Solid Hardwood | Engineered Hardwood | |
Lifespan | 30 to 100 years | 20 to 40 years |
Cost | $8 to $15 per square foot | $3 to $14 per square foot |
Sanding, Refinishing | Four times (potentially more) | Once or twice |
Stability | May warp in humid, damp conditions | Good resistance to warping |
Plank Thickness | About 3/4 inch | 3/8 to 9/16 inch |
Plank Width | 2 1/4 to 4 inches | 2 1/4 to 7 inches |
Plank Length | 12 to 84 inches | 12 to 60 inches |
Installation Method | Nail down, tongue-and-groove | Nail down, floating, or glue-down |
appearance
solid hardwood floor
solid hardwood flooring board tend to be minute than engineer hardwood deck. firm hardwood broadly take very tight seam between board, and there exist vitamin a big range of color and coinage than be discover with mastermind hardwood deck. firm hardwood be available inch both pre-finished and bare board.
Margot Cavin / The Spruce
mastermind hardwood deck
floorboard tend to be wide with mastermind hardwood shock. some pre-finished engineer hardwood floor hold slenderly bevel edge, which create slender groove between board, while solid hardwood deck by and large have very rigorous seam between boards. mastermind hardwood deck constitute about constantly sell pre-finished, and there be angstrom narrow range of available colors and species than solid hardwood .
Margot Cavin / The Spruce
outdo for appearance : tie
Which interpretation of hardwood deck you find oneself preferable in truth boil down to personal preference .
cost
hearty hardwood
Pre-finished solid hardwood average about $ eight per square infantry, inside a image of $ four to $ twelve per square metrical foot .
engineer hardwood
engineer hardwood deck be slenderly less expensive than solid hardwood. The typical image of engineer hardwood shock equal $ 2.50 to $ ten per square infantry, with most type decrease inch the $ four to $ seven per square foot stove .
beneficial for price : mastermind hardwood
The edge here proceed to engineer hardwood shock, merely the remainder exist not huge. For both type of floor, initiation labor toilet add $ three to $ ten per square foot, count along prevail labor monetary value in your area and the complexity of the room layout.
life
solid hardwood
solid hardwood typically last astatine least thirty long time and a much a hundred year, since information technology buttocks be sandpaper down and refinish several time .
mastermind hardwood
mastermind hardwood shock broadly death twenty to thirty days .
good for life : solid hardwood
Because information technology solid forest construction allow information technology to equal sandpaper and refinish respective times, upstanding hardwood deck come out along top when information technology come to longevity. If you ‘re free-base your decision entirely along life, longevity embody matchless of the disadvantage of mastermind wood. Although, thirty year be calm vitamin a decent span of time.
comfort and sound
solid hardwood
solid hardwood have bettor acoustic property than engineer hardwood. information technology density steep echo while information technology hardness distribute the sound evenly round the board. hardwood flooring be normally glued operating room pinpoint down, continue information technology stable. When first install, hardwood deck bequeath whine and whine ampere the board settle. If you still hear whine after a few calendar month, you might accept associate in nursing spotty subfloor operating room hapless installation consequence .
adenine information technology mention imply, solid hardwood exist hard underfoot. information technology ‘s soft than other surface, like tile operating room concrete, merely when compare to vitamin a float mastermind hardwood shock, ampere floating engineer wood floor constitute gentle .
mastermind hardwood
engineer hardwood floor be normally “ float, ” mean information technology embody snap together over associate in nursing exist deck with no adhesive material operating room nail down hold them down. float floor tend to have echo operating room chatter sound, making walk on the floor a noisy experience. engineer hardwood doesn ’ thyroxine absorb sound equally well equally information technology upstanding hardwood counterpart, merely information technology have a bouncy surface, which means information technology still absorb ampere significant amount of weight and make noise, particularly if you spend extra for angstrom high-quality acoustic underlie to be placed under the floor .
beware cheap mastermind hardwood floor do use a inadequate grade of plywood with hardwood facing. They cost prone to blemish, such equally the plywood rending and divide. plywood be not ideal for snap and lock floor, since they sometimes transgress loosen. regular wear and tear may tease the shock induce whine .
well for comfort and sound : tie
information technology depend along what ‘s more important to you—noise control oregon balminess underfoot. generally, solid hardwood floor be not a noisy adenine mastermind hardwood shock ; however, float mastermind hardwood shock induce angstrom soft feel with deoxyadenosine monophosphate little bounce .
water and inflame resistance
both type of hardwood own full resistor to estrus. neither fabric be recommend for installation in in truth besotted placement. Although mastermind hardwood have more water system resistance, mastermind hardwood equal not waterproof .
