Choosing your wooden flooring – Hardwood or Engineered Wood?

When it comes to wooden flooring, every home is different and people have a unique take on what will or won’t work in their home. Choosing between solid hardwood and engineered wood therefore requires a little research, and with this in mind we discuss the two, so that you can make up your own mind about what sort of flooring would suit you best.

Engineered Wood Flooring

Engineered wood comprises of 3-15 layers of wood, and varies from 13mm to 22mm thick, with the top veneers varying from 2 to 8mm. The layers are bonded together by way of extreme pressure and cold glue (far better to use cold glue than hot glue, so always ask the question!). The top layer is generally hardwood, with the lower layers normally being made up of plywood material.

Easy to install and environmentally well thought of, it is quite popular with those on a lower budget. Although the cost is comparable to hardwood flooring, you would be wise to check every detail of the makeup of engineered flooring, as if the veneers are too thin, then the likelihood of the floor standing the test of time is much lower than it is with solid wooden flooring. Similarly, if the veneers are not well made they can warp over time, making the flooring much more uneven. Checking the core layer material is also wise, as the use of fibreboard/MDF may compromise the floor’s stability.

Hardwood Flooring

Solid hardwood tends to be a popular choice for many homes. Simply milled from one piece of hardwood, then treated to a protective coating, the pieces tend to come in a thickness of about three quarters of an inch.  This means that the boards can be re-sanded and treated many times over, without damaging the wood itself, which carries the benefit of ensuring a long lifespan for this type of flooring.

Hardwood flooring is installed by simply being nailed or bonded to the subfloor. Installers will leave a small gap between the floor and walls to accommodate the usual expansion and contraction of wood that comes with the change in humidity of your home throughout the year.

Hardwood flooring is available in a number of different styles and types of wood, meaning there is something for everyone. It can have a really positive effect on the value of your home, as hardwood flooring is seen as a mark of quality in a house, and you’ll tend to find that houses with hardwood flooring installed can command a higher price tag than those without it.

Ultimately, the decision between the two is a matter of personal choice, but there are numerous technical reasons for picking either option. We at Just Wood can supply all the information you need, for you to be able to make an informed choice.