Differences Between Solid Wood And Engineered Wood Flooring

When choosing wood flooring for your home, you have many decisions to make. What species? Do you want a smooth floor or an antique floor? What color do you want? t? But one of the most important questions is what type of flooring "construction" do you want ...... solid wood flooring or engineered wood flooring?

Solid wood flooring, as the name implies, is a floor that is made from one solid piece of wood per piece. It is often assumed that solid wood floors are less stable than engineered wood floors, but depending on the manufacturer, this is not always the case. We recommend researching the quality standards that apply to solid wood flooring before making a final decision on its stability.

Engineered wood flooring means that each floor is composed of multiple component layers to achieve the desired thickness and wear resistance. Engineered flooring is often considered more stable than solid wood, but this depends on the manufacturer, construction, quality characteristics (which we will discuss later), and where the floor is installed. Laminate flooring may actually be less stable when installing flooring in drier climates.

 Black Walnut Engineered Wood Flooring

Differences between solid wood and engineered wood flooring

Flooring sizes

Most people who research solid wood and engineered wood flooring may not realize that the dimensions can be very different between the two options. You may not be able to get the same width and length with engineered wood as you can with solid wood. It depends on the flooring manufacturer you are working with.  

Some engineered flooring manufacturers offer engineered wood flooring in the same widths and lengths as solid wood flooring options. This will dramatically improve the overall appearance of the floor, such as 3-ply black walnut laminate flooring,  

3-ply black walnut engineered wood flooring is a differently oriented grain structure that reduces the natural expansion and contraction of the wood. Surface layers of thin planks are typically 3-4 mm sawn quality hardwood, 9 mm cross-structured softwood pine, and 2 mm back poplar for the economy and stability of engineered flooring. Engineered Black Walnut solid wood laminate flooring is one of the strongest and most durable options for your home.

Multilayer American Black Walnut Engineered Wood Flooring

Flooring Thicknesses

Solid wood flooring comes in a variety of thicknesses: typically 1/2", 5/8", and 3/4". the cost difference between 1/2" thick and 3/4" thick is minimal because you use the same raw materials in making the floor. Therefore, making a 1/2" thick floor actually creates more waste than making a 3/4" thick floor.

Engineered flooring is also available in a variety of thicknesses. When considering engineered flooring, there are two components to "thickness" - the "backing," which provides the structure of the floor, and the "wear layer ", which is the surface you walk on after installation (we'll discuss more wear layers in the next section). Engineered flooring is backed by multiple layers of thin wood planks, which include premium plywood, OSB, or other hardwood or softwood configurations.

When looking at engineered flooring options, the backing should be thicker than the wear layer to create the most stable engineered wood flooring. If you are considering a floor with a similar thickness of backing and wear layer, you may experience stability issues in areas with excessive humidity or seasonal changes in moisture and humidity.

In addition, ideally, you need an engineered floor with a plywood backing made from 11 layers of plies from Baltic birch - the best in the industry, known for its resilience and greater stability in humid environments.

Abrasion-resistant layer

The wear layer of a floor is the material above the tongue and groove - the part you walk on. When considering solid wood or engineered wood flooring, ideally you need a 3/16" thick wear layer. However, most engineered floors are made with a very thin layer, the equivalent of only 3 sheets of paper! This means that your floor's wear layer will wear down too quickly to repair or sand, and your floor will need to be replaced more often. If you choose a wood floor with a thicker wear layer, you will ensure that your floor will last longer, can be refinished (if necessary), and have a lower cost of ownership over the life of your floor!

An important note on the thickness and wear layer: The thickness of the backing and wear layer is directly related to the cost of the product - the thinner the wear layer, the cheaper the flooring will be. While this may be a very economical solution, these thinner engineered floors won't last very long!

While it may cost more upfront to invest in higher quality solid wood flooring or engineered hardwood flooring with thicker wear layers, you will be buying flooring that will last longer and be less expensive to maintain over time.