Engineered Hardwood Floors Vs Real Hardwood

Unlike solid hardwood engineered hardwood can go over concrete under the right conditions like in a condo.

Engineered hardwood floors vs real hardwood.

Homeadvisor s flooring guide explains the differences between laminate and engineered hardwood and reviews the pros and cons of each. Solid wood flooring expands and contracts with changes in your home s relative humidity. Explore which is better for kitchens basements based on cost resale value durability and more. Engineered hardwood is a bit better than solid hardwood in terms of waterproof.

Margot cavin the spruce. That is because its crisscrossed layers below the surface provide extra strength and resistance to buckling and warping. You might want to check the brand of engineered hardwood flooring you are purchasing because the moisture resistance varies from wood to wood. It can be installed on the basement floor and other places prone to humidity.

Solid hardwood boards are milled from a thick piece of lumber so its thickness varies from inch to 7 16 inch. Solid hardwood is available in both pre finished and unfinished boards. But another reason people love engineered hardwood is its application. Normally installers compensate for this movement by leaving an expansion gap between the floor and the wall.

Engineered boards on the other hand are constructed by joining multiple high density fiberboard layers sandwiched inside a solid wood top layer and hardwood backing making it extremely tough. Engineered hardwood planks hardwood planks classified as engineered feature multiple layers typically three to five bonded together under extreme heat and pressure. Contrary to popular belief engineered wood is not fake wood. It just uses less hardwood than solid wood flooring does.

Some experts say that engineered hardwood does fine in bathrooms kitchens and even basements. Caring for engineered hardwood flooring is similar to solid hardwoods as the top layer the wear layer that will come into contact with the cleaning materials is essentially the same for both with any hardwoods engineered or solid you will want to avoid abrasive or harsh chemicals like ammonia and avoid using excessive soaking as hardwood is. Solid hardwood generally has very tight seams between boards and there is a great range of colors and species than is found with engineered hardwood flooring. Solid hardwood flooring shaw solid hardwood flooring diagram solid wood is milled from a single 3 4 thick piece of hardwood.

Solid hardwood flooring boards tend to be narrower than engineered hardwood flooring.