Engineered vs solid wood flooring

Both solid wood flooring and engineered wood flooring are made from 100% real wood.  How do they differ?


 
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Solid wood flooring is typically made entirely of a single wood species such as Oak, Walnut, or Pine, and milled to 3/4” thickness. During installation, solid wood flooring is glued and nailed to the sub-floor, thus it can only be installed on plywood, and not on a concrete slab. In climates where the relative humidity is usually below the optimum range of 35% to 55%, the use of a humidification system will help keep solid wood floors in excellent condition. With good maintenance and care, a solid wood floor can be sanded 3-4 times.

High quality engineered wood flooring is typically milled to 3/4" or 5/8” thickness, and has a 4.5 or 6mm layer of hardwood that has been adhered to a softwood or an exterior grade Baltic Birch plywood substrate. Thanks to this substrate, engineered floors can be more stable than a solid wood floor. Engineered floors may be installed directly over a concrete subfloor, or can be glued and nailed to a plywood subfloor. They can also be installed over radiant heating systems. Thanks to their stability, we are able to offer very wide plank options. Engineered flooring performs well in places with higher relative humidity, such as sea coasts or below grade. In climates where the relative humidity is usually below the optimum range of 35% to 55%, the use of a humidification system is recommended. A well-constructed engineered floor, with a substantial hardwood wear layer, can be sanded 2-3 times.