Engineered hardwood flooring is a popular product that offers the beauty of natural wood at a less expensive price, but many are not sure what engineered hardwood flooring is.
Here are five facts you should know:
- It can be hard to distinguish from natural hardwood floors. Advancements in engineering have resulted in a product that looks just as beautiful as hardwood. In fact, unless you’re a flooring professional, you’d probably couldn’t tell the difference. Engineered hardwood flooring is made from a combination of quality hardwood (the thin top layer) and composite materials. Since all you see when it’s installed is the top layer, you’re seeing a hardwood floor. One benefit is that you can buy a more expensive type of wood (oak or mahogany, for example) for a lot less money than if you were buying these same woods in a solid hardwood floor.
- It wears great. With a solid natural wood top layer, engineered hardwood floors have the durability and strength of floors made from a single piece of thicker, solid wood. Most people don’t realize that engineered hardwood flooring can be sanded and refinished, just like a “real” wood floor, so you can keep your floors looking great for years. In fact, engineered products wear so well that many manufacturers offer lengthy warranties, some up to 30 years!
- It has higher quality than laminate wood flooring. Many people confuse an engineered hardwood flooring with less expensive (and lower quality) laminate wood flooring. Laminate wood flooring is a durable vinyl product, and while many brands are beautiful and available in a variety of styles and colors, they are a cheaper product than engineered hardwood flooring and will not last near as long.
- It is versatile. Solid wood floors need to be installed on a subfloor, so if you have concrete floors, solid wood is simply not an option. Natural wood floors also expand and contract a lot more than their engineered counterparts with changes in humidity. Solid wood is not a good choice for bathrooms where floors always get wet or basements where changes in relative humidity is common. Engineered hardwood floors can be installed anywhere.
- It is easier and faster to install than solid wood. Engineered hardwood flooring comes in planks of varying lengths and widths, with a tongue and groove interlocking design. Installers can lock the planks together quickly, covering a wide area fast. Natural hardwood planks likely will not have the uniformity that comes from precision engineering.
Now that you know the many benefits of engineered hardwood flooring, stop in today to see all our options for your next project.