There's little better than the look of hardwood floors. The wood warms your entire home, making it an inviting environment in which to live and entertain. You can change the entire look and "feel" of your home by installing hardwood or laminated flooring.

If you're thinking of jazzing up your home with new flooring, you may be pondering whether you should choose laminated flooring or hardwood. We believe you should choose laminate and here's why:

Laminated flooring is made up of four layers: the uppermost of which is the design layer (where you see the pattern or "look" of the flooring. This actually is a photographic image that makes the laminate flooring look almost exactly like hardwood.

In addition, laminate flooring can cost about 25 percent less than hardwood. So you can still have the beautiful visual impact of hardwood but pay considerable less for it.

Laminated flooring also is much easier to install. Glueless laminate flooring has locking tongue and grooves that allow you to attach the planks together, so there's no need to use glue or nails. You'll also be able to walk and stand (and run!?) on your flooring as soon as you're done because you won't need to wait for the glue to dry.

Installation also should go more quickly because the laminated flooring planks are wider than hardwood planks. In addition, you should be able to place the laminate planks right over your existing floor (so long as it's not tile or carpet), cutting the installation time even more.

In addition, laminated flooring usually comes with 10- or 15-year warranties, much longer than the warranties that come with hardwood floors.

You can sand and refinish hardwood floors so that they'll last you a lifetime; you cannot sand or refinish laminate floors. That said, laminate floors are much easier to take care of. Laminated flooring does not trap dirt, so cleaning is a breeze -- you just need dust mop or brush. Spill water? Just clean it with a sponge, towel or mop. In comparison, cleaning a hardwood floor can be time consuming and you'll usually need to use a variety of cleaning products.

If you'd like more information on laminated flooring please contact us, MartinsFlooring.com by e-mailing, calling or stopping in to one of our three Pennsylvania showrooms in Lancaster, Fivepointville or Harrisburg. We look forward to meeting you!