Engineered hardwood floors are suitable for installation on all levels of the home and over plywood, wood, OSB and concrete subfloors. Engineered wood flooring looks very much like solid hardwood, but its construction features a relatively thin layer of hardwood bonded over a premium-quality plywood layer that gives the flooring very good stability. Some engineered wood flooring is also installed with the same nail-down methods used for solid hardwood, but there are also forms with "click-lock" edges that can be installed as a "floating floor." Solid hardwood may hold a slight edge in prestige for some people, but the lower cost and easier installation of engineered wood flooring give it the edge for others. Engineered wood may even rival solid hardwood for prestige, though knowledgeable home-buyers will recognize that it does not have the longevity that solid hardwood does. Solid hardwood is known to warp and expand, especially if humidity exceeds 60% or so within the home. Solid hardwood is a solid piece of hardwood. It can be installed on the basement floor and other places prone to humidity. The typical range engineered hardwood flooring is $2.50 to $10 per square foot, with most types falling in the $4 to $7 per square foot range. However, you may find it's worth it to invest in hardwood for its longer durability. Design Options There are more than 50 domestic and exotic species available to choose from for solid hardwood—from historic favorites like maple, red and white oak, and pine to more modern options like bamboo (not technically a wood, but listed as one), jarrah, and purpleheart. They are also better suited for installing over in-floor heating systems. Engineered however, I have a piece here, is you have a thinner layer on top of the real hardwood, in this case it's oak. Neither material is recommended installation for truly wet locations. Both solid hardwood and engineered hardwood are premium flooring materials that add good real estate value to your home. When it comes to hardwood flooring, there’s solid hardwood and engineered hardwood. The choice between solid hardwood floors and engineered wood planks can surprise homeowners when they first sit down with a contractor. In this episode, we discuss solid hardwood vs engineered hardwood, which Is better for your home? Solid hardwood may have the edge here, since it lasts longer than engineered hardwood flooring. The layers typically include a top veneer of hardwood backed by less expensive layers of plywood—although some manufacturers use substrates made from recycled wood fibers mixed with stone dust for improved durability and stability. Prefinished solid wood floors initially cost more than unfinished wood flooring—about $2 per square foot for a good grade of red oak. Solid wood flooring comes in long planks, usually made of a hardwood species. By using The Spruce, you accept our, Solid Wood Flooring vs. The edge here goes to engineered hardwood flooring, but the difference is not huge. Solid hardwood flooring boards tend to be narrower than engineered hardwood flooring. These may offer better durability, have a thicker top layer that allows for more sanding and refinishing, or have unique designs. Engineered hardwood floors are … Engineered flooring is somewhat less expensive than solid hardwood, but most types can be sanded and refinished only once since the surface hardwood layer is relatively thin. There is no particular winner here, unless you have a particular preference for narrower boards (in which case solid hardwood will be preferable for you), or wider boards (in which case engineered hardwood flooring will be a better choice). Solid hardwood is not recommended for installation against concrete slabs, since humidity migrating through the concrete can cause solid hardwood to swell and warp. Therefore, the product is often the preferred choice for kitchens and bathrooms or in areas where the humidity level can vary—like in a basement or a part of the house below grade, as long as a moisture barrier is placed between the subfloor and the hardwood planks. 