Engineered Hardwood Flooring

What Is Engineered Hardwood Flooring?

Engineered hardwood flooring is a multi-layered product made of a real wood veneer top layer bonded to a plywood core. This method creates a stable, durable flooring option that resembles solid hardwood. The top or wear layer can be made from high-quality wood species such as oak, hickory, maple, or exotic hardwoods. In contrast, the core layers typically consist of less expensive plywood or high-density fiberboard.

Unlike solid hardwood, engineered wood flooring is designed to resist expansion and contraction due to changes in humidity and temperature. This stability makes it suitable for installation in areas where solid wood, such as basements or over concrete slabs, may not be recommended. Engineered wood floors are available in various wood varieties, colors, and finishes, giving you creative control over your space.

Solid Hardwood vs. Engineered Wood Flooring

Construction

A solid hardwood floor is made from a single piece of wood, usually starting at 1″ thick and milled to ¾” thick. When the boards are milled, a tongue and groove are put on all four sides, and a series of grooves that run the length of the boards are added to the bottom face. These grooves work as stress relief and help prevent cupping and crowning of the boards.

An engineered hardwood floor consists of two pieces glued together: the lamella (the top layer known as the wear layer) and the plywood base. The lamellas are cut from a 1″ thick piece of lumber and reduced to 5mm or 7mm thick boards that are then glued onto a precut piece of plywood. Once the glue has set, the boards are milled to add a tongue and groove, sanded, and ready to be finished.

Moisture

Ensure that the subfloor is dry within a specific moisture content. Wood will respond to changes in the environment, such as moisture. The thicker the wood, the more strength the boards contain to move, meaning that solid wood floors are easily affected by moisture changes. In contrast, engineered floors will take much more moisture or longer to be affected to the same extent as solid wood floors. This is because engineered wood flooring has a thinner layer of wood glued onto a layer of plywood. The thinner the layer of wood, the less strength the board possesses to move in response to moisture. Engineered floors also have a higher level of stability because of their plywood base.

Installation

Solid wood floors are suitable for installation at ground level and above and must be kept in a moisture-consistent environment. Firstly, a solid wood floor must be acclimated to the building. The solid floor should sit in the building where it will be installed for at least a week to get used to the environment. Adjusting the wood to the environment allows the boards to ‘settle in.’

Engineered wood floors are suitable for any area and can be installed where moisture is not always consistent. Engineered wood floors can be installed directly onto the slab. This eliminates the need to drop the slab and still achieve level transitions to other floor coverings, such as tile.

Longevity

Both floor types have a real wood layer at the top, so whether you choose solid or engineered, you will get the same look, texture, feel, and sound. With standard use on your new hardwood floor, you can expect to refinish it every 7-14 years to keep it in optimal condition.

Solid and engineered hardwood floors can be refinished, but the amount of times they can be refinished depends on the thickness of the wear layer. For example, you can only sand down to about 1mm above the tongue and groove on a solid wood floor before you have cracking problems. A solid wood floor usually has about a 5mm wear layer, while standard engineered wood floors have a 4mm or a 6mm wear layer. This means an engineered floor with a 6mm wear layer can be refinished more than a solid wood floor.