HARDWOOD & ENGINEERED HARDWOOD
When it comes to hardwood flooring, there’s solid hardwood and engineered hardwood. People are always asking which one is better, but both have their pros and cons.
When searching for attractive, durable, one-of-a-kind wood flooring to increase the value of your home hardwood and engineered hardwoods are two great products to consider.
There’s a lot to love about both these options. Each is made from 100% real wood. Unlike laminate or vinyl plank alternatives, no two pieces are ever exactly alike.
Here is some information to help you pick the right wood flooring for your project;
| Engineered Wood Flooring | Solid Wood Flooring | |
| Basics | Engineered wood is a layered product made of an actual but thin slice of hardwood on top of a base of high-quality plywood.
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Solid hardwood and nothing but hardwood, a homogeneous product from top to bottom and side to side. |
| Thickness, Width | Thickness can range from 3/8-inch to 1/2-inch. Standard widths are 3 1/4-inch, with plank sizes starting at 5 inches wide.
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Thickness typically is 3/4-inch. The standard width begins at 2 1/4 inches wide. Plank width begins at 5 inches and can go up to 11 inches wide. |
| Pre-finished vs. Site-finished | Most engineered wood floors are pre-finished, though some companies do make site-finished engineered wood flooring.
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Pre-finished is increasingly the finish of choice for solid wood floors. Site-finished (also called unfinished) accounts for about 25-percent of solid hardwoods today. |
| Sanding | Sanding is one of the greatest differences between engineered and solid wood flooring. Engineered wood can be sanded but only once or twice lightly, before the thin upper layer wears away.
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Solid wood can be sanded numerous times. Eventually, solid hardwood will become too thin after years of sanding, compromising its structural integrity. |
| Installation | Engineered wood is easier than solid hardwood as you have a greater range of installation methods, including stapling or nailing, fold-and-lock, or glue.
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Solid wood flooring is nailed or stapled down. It is never installed on a floating basis. |
| Resale Value | Because engineered wood floors are real wood, they can be advertised as such in real estate marketing materials, making them more attractive to buyers.
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As long as the floor is in good shape, it is on equal terms with engineered wood flooring in terms of resale value. |
| Durability | Engineered wood floors are durable, but not comparable to solid wood. Because the surface is thin, it can become chipped or de-laminated if stressed beyond normal conditions. Yet its ability to hold up to limited moisture helps bring up its durability rating.
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Well-maintained solid hardwood flooring will last for decades. Moisture is the enemy of this organic product. Wood floors do stand a chance of being salvaged after flooding, but they will never perfectly return to their former shape. |
| Moisture | Engineered wood is better than solid hardwood at dealing with moisture. Its plywood base is dimensionally stable, meaning that it warps and flexes less easily upon contact with moisture than solid wood. Fibers in plywood run in cross-wise layers, a far more stable structure than solid wood’s parallel fibers.
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Solid hardwood is never recommended for bathrooms, basements, or other areas where moisture is prevalent or even expected. Still, solid hardwood can resist some moisture. Site-finished wood flooring (as opposed to pre-finished), though, does have a sealed top layer that can shed some moisture. |
| Hardness | Hard hardwoods are the most durable, including many of the South American or Indonesian exotics, as well as birch, maple, and walnut. Soft hardwoods such as pine will not be found in engineered wood format.
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Solid hardwood encompasses a greater range of wood hardness than engineered wood. Hardness ranges from extremely soft and appropriate only for utility areas (such as Douglas Fir for workshops) to extremely tough hardwoods (for example, Brazilian Walnut). |
| Installation Areas | While it is best to avoid any kind of organic material in kitchens, engineered wood can be made to work with proper precautions. Powder rooms are fine. Engineered wood can be installed below-grade with a proper subfloor and, as long as the basement has absolutely no moisture problems. | Solid wood works best in living areas, bedrooms, hallways, dining rooms. While it’s wise to avoid solid wood in kitchens, installation can be acceptable if waterproof mats are placed near sink and dishwasher. You should avoid installing solid wood flooring in bathrooms, though would be fine in a powder room. Never install solid wood floor below grade, in basements. |
| Should You Buy It? | Engineered wood is for those who want the look of wood but who have a practical bent. Engineered wood lets you install it in a few more rooms of the house than you can with solid wood. It has a good return value but, will not have the longevity that solid wood has. | Solid hardwood is for purists who have long-time prospects in mind, yet do not mind installing different types of flooring in different parts of the house, according to need. Solid wood return value will good for many years down the road. |
WHEN IT COMES TO INSTALLATION, IT’S IMPORTANT TO HAVE EXPERIENCE;
Whoever installs solid hardwood floors must have enough experience to leave the right amount of space for hardwood’s natural expansion and contraction. The individual boards can’t be too tight or too loose. If they’re too tight your floor will buckle. If it’s too loose the gaps between the boards will get too wide in the winter.
The main problem with solid hardwood is that it shrinks and expands depending on the humidity in your home. In the winter when it’s drier, hardwood floors will shrink. When there’s more moisture in the air, like in the spring or summer, hardwood expands.
There are several ways to install Engineered Hardwood floors. Engineered flooring is definitively easier to install, in fact, some handy homeowners are even enticed into installing their own engineered floors. It’s still a major project with big financial implications, so don’t over-reach on your home improvement skills. Even for the majority of homeowners who hire a flooring contractor for the job, you’ll save a hefty sum on installation, which is important given that most engineered flooring is more expensive than solid wood.
WEAR AND TEAR
Hardwood:
There are two major factors that determine how well a floor’s surface will hold up to daily life. Those are the type of wood it is, and the durability of its finish.
For example, in high traffic areas, you may want to avoid floors made with softwood, like pine, which are more susceptible to dents and gouges. Instead, opt for floors made of harder wood varieties, such as oak or mahogany. Likewise, the durability of treatments used to finish the floor (varnishes, waxes, oils) makes a big difference when it comes to protecting hardwood or engineered hardwood floors from daily scuffs and scrapes.
Hardwood flooring comes in all types of wood. Make sure to do your research and buy the hardest you can afford.
Engineered Hardwood:
Engineered hardwood manufacturers tend to default to durable wood varieties for the veneer layer of their products. But pay attention to thickness.
A veneer on the thicker side (⅙ inch) is going to hold up better than a thin one (1/12 inch). Especially when it comes to resisting dents. In both cases, the harder/thicker the wood, the more expensive it will be.
No matter what kind of flooring you choose, be sure to pay attention to how the manufacturer (or your flooring installer) treats the boards. Look for finishes that can definitely withstand household abuse and UV light.
Choose manufacturers who back their products with a substantial warranty. A floor they guarantee for 25 years is likely to last much longer than one they only guarantee for 5 years.