2. Solid hardwood is slightly superior here, since it can be sanded down and refinished several times over its lifespan. Solid hardwood flooring is available in a wide array of wood species—including oak, maple, and black walnut as well as regional-specific choices like pecan, mesquite and others. If installation against a concrete subfloor is necessary, engineered hardwood is the choice. There are some advantages that engineered hardwood enjoys over solid wood, and in this blog post we will try to determine which the better option of the two is. Article content. Floorboards tend to be wider with engineered hardwood flooring. If you’re installing hardwood flooring in a lower level of your home or in an area where moisture or high (or low) humidity might be an issue, then you’re going to want to stick with engineered hardwood. The main difference between engineered and solid wood flooring is in the construction of the planks. It is always nailed down to the subfloor, a process that requires some skill. It offers the same look as traditional hardwood, but is less likely to warp, shrink or expand over time and when wet. Engineered Hardwood. For both types of flooring, installation labor can add $3 to $10 per square foot, depending on prevailing labor costs in your area and the complexity of the room layout. The colors, grai… Care and cleaning of this flooring look the same as for solid hardwood: sweeping or vacuuming, and occasional damp-mopping with a wood cleaner. DIYers find that the click-lock or glue-down forms of engineered hardwood are easier to work with than the nail-down methods used for solid hardwood. Solid hardwood typically lasts at least 30 years and as much as 100 years, since it can be sanded down and refinished several times. Engineered hardwood is often (but not always) more stable. Hardwood Flooring Guide: Engineered vs Solid Wood Flooring The market for flooring options today is broader than it has been at any time previously. Engineered hardwood flooring comes out the winner here, since its plywood base is less susceptible to warping caused by moisture. Engineered hardwood is a bit better than solid hardwood in terms of waterproof. Further, engineered wood uses less hardwood, a fact that appeals to environmentally conscious consumers. Engineered Wood. Solid hardwood generally has very tight seams between boards, and there is a great range of colors and species than is found with engineered hardwood flooring. Engineered hardwood is a great alternative to solid hardwood in a rainy climate. Quality: Ove… She has worked as a writer and editor at Yahoo, the Los Angeles Times, and Newsday. Installation of hardwood is much more complicated than installing engineered, adding to the cost. Engineered hardwood flooring generally lasts 20 to 30 years. Get quick and easy access to your home value, neighborhood activity and financial possibilites. Many homeowners believe that engineered wood flooring is a lesser quality product, as opposed to solid wood flooring.This belief has been created by the mass production of engineered floors that are typically sold at liquidator flooring stores, home improvement stores, and discount flooring stores. (This sets engineered wood apart from laminate flooring, which only uses a photographic layer for its veneer, and bamboo flooring, which actually contains no hardwood.) It usually made of a hardwood species, such as oak, maple, or walnut, and its major advantage is that it can be sanded and refinished many times over the course of its lifespan. Both types offer a beautiful finish and will increase the value of your home—as long as they are installed correctly and maintained properly over the duration of your ownership. Hardwood planks classified as “engineered” feature multiple layers (typically three to five) bonded together under extreme heat and pressure. Lee has over two decades of hands-on experience remodeling, fixing, and improving homes, and has been providing home improvement advice for over 12 years. If it's a maple, for example, [00:01:00] it is maple all the way through and through. The top layer is usually hardwood veneer, but can also be composed of any hardwood you want, such as cherry, maple or oak. Get daily tips and tricks for making your best home. Engineered wood is significantly cheaper than solid hardwood and can be quickly adhered to another wooden surface, a concrete floor or a soundproofing mat. Introducing "One Thing": A New Video Series, The Spruce Gardening & Plant Care Review Board, The Spruce Renovations and Repair Review Board. Whereas hardwood flooring is made of a solid piece of wood, engineered planks employ only a veneer of real hardwood. The key difference between real hardwood and engineered hardwood is the construction: one is totally natural, and one is man-made. Solid wood flooring is available in strips (1.5″ – 3″ wide), planks (3″ – 7″ wide), and parquet squares, strip flooring being by far the most popular among homeowners. It looks like Cookies are disabled in your browser. Solid hardwood flooring holds the edge here since it can be sanded and refinished several times over the course of its lifespan. Because of the way engineered hardwood is processed, it is not as affected by humidity as solid wood planks are. And, because the layers are perpendicular to each other, there is usually less expansion and contraction, so it allows for a tighter fit, especially during the winter when it’s more dry. While real hardwood is solid all the way through, engineered flooring comes with a genuine wood veneer at the top and artificial materials for the base. Standard hardwood flooring planks are 3/4 inch thick, 2 1/4 inches wide, and sold n various lengths from 12 to 84 inches. Ted Gregerson of Ted's Abbey Carpet & Floor gives you the answer. Contrary to popular belief, engineered wood is not \"fake\" wood. Engineered Wood Flooring Comparison Guide, Hardwood Flooring in Bedrooms Review: Pros and Cons, Laminate vs. Engineered hardwood flooring is slightly less expensive than solid hardwood. Solid wood flooring can last 100 years or longer, and rarely needs to be replaced. 