6 Reasons Why Engineered Flooring Is Better Than Hardwood

6 Reasons Why Engineered Flooring Is Better Than Hardwood

Wooden floors are in a class of their own. They make your home look warm and inviting, whether kept bare or adorned with area rugs, and with due care and maintenance last much longer than most other flooring types. They also add to your home’s resale value.

While hardwood remains an evergreen flooring choice, advancements in manufacturing and technology have made engineered flooring more durable and cost-effective. With improved features and usability, engineered flooring is increasingly being chosen by homeowners, contractors and interior designers over solid hardwood floors.

6 Good Reasons to Choose Engineered Flooring over Hardwood

Here are six reasons why engineered floors make a smarter choice for your home and budget.

1. They Resist Temperature and Moisture

Compared to solid wood, engineered wood doesn’t expand and contract with heat and moisture fluctuations. This makes it less susceptible to warping, cracking and buckling. The reason for its stability is its clever composition – layers of plywood combined with solid wood. This makes engineered wood a safer flooring option for moisture-prone areas like the kitchen, bathroom, mudroom and basement. While engineered floors are usually resistant to moisture, consider installing a vapour barrier between the subfloor and actual flooring.

2. They Come in a Wide Range of Colours and Finishes

While solid wood flooring comes in a whole range of species and grades, it’s often quite expensive. Engineered flooring offers a greater range of colours, grades and finishes to suit your taste and budget, meaning you can achieve the look you want without the high price. Whether your design preference is classic, contemporary or antique, you’ll find a style of engineered wood flooring to match your style. For help, consult a flooring specialist in your area.

3. They’re Easy to Care for and Maintain

If you’re looking for a flooring material that looks good but doesn’t require much maintenance, engineered flooring is a good option. Over time, solid hardwood tends to scratch, crack and lose its lustre. While refinishing is a common way to fix such problems, doing so repeatedly can eat into the wood. This creates pollution and inhalation hazards due to the chemicals used in certain refinishing jobs.

Engineered floors, by contrast, only need to be refinished once or twice over their entire lifetime. You can also choose different veneers, treatments or coatings depending on the level of wear and tear your floor will experience.

4. They’re Easy to Install

Since solid hardwood boards are milled directly from a thick piece of wood, their thickness usually varies from ¾- to -inches. Engineered hardwood boards are constructed by joining several high-density fiberboard layers and then packing them between a solid wood top layer and hardwood backing. The result is tougher and wider than regular solid hardwood planks. As wide boards cover greater areas, they require fewer joins across the floor, making them easy to install. While you must either staple or nail solid hardwood planks to install them, you can staple, nail, float or glue engineered hardwood boards. The click-lock or glue-down varieties of engineered hardwood are quite popular with DIY flooring installers.

5. They’re Affordable

Unlike solid hardwood that’s 100% wood, engineered wood consists of a layer of hardwood on top of high-quality plywood, making it more affordable. Additionally, engineered wood requires less maintenance and is durable, making it a great investment at a budget price.

6. They’re Very Durable

With solid hardwood floors, each plank is made of 100% wood with the grain extending from the top to the bottom. They naturally expand, contract, warp or cup when exposed to different environmental factors. The unique construction of engineered hardwood planks makes them extremely tough and capable of withstanding heavy traffic in both homes and businesses.

When looking for the best flooring option, choosing between solid and engineered hardwood is tough. While solid hardwood adds more resale value to your property, it’s expensive and reacts to temperature and humidity significantly. Engineered hardwood, on the other hand, is much more flexible, affordable, and easier to install and maintain. If you’re a do-it-yourselfer and want something that’s durable, attractive and inexpensive, engineered flooring is your best choice.