When you compare the two, most will have difficulty spotting the differences on the outside with engineered and solid hardwood floors. Other than being beautiful flooring choices, there are fundamental differences that make engineered floors a more popular choice than solid wood floors.
3 Reasons Engineered Hardwood Floors Are More Popular
1. Environmentally Friendly
Many people love supporting products and services that keep an environmentally friendly approach in mind and engineered hardwood floors – by default – are more environmentally friendly than solid wood.
Take a maple tree for example. With solid wood flooring, a whole chunk of this tree will be processed into one board. That is what makes it a “solid” floor. With engineered flooring, the same chunk may be able to be engineered for up to 10 boards.
Read about eco-friendly hardwood floors.
2. Price
Engineered hardwood floors naturally will be more cost-effective than solid hardwood. Engineered hardwoods feature a top part known as a veneer, which features the hardwood of your choice (i.e. maple, hickory, oak).The difference is that beneath this veneer are less expensive, yet stronger layers of wood.
3. Performance
Engineered hardwood floors have increased resistance to rooms or areas that contain high moisture levels. Solid hardwood floors are more susceptible to rippling or buckling in high moisture areas, resulting in a thwarted appearance.
Understanding moisture and hardwood floors.
However, engineered wood floors do not respond this way under similar circumstances. They are “engineered” specifically for this reason. As such, engineered floors may be able to be installed in basements, kitchens, bathrooms, and any other high moisture areas.
Solid Hardwood Flooring Advantages
The only advantage solid hardwood flooring offers over engineered floors are the fact that they can be sanded and refinished multiple times. Although it is a very dusty process, it is considered the only benefit of solid flooring.
There are pros and cons to both types of hardwood flooring, but engineered hardwood floors remain the most popular choice by homeowners for the reasons listed above.