When choosing a hardwood flooring product for your home you will probably have some questions about engineered hardwood flooring and solid hardwood flooring. When it comes to these products not all products are created equal. There are always factors to consider including budget, life style and home structure. Engineered wood floors come in a variety of price ranges and can be a great choice for a lot of homeowners. Engineered wood floors can be manufactured in a variety of different ways and understanding the differences is important to ensure you get a quality product that you will love for years to come.
Engineered wood flooring is created by adding a hardwood veneer on top of plywood and is called multiply engineered wood. When a hardwood veneer is on top of 2 plies of soft wood it is called 3 ply engineered wood flooring. The number of layers in an engineered product do not necessarily correlate to improved performance. The balance and bonding of the layers is the most important factor to consider.
The flooring is generally constructed with click together planks or tongue and groove style planks. Click and lock engineered hardwood is a glue-less installation system and can be installed quickly and easily. It can also be repaired easier than other products. Tongue and groove floors are glued together and can be much trickier to repair. Tongue and groove is very common and hardwood flooring professionals are experienced in using these types of boards. Tongue and groove can also be nailed down or glued down when installed.
The veneer thickness is also an area to be considered when buying engineered wood. The wear layers can range from .6 mm to 6 mm and some of these wear layers can be refinished multiple times making them a great investment. When looking at samples you can often see the thicknesses of the wear layer and the information sheet should have information about the veneer. The veneer thickness will likely affect the cost of the product.
Rotary peeled layers versus sawn cut veneers are also factors to consider. Rotary-peeled veneers are common in entry level products while saw cut veneers are generally thicker and on higher end products.
When thinking about engineered wood you may have the misconception that solid hardwood is more durable than engineered wood flooring but this is not necessary true. With a thick wear layer on engineered wood you will have the same durability as a solid product. The stability of engineered wood can outperform solid flooring. Moisture levels are still important with engineered wood and is designed to be used in normal living conditions. There are some issues to consider with engineered wood like de-laminating and other common issues.
Engineered wood is a big product for a reason. Hardwood flooring is beautiful and engineered wood comes in a lot of beautiful finishes. Remembering not all engineered wood is created equal is vital to ensuring you get a beautiful finished product you can love for years to come. You should check out our hallmark line of prefinished hardwood at our Boise hardwood flooring showroom.
