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.

Is engineered hardwood cheaper than solid hardwood.

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

Not all hardwood nor engineered hardwood floors are created equal and when weighing a hardwood and an engineered hardwood floor of similar quality the price will also be similar. Some may assume that engineered hardwood is naturally cheaper than solid hardwood but this is not always the case. 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. People are always asking me which one is better but both have their pros and cons.

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. 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. 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. Solid hardwood is available in both pre finished and unfinished boards.

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. 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. Unlike hardwood flooring cut and milled into planks from natural solid wood engineered hardwood is a hybrid of materials. Solid wood flooring can last 100 years or longer and rarely needs to be replaced.

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.