Solid or Engineered Hardwood Floors?
New wood floors can create an inviting feel to your Minnesota Home. But, with so many available options, shopping for new flooring can be tiresome. So today, we will learn some basics of solid vs. engineered hardwood floors to help you take the first steps towards your floor selection.
Different Types of Flooring
It is not unusual that you don’t know the difference between solid or engineered hardwood. Long story short, you have some options! First, solid, also commonly referred to as ¾” hardwood floor, means each board is one solid piece of hardwood.
Just because you hear the word engineered, it doesn’t mean the floor is fake or unnatural. The National Wood Flooring Association (NWFA), says an engineered floor consists of natural wood from top to bottom. Layers of wood are compressed and glued together. The top layer consists of high-quality wood and provides a beautiful and structurally sound floor for your home.
Engineered Flooring Is Still Wood
In Minnesota, we know that the weather and humidity can change drastically. Wood naturally expands & contracts with weather and humidity changes. The same is true for that hardwood in your home. Because of the seasonal changes in Minnesota, you might have noticed gaps in a hardwood floor. These gaps between the floor planks can be more noticeable during certain times of the year. The way engineered floors are processed, they are much less likely to be affected by temperature changes, which lowers the chances of gaps.
You can also sand and refinish engineered floors. With some exceptions, you can get one, maybe two, refinishes out of engineered flooring, depending on the product.
Solid Hardwood Floors Are Built to Last
You can see some of Dave’s different options for flooring here. Since a solid hardwood floor is a thick piece of wood, it allows you to sand and refinish them more than engineered floors, allowing you to customize your home today, and for future changes you may want to make.
Beyond the longevity, you may have the option of site-finished or prefinished solid hardwood flooring. A site-finished floor is when raw, solid hardwood is installed, sanded, and finished in your home with the color and topcoat of your choice. Prefinished hardwood is when the boards come already finished. They are ready to be lived in almost immediately after installation.
What Floor Is Best For Me?
When you’re trying to decide between these types of floors, here are some questions you should ask
- What kind of climate is the house in?
- What type of subfloor do I have?
- How often will I change the appearance of my flooring?
- Will I be able to protect this floor from getting wet?
These are just some of the many questions that may be important when picking your solid or engineered hardwood floors. The good news is that you have Dave’s Floor Sanding with decades of experience to help you choose! Contact us today.