Solid Wood Vs Engineered Wood Flooring – Which One Would You Choose
While solid hardwood floor installation Los Angeles has long been the gold standard, advances in production technology have seen a rise in hardwood as compared to engineered hardwood.
But what’s the difference between the solid and engineered wood floors? What are the pros and cons? Most importantly, is one simply better than the other?
How Are They Made?
When comparing solid vs engineered wood, one common misconception is that solid is real wood and engineered wood is fake. In fact, both these types are made of natural wood, with key difference lies in how they’re produced.
Solid hardwood flooring is just that: a solid piece of wood from top to bottom. Each plank is created out of a single piece of wood and measures 5” wide by ¾” thick.
Like solid wood planks, engineered wood planks usually measures 5 inches wide, but are generally thinner with a depth of 3/8”-1/2”.
The Longevity Of Solid Hardwood
Put in easy words, solid hardwood installation Los Angeles is a true classic and for all good reasons. It has a well-earned reputation for its longevity and durability, and with a wide variety of dent and scratch resistant species to choose from.
Since the planks are solid from top to bottom with a thick layer, they can be sanded and re-finished a number of times over its lifetime. Now, the flooring is permanently installed by nailing it to the subfloor, resulting in that solid feel underfoot.
This durability makes solid hardwood perfect for a wide range of high and low trafficked areas, from dens to dining rooms, foyers to bedrooms.
The feature that makes solid hardwood so appealing to homeowners- its solid wood construction- also results in the biggest shortcomings. Being that the planks are single pieces of wood, they are more affected by factors such as humidity and temperature, which can cause them to expand, shift and contract.
For this reason, it’s rarely recommended that solid hardwood can be used in rooms that are subjected to high moisture like kitchens and bathrooms. However, if you can maintain it well and can reduce moisture, you can easily install to any room you want.
Top Benefits Of Choosing Solid Hardwood
- Did you know solid hardwood can be sanded and refinished several times? So, when you get scratches on the floor, or if you want to change the color later, you can.
This is especially important if you plan on living in your home for a while, have kids or a busy household and or if you have pets.
- If you have hardwood in the house, chances are it’s solid and can be matched up to it from a height perspective and sometimes from a color perspective.
- Solid hardwood is much easier to repair if you have water damage (e.g; from a floor, broken pipe, broken appliance) or pet stains.
When this happens, it’s often easy for a professional to match the wood and then sand and refinish the entire room. On the other hand, engineered hardwood flooring is not a good option for hardwood flooring installation Los Angeles, if you have damage.
Also, solid hardwood is easier to work with if you are remodeling and or expanding the area. Sometimes, customers remove walls and they will have small missing sectors of hardwood.
Now, with solid hardwood, it’s easy to add more wood and or weave it into the gap.
- Often, solid hardwood is less expensive, this depends on what you are comparing it to, but sometimes, this is simply because the solids are more popular and sell more and hence are put in special more often.
It’s not that possible to find cheap engineered flooring, but if comparing mid to good engineered flooring, often the solid wood would cost a bit less.
- Solid hardwood flooring comes in both pre-finished and unfinished forms. So, if you have hardwood in other areas and want to match the color exactly, this can be a great option for you.
You can get smoother edges and test/blend colors when it is site-finished, or you have the option of installation for an easier hardwood floor installation Los Angeles.
Disadvantages Of Engineered Hardwood
- Many engineered hardwoods cannot be sanded and refinished. It all depends on the thickness of the top layer. Cheap engineered hardwood cannot be refinished, and but you can in more expensive ones.
- Many engineered floors have lower grades or cuts of wood. You will often find that the very cheap engineered woods are rotary sawn and as such, the graining looks different and cheaper than what you are accustomed to on solid hardwood flooring.
- Some engineered floors look and sound quite fake, especially if they are floated. If you have a floating floor and your floor isn’t even/smooth, the floating floor will love as you walk on it.
It will sound and look more artificial. If your house is on the market, it can cause some buyers to wonder if the floors are real or in good condition and they may feel this is a lower value.
Which Is Better?
Both types of hardwood floors are beautiful, durable 100% wood and provide great resale value. Both have extensive pros and a handful of cons.
As such, if you want the best for your home, solid hardwood floor installation Los Angeles is the best option for you rather than engineered flooring.
