What Is Engineered Hardwood Flooring? (Easy Guide)

Choosing a hardwood for your project can be exciting and challenging because many gorgeous, long-lasting options are available.

What Is Engineered Hardwood Flooring? you’ll be much closer to choosing the appropriate flooring for your house if you comprehend the distinctions and similarities between the two varieties of hardwood flooring.

Video: 3 Methods for How To Install Engineered Hardwood Flooring

Other Related Articles How to Remove Hardwood flooring and How to Remove Hardwood flooring

Solid hardwood  

– It is regarded by many homeowners as the “gold standard” in flooring since it is made from a single, solid piece of hardwood and is timeless, durable, and authentic. The Appalachian region, where hardwood is recognized for its durability, consistency of color, and beautiful grain, is the primary source for Bruce solid hardwood flooring, created in the USA with exquisite American craftsmanship.

Constructed from hardwood.

It comprises wood on the bottom, wood on the top, and a stable core in the center. The top layer is a veneer of only natural wood. A crisscrossed design is created by pressing together 5–7 pieces of plywood to form the core.

What Is Engineered Hardwood Flooring

 It makes engineered hardwood flooring less likely to shift, expand or contract when exposed to environmental changes in temperature, moisture, and humidity.

Solid Wood, Solid Core, and Hollow Core Doors Compared

Doors made of solid wood have traditionally been regarded as the best and only option for homes. However, as technology advanced, solid-core and hollow-core doors were given an equal chance to compete with solid wood doors.

Wood Doors: What’s the Difference?

On first inspection, many wood internal passage doors and exterior doors appear to be made entirely of solid wood. However, it’s a deft simulation because these doors typically employ building techniques that merely give a solid wood appearance while avoiding some of the disadvantages of solid wood doors.

Wood doors used in residential construction come in three types: solid wood, solid core, and hollow core.

Solid Wood Door

Doors made of solid wood are precisely that—made of solid wood. The door’s components are all wood except for the knobs, hinges, and hardware. Solid wood doors are typically not made of one solid piece of wood. Instead, they are constructed out of numerous smaller pieces of wood. Interior or external application is possible for solid wood doors.

Solid Core Door

Because the wood has been treated into a hefty fiberboard and then chipped, solid core doors are only ostensibly made of wood. This fiberboard works well to muffle sound and instill a sense of security. While the outside will be made of a better-quality material like oak veneer, the interior will still be fiberboard. Interiors only use solid core doors.

Sizes

Wooden flooring

The dimensions of hardwood flooring boards are typically 3/4 inch thick, 2 1/4 inches wide, and 12 to 84 inches long. The plans for hardwood flooring are typically never more comprehensive than four inches, but several widths and thicknesses are available.

Engineered wood surfaces

Engineered genuine wood flooring planks typically measure between 3/8 and 9/16 inches thick, making them thinner than hardwood flooring planks. However, it is typically offered in much wider planks, up to seven inches wide, and can be between 12 and 60 inches long.

Hardwood Flooring Cost

In the flooring market, hardwood is one of the most expensive solutions. For example, prefinished hardwood flooring may cost $8 per square foot. Hardwood flooring costs between $8 and $15 per square foot.

Engineered Wood Flooring Cost

However, engineered wood flooring is a more cost-effective alternative. Per square foot, engineered wood flooring costs between $2.50 and $10. However, most types range from $4 to $7 per square foot.

Engineered Wood Flooring

On the outside, engineered wood flooring is designed to resemble hardwood and feel the same. However, its design uses a thin hardwood coating to create its appearance, while its core is made of plywood and sand.

Engineered flooring boards come in bonded or interlocking planks, making installation simple and ideal for do-it-yourselfers. Although it can’t be refinished as frequently as solid flooring since the top layer is only a thin hardwood veneer, it can endure for up to 30 years or longer with good upkeep.

Environmental Impact

Solid Hardwood

Compared to their engineered equivalents, solid hardwood boards require greater tree harvesting. Hardwood flooring is still environmentally sound if purchased from a trustworthy vendor. The Forest Stewardship Council certifies hardwoods that are sourced ethically.

Solid hardwood has the advantages of lasting longer than engineered wood and being a more resurfaced table, so it doesn’t need to be replaced as regularly. Solid hardwood can be recovered, reused, or recycled to meet the needs of engineered hardwood floors. Additionally, it is completely biodegradable when it comes time to dump it after its useful life.

Engineered Hardwood

Unlike most other forms of flooring, engineered hardwood is sustainable and beneficial to the environment. Compared to solid hardwood, engineered wood uses less of the tree per plank. It creates its boards from “leftovers” from other wood processing procedures. The plywood or fiberboard core of engineered wood is covered with a thin veneer of conventional wood. Additionally, the veneer is cut with a knife rather than a saw, which reduces pollution from byproducts and sawdust.

Composite wood flooring is typically created with glues and resins that may off-gas or contain volatile organic compounds, similar to engineered hardwood. Additionally, because of the adhesives used to construct the wood, engineered hardwood is not as biodegradable at the end of its lifespan. Although it can be refinished to increase its lifespan, it will ultimately wind up in a landfill, adding to the mountains of trash left behind for future generations.

Engineered hardwood flooring: what is it?

Hard surface flooring often comes in many possibilities, from authentic white oak hardwood to resilient luxury vinyl that closely resembles real hardwood down to grain patterns. When there are many options available, it can occasionally feel overwhelming, and many questions pop up. For instance, what are the differences between flooring and engineered hardwood?

Solid wood differs from engineered wood floors, which are comprised of layers of both plywood and hardwood, in that it is a single piece of wood without any other layers.

Engineered hardwood construction has durable, high-performance qualities. 

It is made of multiple layers of wood, each arranged in a distinct orientation. Because of its design, engineered hardwood is shielded from moisture-related warping and bowing that could occur with fresh hardwood flooring.

Its design allows for installation in most grade levels of the home, including below ground, with a protective moisture barrier added, giving it an advantage over solid hardwood.

Top Brands Hardwood Flooring

Bruce Hardwood Flooring

Mohawk Industries

Shaw Floors

Armstrong Flooring

Carlisle Wide Plank Floors

Engineered Wood Flooring

Somerset Hardwood Flooring

From the Forest

Harris Wood Floors

Bruce Hardwood Flooring

Mohawk Industries

FAQS

How is engineered hardwood flooring made?

Engineered hardwood flooring is made by gluing together several wood plies, with a veneer of natural hardwood glued on top. The plywood underneath the veneer is typically made of 5 to 7 layers of plywood pressed together in a crisscrossed pattern.

What are the benefits of engineered hardwood flooring?

Engineered hardwood flooring has several benefits. Firstly, it is more stable and durable than solid hardwood flooring due to its construction with multiple layers of wood. Secondly, it looks like natural wood and can be made from exotic or rare wood species. 

Best brands of engineered hardwood flooring

There are several brands of engineered hardwood flooring available in the market. The best brands include Kährs, USFloors, Tesoro Woods, Anderson Tuftex, Bruce, Johnson Hardwood, Mohawk, Pergo, Shaw and Somerset.