Laminate and engineered wood are floors that are often confused for each other. One thing is clear: neither are "real wood," in the sense of being 100% sawn wood like solid hardwood flooring.

Past that point, the distinction gets murky. What's the difference between the two, and which one is better for your own needs?

Basement and Below Grade Before installing any flooring option, make sure there are no moisture issues with the concrete slab. If there are, laminate and wood wouldn't be good choices, because they tend to absorb water. Resilient vinyl floors are often used in basements because vinyl is unaffected by moisture and is low maintenance.

Engineered wood or laminate flooring, above a moisture barrier, will also work. If moisture isn't an issue, carpet will help keep the room warm.

Metal Metal floors often have a very smooth surface finish which results in a high slip potential when contaminated. The addition of a raised profile pattern does not necessarily improve slip resistance, the sole of footwear needs to interlock with the profile pattern for this to happen.

You can increase the level of surface roughness and slip resistance by sand blasting. This kind of treatment can wear, so will need to be monitored and may need repeating.