There is no doubt that hardwood floors are beautiful, and they can be found in every style home from an antique country farmhouse to a luxurious city row house and everything in between. Traditional hardwood floors, also known as solid-sawn, are a classic choice and have a lot of advantages, like being easy to sweep clean and minimizing allergens in the home. They are also able to be refinished after the wear and tear of everyday life takes its toll over the years, and they can be re-stained in a different color as styles and trends change. But, they also have their disadvantages. As a natural wood material, each plank is prone to expansion and contraction dependent on the temperature and humidity of the environment. Even in a climate-controlled house, homeowners will notice season-dependent gapping between boards as the moisture content of the wood changes. In response to these challenges, as well as high cost of solid wood flooring manufacturers have created a product called engineered flooring.
So what is engineered hardwood and what is it good for?
The benefit of engineered hardwood is dimensional stability, which means that it does not expand and contract the way that full thickness hardwood planks do. The nature of the plywood base, which features wood grains that run in multiple directions, keeps the planks stable even in shifting humidity. While engineered hardwood is still a natural product that is prone to movement, a homeowner who chooses engineered flooring is much less likely to experience major seasonal gapping in their floor.
Engineered hardwood is also available in planks wider than 5”, which is not possible with solid-sawn hardwood floors due to their tendency to cup and warp. Additionally, engineered hardwood can be installed on a concrete slab, which has a higher moisture content than a plywood subfloor. This means that engineered hardwood can be installed in your basement or on any slab foundation where solid-sawn hardwood is not recommended due to risk of warping.
What is the downside?
So which should you choose?
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