Hardwood flooring is one of the most preferred, desired and durable floors. Its aesthetic beauty is immeasurable to your property or home. But there are two options when it becomes to hardwood flooring; Solid wood or engineered hardwood flooring. The question arises, what is hardwood flooring? What is engineered flooring? Are there differences between solid and engineered flooring?
Solid hardwood flooring consists of solid wood with no layers. Engineered wood, however, is made of layers of both hardwood and plywood. It is difficult to tell the difference between engineered and solid hardwood flooring by just looking at the top.
What is solid hardwood?
Solid hardwood flooring provides authentic timelessness and durable flooring for you. This flooring provides a wonderful investment and enhances value for your home to provide intrinsic lifetime natural beauty. It is made from a solid piece of wood cut straight from a tree trunk. It is then cut into flooring planks. The planks can be made or cut into different sizes and finish.
Alternatively, you can get unfinished to install first and then match with color stain and finish style depending on the desired or installed home decor. Solid hardwood flooring may come with traditional grove and tongue fitting or parquet with click fitting planks. Furthermore, it is better installed as a fixed floor than a floating floor.
What is Engineered hardwood?
Engineered hardwood flooring has 5 to 7 layers of plywood core with 100% natural wood top layer. Engineered hardwood flooring is produced through fusing together several thin layers of hardwood veneer for strength and support. The middle flooring core has 5-7 layers of crisscrossing each other in different directions. The top and bottom layers are made up of natural wood that comes from a different variety of species. The top is made of thin hardwood veneer from a single cut log to show wood grains and mimic natural solid hardwood intrinsic look.
The manufacturing process creates a highly stable core that can withstand high humidity, extreme temperature, and moisture without expanding or contracting. It is then cut into planks, sanded and machine cut grooves and tongues to fit together tightly when installed.
Engineered wood provides the best flooring options for areas prone with moisture like laundry and basement. The engineered hardwood flooring can also be installed over slab and radiant heating systems. Therefore, it helps to address some limitations or problems found in natural wood flooring.
Engineered vs Solid Hardwood Flooring: Comparison
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Engineered vs Solid Hardwood Flooring: Differences
Hardwood flooring is a great hard surface flooring. In addition, it can create a timeless impression to any room. Hardwood flooring is available in two major variety; solid and engineered. A question arises, what are the differences between engineered and solid hardwood flooring?
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Solid vs Engineered Hardwood Flooring: The Verdict
In conclusion, Solid hardwood is good for you if you have long term prospects and you don’t mind blending different types of flooring in different parts of your property or house. It can help maintain and return value for many decades down the line. Above all engineered hardwood floor will let you install it in more areas than solid wood. It will give value for your investment if you have no longevity prospects like in solid wood.
Certainly, both solid and engineered flooring add significant value to your property. There are plenty of species, stains and styles to choose from to address your flooring house design and style.
