Is it better to use solid wood or engineered wood for flooring?

Question

Originally I was told engineered is better. More stable. Less likely to warp. Because it is superior and harder to make it is more expensive.
Today, my contractor said I should use solid wood.
So far I learned that engineered wood contains formaldihide.
Also, that one supplier won't sell engineered wood.
Would love to know if I was sold a bill of goods early on.
Alternatively, want to make sure I buy the right product.

Answer 1

Truthfully, it depends upon what your subfloor is made of.

If your subfloor is concrete....engineered wood is the way to go. The layers of the wood in an engineered product help the moisture to get out of the floor. That's why it is a more dimentionally stable floor. And while you may think that you are limited by your color choices....there are MANY manufacturers, and they all have their own color line. IF after you have looked at Anderson, Bruce, Appalichian, Columbia, Shaw, Mohawk, Scandia, Mirage, Tarkett, Mulligan, Forest Accents, Robbins, and Hartco - and still can't find the color you like....Plankfloor by Owens is an unfinished engineered wood. You can glue it to the slab and have a sand and finish guy stain to whatever color you prefer. Also, if you prefer wider plank say 5-7 inches - an engineered floor will give you far less problem. In a solid floor of that width, there is more surface area to absorb moisture.

As far as pricing - it is not necessarily more than solid...depends on the wood species and width....there is an engineered floor for every budget. In regards to refinishing an engineered floor, with each price point, you can see the difference in the wood layer on top. There are products such as Mirage, Forest Accents, and the Owens floor with the exact same wear layer as a solid wood - and can be sanded 3 times. BUT - the only reason you need to sand a floor back to bare wood is if you a: have major damage or b: want to change the color. With any wood floor, when you start to see surface scratching over time - you can have a finisher come in and "buff and coat" the floor. That is where the top layer of urethane is taken off, and a new one applied. You can have this done as often as you like....you are never getting into the wood.

One of the misconceptions about solid wood is that you have this huge chunk of wood that can be sanded and refinished over and over. NOT TRUE! You only get 3 sandings, because you can't sand past the tongue and groove. Contractors are often quick to say use solid - because that's what they know. As far as the floor being sealed by having it sanded and finished.....that will last until the first change in temperature. Wood by it's nature expands and contracts...that's what it does...so if you have your floors done in the summer...then throw on the heat in the winter...the boards will shrink, and the seal is broken. So, yes, engineered floors are more dimentionally stable.

If your subfloors are plywood, and you want a narrow board width - go for the solid.

As far as bamboo - it's a look that's popular right now - but it is not wood, it's a woody grass and is fingernail soft.

Laminate is good if you have lots of kids, but nothing looks like wood, except for wood. And if laminate becomes damaged, it is quite a chore to repair, and WHEN you see wear patterns in it...and you will eventually....it cannot be recoated, it must be replaced. I appreciate Consumer Reports said it was the best, I read the article....but people have been living on hardwood floors for hundreds of years, and they are better now than they were then.

If you have any other questions, please feel free to drop me an email.

Answer 2

Wood flooring basically has two parts to it: the surface layer above the tongue-and-groove and the base layer from the top of the surface layer down. Engineered wood has a relatively thin (about 1/16 of an inch, if that much) surface layer. So, you can only refinish (sand) it a couple of times over it's life. But, a 3/4-inch solid wood plank has almost a 1/4-inch surface layer. So, it can be refinished several times over its life.

Also, since the solid wood is thicker (you should really get 3/4-inch planks), it has a more solid feel to it, and is less susceptible to flexing (causing squeaking) and warping.

With engineered wood, you also are limited by the colors that are available at the time. With solid wood, you can have it installed unfinished, then have it stained with whatever color you like before having it sealed.

I highly recommend installing unfinished 3/4-inch planks, then having them sanded, stained, and sealed by a professional. This method fills in the cracks between the planks with the sealer, making the floor less susceptible to damage from moisture, humidity, spills, etc. When you install prefinished flooring, the minute cracks between the planks will let moisture through over time. You should also have it installed over a layer of about 30-pound felt tar paper if it's being installed over a wood subfloor. This will prevent moisture from coming up from underneath your house and into the wood.

I remodeled my house last year and installed about 600 square feet of hardwood flooring. The 3/4-inch thick, 3 1/2-inch wide red oak planks cost about $3 a square foot and the installation was about $2 a square foot. Sanding and finishing was about $4.50 a square foot. This included an additional $1 per square foot, because we had three layers of sealer put down over the stain. That's almost $6000. But, the floor is exactly the color we wanted and will last as long as the house exists (refinishing is required about every 7 to 10 years).

One other thing (after seeing the previous poster's comment): avoid bamboo floors like the plague. A friend of mine owns a flooring store. He's the guy who set up our wood flooring installation. He has had so many problems with bamboo floor installations that he won't do bamboo installations any more. Bamboo is a grass, not a wood. So, it is extremely susceptible to humidity changes causing warping. It also scratches very easily and will never come close to the original look when refinished. The reason it's so cheap is that the Asian suppliers can't get rid of the stuff, because no one is willing to warrant a job that is done with bamboo flooring, if they do the installation at all.

Answer 3

Laminate Flooring Reviews Consumer Reports

Answer 4

This Site Might Help You.

RE:
Is it better to use solid wood or engineered wood for flooring?
Originally I was told engineered is better. More stable. Less likely to warp. Because it is superior and harder to make it is more expensive.
Today, my contractor said I should use solid wood.
So far I learned that engineered wood contains formaldihide.
Also, that one supplier won't sell...

Answer 5

Real wood looks better, but may I suggest Bamboo flooring. It is as hard as hard wood and much cheaper. It looks really good. What kind of subfloor do you have? It will depend on what kind of moisture could be under the floor you install that would make it likely to warp or not. Engineered woods look tacky and cheap to me. Check out Bamboo and definitely go with natural flooring.
Also, Bamboo is considered "green" i.e. environmentally friendly because it is renewable.

Answer 6

Consumers Report did say go with laminate. My son who has 3 active kids put down laminate 5 years ago and it still looks great. The new laminates are even better then what my son used 5 years ago. We just purchased laminate for our home, and the best price I found was on the web at www.builddirect.com The Kronotex 12mm laminate they offer is the same as you can special order from Home Depot or Lowes for approximately a third of the price which more than offsets the shipping costs. We were very pleased with the Kronotex 12mm laminate.

Answer 7

Consumers Reports suggests that laminate is better. So, that is what I plan to use when I re-do my floors. Although solid wood can be refinished, it is also more likely to need refinishing.

Answer 8

depends on your budget.I would go with the engineered wood my self.