohawk RevWood Plus laminate flooring at Mohawk.
It’s the top layer of this laminate that makes this product from Shaw so appealing, or in this case, repellant. That extra top layer provides a water-repellent agent that waterproofs this product. Not only does this product resist water, but it does so for an extended period—owners have 24 hours to clean spills before they begin damaging this flooring.
This product is also scratch-, stain-, and fade-resistant, ensuring it’s ready to take on all a family can throw at it. This water-repellent flooring is a good choice for living rooms and other moderate-traffic areas of the house.
Shaw’s Repel line comes in a standard width of between 48 and 50.67 inches long by around 7.5 to 7.67 inches wide. Each is 12 millimeters thick. The line includes three different styles with multiple finishes for each.
Get the Shaw laminate flooring at Shaw Floors.
With its more basic planks and lack of a waterproof layer, Mohawk RevWood Essentials may seem like a step down from its vaunted RedWood Plus line, but it’s still an impressive product.
The Essentials line offers a wide selection of styles with up to 37 different finishes across a range of naturals, browns, and grays. While it may not offer the waterproofing treatment that its higher-end line offers, it’s also less expensive. This makes it a great flooring option for areas in the home that don’t see heavy traffic or require waterproofing, such as bedrooms.
Get the Mohawk RevWood Essentials laminate flooring at Mohawk.
Whether it’s a home office or a professional office that sees a lot of traffic, Tarkett Home’s Menards-exclusive laminate flooring offers the dent and scratch resistance needed to handle high foot traffic and heavy office chairs. It includes a melamine layer that makes it scuff- and stain-resistant. Depending on the chosen finish, this line has an AC3 or an AC4 rating.
Although this Tarkett Home line offers fewer styles than some other manufacturers, it includes classic walnut and oak finishes suitable for an office. Each plank is 47.64 inches long by either 8.03 or 8.07 inches wide. Installation is easy with Tarkett laminate flooring thanks to its Angle Lock and UNIFIT lock system.
Get the Tarkett Home laminate flooring at Tarkett Home.
Constructed to be impervious to water, Pergo Outlast+ is a great option for basements. Two proprietary technologies are combined in this product: Uniclic joint technology and Spill Protect, which prevent liquid from infiltrating the joints, making it completely waterproof.
It’s rated AC4, meaning it’s tough enough to handle commercial settings. This makes it ideal for basements, kitchens, and bathrooms. This product also features Pergo’s SurfaceDefense technology, which resists scratches, stains, and scuffs.
Outlast Plus comes with a 2-millimeter-thick underlayment attached to the 10-millimeter thick plank, making installation easier and the flooring quieter when combined with an additional layer of underlayment. Pergo also eliminates the telltale look of cheaper laminate products with designs that include realistic wood grain and random wood knots that add character.
Get the Pergo Outlast+ laminate flooring at The Home Depot or Pergo.
There are a few considerations to take into account when shopping for quality laminate flooring, including location, thickness, plank size, and ease of installation. Read on to learn which laminate flooring might best fit your needs.
When considering laminate flooring, there are two choices: engineered wood and plastic laminate.
Engineered wood consists of multiple layers of material pressed together to form a plank. The bottom and core layers consist of three to 12 layers of fiberboard, plywood, or unfinished hardwood. The veneer, which is the top layer, consists of a very thin piece of natural wood.
Engineered wood closely mimics the appearance of real hardwood because the top wear layer is actual hardwood. Depending on the thickness of this top layer, engineered wood can be sanded and refinished up to three times to refurbish the flooring.
Unlike engineered wood, plastic laminate flooring is completely man-made and consists of several layers. The backer, which is the bottom layer, serves as a moisture barrier. The core layer consists of high-density fiberboard that resists dents and serves as the backbone of the flooring.
On top of the inner core is the design layer, which includes a high-definition photographic image. While most images attempt to simulate wood, there are also stonelike laminates. The topmost layer is a clear coat that protects the surface from damage, including fading and scratches, often known as the wear layer.
Although laminate flooring lacks the natural look and feel of hardwood flooring, it is tougher, making it a good option for homeowners with young children and pets. It’s also less expensive. A mid-tier grade of laminate will run about $2.50 to $4 per square foot versus $5 to $10 a square foot for hardwood flooring, according to Home Advisor.
As long as the proper underlayment insulation requirements are followed, shoppers can use laminate flooring in kitchens, bathrooms, and even on walls thanks to its water-resistant qualities.
When shopping for flooring, the terms “high pressure” and “direct pressure” may crop up.
The Abrasion Criteria (AC) rating is invaluable when determining the durability of a laminate flooring product. “AC” is the abbreviation for the Abrasion Criteria rating, which is based on a scale of one to five, with five being the highest. Most residential laminate flooring will have a rating of AC3 or AC4.