1. Both types of hardwood have good resistance to heat. Engineered wood flooring was once regarded as a pale imitation of solid hardwood, but improvements in the product quality have eliminated this perception. There are certain areas of the house, where we would recommend using engineered hardwood instead of the solid variety and all of it boils down to usage and what moisture conditions the floors are exposed to. For the best experience, please enable cookies when using our site. Engineered hardwood or solid hardwood? The Spruce uses cookies to provide you with a great user experience. Many contractors end up gluing it to concrete subfloors. 3. Some pre-finished engineered hardwood flooring has slightly beveled edges, which creates slight grooves between boards, while solid hardwood flooring generally has very tight seams between boards. Which version of hardwood flooring you find preferable really boils down to personal preference. It is milled with tongues and grooves on opposite edges so that the boards interlock when installed. Engineered wood planks now are being created with a tongue and groove installation method, much like laminate flooring. Solid Hardwood Although popular in kitchens, solid hardwood is not recommended for wet areas, either. This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the, Sorry, we were unable to share this article. Both types of flooring are relatively easy to care for, requiring simple sweeping and cleaning with an approved wood cleaner. Engineered hardwood boards are often thinner, with 3/8- to 9/16-inch-thick boards common. Solid hardwood flooring can be damaged by standing water and floods, and even installation against concrete slabs is frowned up (engineered hardwood flooring is a better choice in these situations). This, in turn, affects how, when and where they can be used. Floors To Your Home (.com) Engineered Wood Flooring, Buying and Installing Solid Hardwood Floor, Best for Water and Heat Resistance: Engineered Hardwood, Best for Durability and Maintenance: Solid Hardwood, Best for Installation: Engineered Hardwood, Laminate Flooring vs. Engineered hardwood flooring is almost always sold pre-finished, and there is a narrower range of available colors and species than with solid hardwood. What's the difference? There are so many great products from which to choose, it can be a confusing marketplace for the homeowner looking to replace or upgrade their current flooring. It just uses less hardwood than solid wood flooring does. Pre-finished solid hardwood averages about $8 per square foot, within a range of $4 to $12 per square foot. Solid Hardwood Flooring Comparison Guide, Prefinished Hardwood Flooring Review: Pros and Cons, Carpet vs. Hardwood Flooring Comparison Guide, Wood Flooring Basics: Engineered Wood, Solid, Laminate, Hardwood Flooring in Kitchens Review: Pros and Cons, Engineered Wood Floors: What to Know Before You Buy, Solid Hardwood Flooring Installation Costs: Professional vs. DIY, Wood Parquet Flooring Review: Pros and Cons, Learn About Solid and Engineered Wood Flooring. Environmentally Friendly: Engineered hardwood flooring is also more environmentally friendly than solid hardwood floors because the sub-surface layers are made from “junk” or “scrap” wood that would traditionally have been unusable, not the ornamental wood. Solid Hardwood Flooring. Engineered floors are constructed in such a way that they have enhanced stability and … 2. The exception to this would be comparing a basic solid hardwood against a rarer engineered hardwood. Engineered wood flooring looks very similar on the surface, but it is made from a relatively thin layer of hardwood bonded over a substrate of high-quality plywood. It consists of thinly sliced layers of hardwood over top of a cross-plywood base. To prevent warping, the home’s interior relative humidity needs to remain between 45% and 65% all year round. Browse Solid Hardwood Flooring Browse Engineered Hardwood Flooring Is there a better pick to ensure you get "real" hardwood floors? Humidity: Engineered hardwood performs much better under high humidity. Because