Engineered Hardwood Floors Vs Real Hardwood

Explore which is better for kitchens basements based on cost resale value durability and more.

Engineered hardwood floors vs real hardwood.

Engineered hardwood is a bit better than solid hardwood in terms of waterproof. Contrary to popular belief engineered wood is not fake wood. Solid hardwood flooring boards tend to be narrower than engineered hardwood flooring. Solid hardwood boards are milled from a thick piece of lumber so its thickness varies from inch to 7 16 inch.

Solid wood flooring expands and contracts with changes in your home s relative humidity. That is because its crisscrossed layers below the surface provide extra strength and resistance to buckling and warping. Engineered hardwood planks hardwood planks classified as engineered feature multiple layers typically three to five bonded together under extreme heat and pressure. Whereas hardwood flooring is made of a solid piece of wood engineered planks employ only a veneer of real hardwood.

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. Unlike solid hardwood engineered hardwood can go over concrete under the right conditions like in a condo. Solid hardwood is available in both pre finished and unfinished boards. But another reason people love engineered hardwood is its application.

Homeadvisor s flooring guide explains the differences between laminate and engineered hardwood and reviews the pros and cons of each. Caring for engineered hardwood flooring is similar to solid hardwoods as the top layer the wear layer that will come into contact with the cleaning materials is essentially the same for both with any hardwoods engineered or solid you will want to avoid abrasive or harsh chemicals like ammonia and avoid using excessive soaking as hardwood is. When it comes to water protection engineered hardwood has a slight advantage over hardwood floors. You re still getting real.

Normally installers compensate for this movement by leaving an expansion gap between the floor and the wall. Engineered boards on the other hand are constructed by joining multiple high density fiberboard layers sandwiched inside a solid wood top layer and hardwood backing making it extremely tough. Solid hardwood flooring shaw solid hardwood flooring diagram solid wood is milled from a single 3 4 thick piece of hardwood. It just uses less hardwood than solid wood flooring does.

Margot cavin the spruce.