• Laminate flooring gives the look of wood without the cost.Floor image by Einar Bog from Fotolia.com
  
  Laminate flooring is a cost-conscious material for use in a kitchen. It provides the look of a wide variety of woods at a fraction of the cost. While many wood floors are cost-competitive, laminate offers the look of a more expensive floor without the prohibitive cost. Laminates offer a number of attractive characteristics in addition to the price, but they come with disadvantages as well.
  
  

Durability

• Laminate flooring materials continue to improve in quality and their ability to stand up to traffic. While sand, grit and dog claws will damage laminates just like wood floors, laminate surfaces have improved in the traffic level they can handle. Thicker scratch-resistant layers are added to the laminate strips to protect the imprinted design from wear for longer periods.
  
  

Moisture

• According to Bob Vila's website, modern laminates handle spills on the surface without damage because of the heavy protective layer the manufacturers apply to the top of the material. However, do not install laminates in environments with excessive moisture. If you install laminate in a bathroom, for example, where water on the floor is a daily occurrence, it work its way between the edges of the material. The fiberboard core of laminate flooring eventually crumbles if it is constantly wet and retains that moisture. A normally ventilated kitchen where moisture is intermittent and dispersed should pose no problem for the material.
  
  

Maintenance

• Maintenance of laminate flooring includes sweeping and damp mopping to maintain the finish, like most other flooring materials. Mild household cleaners or products specifically for laminate are all that you need to keep the material looking new.
  
  

Damage

• Sanding wood floors that show wear and scratches exposes a new layer of wood and restores the floor to its original condition. Laminate flooring does not offer this feature. Any scratches that penetrate the protective surface are permanent, and rather than sanding them out, you must replace the entire piece of damaged flooring.
  
  

Value

• Though the wood floor and the laminate floor may look alike, the laminate material will not have the same value for homebuyers as real wood. A laminate floor is disposable at the end of its lifespan, while you may refinish a wood floor many times to extend its life.
  
  

Lifespan

• A solid wood floor may last 20 to 100 years with proper care and refinishing. The average lifespan of a laminate floor is about 20 years, depending on the quality of the material. Eventually, the protective layer of laminate is worn away, and this exposes the image and core layers to damage.