Is Engineered Hardwood Better Than Solid Hardwood

The choice between solid hardwood floors and engineered wood planks can surprise homeowners when they first sit down with a contractor.

Is engineered hardwood better than solid hardwood.

Going green choosing engineered floors over solid wood helps to conserve expensively priced timber. Normally installers compensate for this movement by leaving an expansion gap between the floor and the wall. Solid wood flooring expands and contracts with changes in your home s relative humidity. Pros cons of both options with a look at durability cleaning maintenance more.

Solid hardwood flooring shaw solid hardwood flooring diagram solid wood is milled from a single 3 4 thick piece of hardwood. Engineered hardwood floors are suitable for installation. 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 wood is significantly cheaper than solid hardwood and can be quickly adhered to another wooden surface a concrete floor or a soundproofing mat.

Compared to solid hardwood engineered wood floors have superior resistance to slightly lower and higher moisture levels which makes them more ideal for use in damp basements or regions with higher or lower than standard humidity levels. Solid hardwood is available in both pre finished and unfinished boards. Sometimes this is simply because the solids are more popular and sell more and hence are put on special more often. Solid hardwood flooring boards tend to be narrower than engineered hardwood flooring.

It can be installed on the basement floor and other places prone to humidity. People are always asking me which one is better but both have their pros and cons. Engineered hardwood is a bit better than solid hardwood in terms of waterproof. It consists of thinly sliced layers of hardwood over top of a cross plywood base.

Often solid hardwood is less expensive this all depends on what you are comparing it to but sometimes solid is less expensive than a sandable engineered product. In fact it s 100 percent made of wood but it s not homogenous. A 2020 comparison of solid hardwood vs engineered hardwood flooring.