Should I Choose Solid Hardwood or Engineered Hardwood?

Hardwood floors are more than just a floor covering investment. For many homeowners, these stunning surfaces create an aesthetic or lifestyle that they can’t achieve with tile, which is often very on-trend with color and design choices that can potentially date a floor. Instead, hardwood has a timeless appeal and with proper care will only look more beautiful as the years roll by!

Modern engineered hardwood choices offer comparable beauty to solid hardwood flooring, so which is the best to install? That answer will depend on the type of hardwood flooring that best suits your lifestyle, home, and budget.

Solid hardwood flooring

Solid hardwood flooring is made from one piece of wood from top to bottom. Although more expensive, these planks are tough and built to last⁠—over 100 years if taken care of properly. A hardwood floor can be sanded and refinished several times over its lifetime to restore its beauty or to adapt to changing decorating trends. But keep it out of the basement! Wood naturally expands and contracts with temperature changes and is especially sensitive to moisture. Therefore, solid hardwood flooring can only be used in rooms that are on or above ground level. It’s rarely recommended for bathrooms, though you might find it in older renovated homes.

Engineered hardwood flooring

Engineered wood floors are also real wood from top to bottom but are made using multiple layers (veneers or slats) of wood glued together at opposing directions. This provides additional strength to the wood. The top layer is typically made of a high-quality wood and finish. Modern engineered hardwood finishes are often designed specifically to be more water-resistant than solid hardwood.
Since engineered wood floors expand and contract less than solid wood floors, they can be used at any level of the home, including basements. Although engineered hardwood will be cheaper than solid hardwood, the veneer finish will not allow the planks to be sanded and refinished more than once or twice, if at all.

Making a decision

Engineered wood flooring will give you greater installation options, cheaper and quicker installation, and, once installed, can handle an active lifestyle with kids, pets, and spills admirably. Solid hardwood will require more budget, professional installation, and not fit in all areas of the home, but will last longer and improve resale value down the line. According to the 2017 Remodeling Impact Report from the National Wood Flooring Association, realtors stated that installing new wood floors recovers a whopping 91 percent of the costs to the sellers.

Which choice suits your home and lifestyle? When choosing between engineered wood flooring or solid hardwoods call on our professionals with the experience and expertise to answer your questions and concerns!