This comparison comes down to one core difference: engineered timber is real wood, and laminate is a hard-wearing timber look. Both are popular for good reason, but they suit different priorities and budgets. Here's how to choose between them.
What each floor is
Laminate is built on a high-density pressed-wood (HDF) core, with a printed timber-look layer and a tough wear layer on top. Engineered timber has a genuine hardwood veneer (typically around 3mm of real timber) bonded over a stable plywood-style base — so it's real wood underfoot, with more stability than solid timber.
Durability and scratch resistance
Laminate wins on surface toughness. Its hard wear layer — rated AC4 in our range — is more scratch and dent resistant than a natural timber surface, which makes it superb for high-traffic homes with kids and pets. Engineered timber is real wood, so it's softer and will mark more easily — but it has a trick laminate can't match (below).
Refinishing
Engineered timber's trump card is that its real-wood veneer can usually be sanded back and refinished once in its life, so a tired or scratched floor can be brought back rather than replaced. Laminate can't be refinished — instead it's built to resist the damage in the first place. If you love the idea of a floor you can renew years down the track, that points to engineered.
Water resistance
Laminate's modern surface offers 72-hour waterproof spill protection, which is genuinely useful day to day. Engineered timber is real wood and needs more care around moisture. Neither suits a true wet area like a bathroom. For everyday spills, laminate's sealed surface is the more forgiving of the two.
Look and feel
If having real timber matters to you — the natural grain, the warmth, the fact no two boards are quite the same — engineered timber is the one, because it genuinely is wood. Laminate's printed look is very convincing in a modern home and offers huge colour consistency, but a keen eye will know the difference up close.
Cost and installation
Laminate is significantly more affordable and is one of the easiest floors to lay yourself with its click-lock floating system. Engineered timber sits at a higher price point — you're paying for real hardwood — and is more often professionally installed.
Which should you choose?
| If you want… | Choose |
|---|---|
| Genuine timber underfoot | Engineered timber |
| The option to refinish later | Engineered timber |
| Maximum scratch resistance for a busy home | Laminate |
| The best value and an easy DIY install | Laminate |
Choose engineered timber if real wood and the long-term refinish option are what you're after. Choose laminate if you want a tougher, more affordable floor that stands up to daily life — which, for a lot of busy households, is exactly the right call.
Keep reading
See the colours in your own home before you buy — order free samples — or browse the full laminate flooring range.