of its layers, it’s often stronger than solid hardwood. This enables them to be installed in a floating floor format without nails or glue. This approach saves more forests because each tree of the hardwood, the oak, maple, bamboo, etc., can go further than it does with … What flooring is right for you? Home Buyers Reveal: 'What I Wish I Had Known Before Buying My First Home', Selling Your Home? Because it is solid wood, this flooring can be sanded down and refinished several times over its life. In appearance, solid hardwood is not noticeably different from engineered hardwood, but real estate professionals and potential home buyers may place a premium on a solid hardwood floor for its greater longevity. Only certain brands of engineered flooring can be refinished, depending on the thickness of the top veneer. Avoid using water or steam to clean any wood floor. The main advantage it has over the solid hardwood is the possibility of installing it in most grade levels and below the ground surfaces of a home. On the other hand, if you are installing the new floor on an above-grade level and you want a traditional hardwood floor, then you can go ahead with solid hardwood. ©1995-2020 National Association of REALTORS® and Move, Inc. All rights reserved.realtor.com® is the official site of the National Association of REALTORS® and is operated by Move, Inc., a subsidiary of News Corp. Cicely Wedgeworth is the managing editor of realtor.com. Further, engineered wood uses less hardwood, a fact that appeals to environmentally conscious consumers. Solid hardwood flooring is installed with a tongue-and-groove system, in which each board is blind-nailed to the subfloor down through tongues at the edges of the boards. Price: Engineered hardwood tends to be cheaper. Some engineered hardwood floors have up to nine layers and unlike solid hardwood, engineered can go down on wood or concrete subfloors. Plus, it’s easy to install over radiant heat — hence less expansion and contraction. Most DIYers find engineered wood flooring to be easier to install. Both types of hardwood are beautiful durable and adds value to a home. What is engineered hardwood flooring? Engineered hardwood is often sold in much wider boards, up to 7 inches, and the lengths typically run 12 to 60 inches. There is no clear advantage to one form of wood flooring over the other; your choice depends on how much you value the relative merits of each. Engineered hardwood can be refinished once, or at most twice, before the surface hardwood layer is exhausted. Deane Biermeier is a contractor with 27 years experience in home repair, maintenance, and remodeling. Solid wood planks are milled from a single piece of hardwood and covered with a thin, clear protective layer that often consists of aluminum oxide, ceramic or an acrylic substance. All wood floors can benefit from a renewal of the surface varnish coat every few years. This flooring is easy to clean with simple sweeping and vacuuming, and occasional damp-mopping with an approved wood cleaner. Because its solid wood construction allows it to be sanded and refinished several times, solid hardwood flooring comes out on top when it comes to longevity. You're still getting real hardwood floors; they're just made differently. Durability. Because the plank is a solid piece of wood, it will expand and contract in accordance with the home’s relative humidity. Other thicknesses and widths are also available, though solid hardwood flooring is rarely more than about 4 inches wide. Engineered wood flooring can also be glued down against a concrete subfloor. Because of the expansion and contraction issues, installers will normally leave a gap between the wall and the floor to accommodate swelling.This type of hardwood flooring should only be installed in parts of the home above grade and only over plywood, wood or oriented strand board (OSB) subfloors. Technically, both of these options qualify as "real" hardwood flooring, but they’re surprisingly different from each other. When looking at engineered wood vs. hardwood cost, generally you'll find engineered wood is always cheaper. Ultimately, your wood flooring choice is going to be determined by where you are planning to install the product and what you’re looking for in terms of design aesthetic. Updated from an earlier version on realtor.com®. Engineered hardwood flooring will rarely be a turn-off to prospective buyers, though they may recognize that these floors have a shorter lifespan. The choice between engineered or solid usually depends upon your preference and also where and how you want the flooring to be fitted. Engineered hardwood floors are easy to care for and maintain as compared to solid hardwood. 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