Laminate flooring varies in thickness between 7 and 12 millimeters. Thicker laminate flooring covers uneven areas in the subfloor as it resists bending and feels more like a real hardwood floor. Thicker laminate also does a better job of absorbing noise. Keep in mind that some manufacturers will include the underlayment in the listed thickness of their flooring, while others may not.
Most laminate flooring planks are about 4 feet long and range in width from narrow planks that are only 3 inches wide to wider planks up to 7 inches wide or more. Keep in mind that wider planks are notoriously more challenging to install than narrower planks. They are harder to snap together with end joints that resist staying flush with each other.
You’re more likely to feel gaps under the planks with wider boards, especially if the subfloor or concrete pad is uneven. Use narrower planks to help open up smaller rooms, while wider planks are better suited for larger spaces and open floor plans.
The goal of the texture and finish of laminate flooring is to look as much like real hardwood flooring as possible. Engineered hardwood flooring does the best job of mimicking natural hardwood flooring because it uses actual hardwood as its topmost layer. Thus, it possesses the actual wood grain and texture that makes hardwood so attractive.
Plastic laminate doesn’t use actual wood, so manufacturers have to get creative to give it the appearance of real wood. Thanks to modern technology, designers can use high-definition printing and embossing techniques to replicate natural wood and stone. Laminate flooring won’t make people sneeze as it doesn’t hold dirt or dust like carpet and is resistant to mold and bacteria.
Similar to traditional hardwood, most laminate flooring comes in a variety of finishes, including walnut, cherry, hickory, chestnut, pine, maple, and oak.
Laminate flooring is perfect for anyone with a do-it-yourself attitude. This product is thin, lightweight, and easy to work with. Laminate flooring uses a snap-and-lock installation process, which eliminates the need for nails or glue. “Float” laminate flooring can also be used over existing floors, with the exception of carpet, eliminating the headache of having to tear up old flooring. As long as the subfloor is smooth and clean, most DIYers can update their flooring in just 1 day.
Remember, underlayment must be installed over the subfloor before laying down the laminate flooring unless the flooring itself includes an underlayment layer. If choosing to install the flooring as a DIY project, shoppers will need a chop saw and a table saw to make the necessary cuts for proper laminate flooring installation.
Note that some brands offer laminate flooring with preinstalled underlayment already attached to the planks for easier installation without the hassle of purchasing separate items.
For shoppers not looking to take on such a daunting project as installing their own flooring, many stores offer laminate flooring installation services at an additional cost, such as Lowe’s or The Home Depot.
Although traditional hardwood flooring certainly has its appeal, there are quite a few advantages of choosing laminate floors. Because laminate flooring consists of pressed wood that resists dents, scratches, and moisture, it’s more durable than standard hardwood. Some laminates are even waterproof, allowing this product to be used in areas that may get wet such as laundry rooms, kitchens, and bathrooms.
Laminate flooring is also easy to clean with a broom and a damp mop, and there’s no need to buy special wax or other floor-cleaning products.
Laminate flooring is significantly cheaper than hardwood flooring and easier to install. Most wood floors cost between $12 and $20 per square foot installed, compared to $2 to $8 a square foot to install laminate flooring, according to Fixr.
If you still have lingering questions about installing laminate flooring, here are some frequently asked questions to help.
While it’s possible to lay laminate flooring in any direction in a room, the accepted way of doing it is to run the boards parallel to the room’s longest wall. Diagonal installations can add some wow factor to a space, but it’s typically more difficult to accurately cut and install on an angle.
Installing laminate flooring is easier than you might expect. With the right tools, this is a job most DIYers can accomplish in a weekend. Most brands feature a simple click-and-lock system that easily connects the planks together.
It is recommended that you avoid laying down laminate flooring in any place with excess moisture, such as bathrooms, laundry rooms, or wet rooms of any kind in your home.
To ensure that the laminate flooring remains laid properly and will last long term, it is recommended that you wait 24 hours after installation before walking on it. This gives the flooring time to acclimate to the environment and settle.
It is always safe to mop laminate floors. However, it is recommended that the mop should be damp rather than wet, as any excess moisture could damage some finishes. Some laminate flooring options are waterproof, though, and can handle moderate moisture from a wet mop.
Removing many types of flooring is a laborious process, but removing laminate flooring is a comparatively easy task.
The life of laminate flooring depends on various factors, including the amount of traffic and the quality of the flooring. That said, laminate flooring should last between 15 and 25 years.
We’re committed to testing and reviewing products so you can make an informed decision. Advertising does not influence our product reviews and it never will. We always focus our coverage on standout products and never hesitate to mention their flaws and quirks. By using our affiliate links, you’re supporting our work and helping us continue to provide expert analysis. Find out more about our product evaluation process.
By Savannah Sher, Kristen Mosier
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