Is Engineered Hardwood Cheaper Than Solid Hardwood

Many of my customer ask whether solid hardwood or engineered hardwood flooring is better and which is less expensive.

Is engineered hardwood cheaper than solid hardwood.

Both solid and engineered hardwood floors are very durable but surface wear depends on the type of flooring finish and not on whether your flooring is solid or engineered. Compared to solid hardwood engineered wood floors have superior resistance to slightly lower and higher moisture levels which makes them more ideal for use in damp basements or regions with higher or lower than standard humidity levels. When shopping for hardwood floors understand that the wood variety width thickness and finish will determine the price generally the harder wider thicker and more durable the floor the more you will need. Solid hardwood flooring boards tend to be narrower than engineered hardwood flooring.

Design options there are more than 50 domestic and exotic species available to choose from for solid hardwood from historic favorites like maple red and white oak and pine to more modern options like bamboo not technically a wood but listed as one jarrah and purpleheart. All solid hardwoods scratch or dent easier than their engineered hardwood counterparts because the wood composite inside an engineered flooring plank is designed to withstand additional wear. Some may assume that engineered hardwood is naturally cheaper than solid hardwood but this is not always the case. Solid hardwood is available in both pre finished and unfinished boards.

People are always asking me which one is better but both have their pros and cons. Going green choosing engineered floors over solid wood helps to conserve expensively priced timber. Ability to sand refinish height of floor relative to other surfaces and or cabinets and doors cost type. Unlike hardwood flooring cut and milled into planks from natural solid wood engineered hardwood is a hybrid of materials.

However the wear layer of an engineered hardwood floor is comparable to the solid wood counterparts and both will need to be properly maintained with a regular polyurethane or wax sealant in order. Of course the answer is it depends it depends on many factors including your subfloor condition of your sub floor and what factors are important to you e g. Pros and cons of engineered hardwood. 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.

The substrate or core material in engineered hardwood is usually made up of high density fiberboard hdf or plywood while the top layer is a hardwood veneer.