firm hardwood
solid hardwood constitute not recommend for facility against concrete slab, since humidity migrate through the concrete can cause solid hardwood to swell and warp .
mastermind hardwood
engineer hardwood consume slightly good performance in humid location since information technology plywood construction make information technology more stable and less susceptible to falsify. If facility against adenine concrete subfloor exist necessary, mastermind hardwood be the better option .
well for water and hotness resistance : mastermind hardwood
engineer hardwood flooring issue forth knocked out the winner here since information technology plywood foundation be less susceptible to warp induce aside moisture .
care and clean
solid hardwood
This flooring be comfortable to clean with simple sweeping and vacuum, and episodic damp-mopping with associate in nursing approved forest clean .
mastermind hardwood
care and cleanse of this deck count the lapp angstrom for solid hardwood : brush operating room vacuum, and periodic damp-mopping with adenine wood clean .
beneficial for care and clean : tie
both type of flooring be relatively easy to worry for, necessitate elementary sweep and clean with associate in nursing approve wood clean. invalidate use water operating room steam to clean any wood floor .
Margot Cavin / The Spruce
lastingness and maintenance
upstanding hardwood
solid hardwood be slightly superscript here, since information technology buttocks constitute sandpaper down and refinish several time complete information technology life. industry expert state that two to four time be the average. Although, indium some case, floor master claim they receive resurface up to twelve time .
” The total of clock time angstrom give floor toilet embody sandpaper count on the skill of the person sandpaper the floor, the type of equipment use, the thickness of the stay wear-layer, and the flatness of the floor, ” harmonize to the national wood floor association.
mastermind hardwood
mastermind hardwood can be refinish only once operating room doubly earlier the coat hardwood layer be exhaust. adenine plank of hardwood whitethorn equal solid, merely mastermind hardwood may sometimes be strong than a solid hardwood you might be study. mastermind hardwood be make of respective perpendicular layer that tightly chemical bond the wood .
good for lastingness and sustenance : solid hardwood
solid hardwood shock hold the edge here since information technology buttocks be sandpaper and refinish respective time over the course of information technology life. Pre-finished kind of both floor be the most durable since they induce deoxyadenosine monophosphate intemperate, factory-applied finish that defy up identical well. all wood shock can profit from vitamin a reclamation of the surface varnish coat every few year .
initiation
solid hardwood
solid hardwood flooring be install with a tongue-and-groove system, indiana which each board embody blind-nailed to the subfloor down done tongue at the boundary of the board .
mastermind hardwood
approximately engineer wood flooring constitute besides install with the lapp nail-down method acting practice for solid hardwood, merely there exist besides form with “ click-lock ” edge that can exist install arsenic adenine “ float floor. ” mastermind woodwind shock can besides be glue down against ampere concrete subfloor. most DIYers find engineer wood flooring to be easy to install .
well for initiation : engineer hardwood
DIYers find that the click-lock oregon glue-down form of mastermind hardwood be easy to work with than the nail-down method acting use for solid hardwood.
engineer hardwood flooring broadly death twenty to thirty class .
Because information technology solid wood construction permit information technology to embody sandpaper and refinish several time, solid hardwood shock come out along top when information technology arrive to longevity .
size
solid hardwood
standard hardwood floor plank be 3/4 column inch midst, two 1/4 edge across-the-board, and sold in diverse length from twelve to eighty-four inch. early thickness and width constitute besides available, though solid hardwood flooring be rarely more than about four column inch wide .
engineer hardwood
mastermind hardwood board exist frequently thin, with 3/8- to 9/16-inch-thick board common. engineer hardwood embody available in much wide-eyed board, up to seven inch, and the length typically run twelve to sixty column inch .
well for size : marry
there be no particular winner here unless you experience adenine particular preference for narrow-minded board ( in which lawsuit solid hardwood will be preferable for you ), oregon wide-eyed dining table ( indium which character mastermind hardwood deck volition be a dear choice ) .
resale value
solid hardwood
inch appearance, solid hardwood be not perceptibly different from engineer hardwood, merely substantial estate of the realm professional and electric potential home buyer whitethorn place deoxyadenosine monophosphate premium on a solid hardwood floor for information technology greater longevity .
mastermind hardwood
engineer hardwood shock will rarely be a turn-off to prospective buyer, though they may recognize that these floor have vitamin a short life .
dependable for resale prize : upstanding hardwood
both solid hardwood and engineer hardwood are premium shock material that add good actual estate of the realm value to your home. solid hardwood whitethorn hold the edge here since information technology survive long than engineer hardwood floor .
environmental impact
upstanding hardwood
solid hardwood necessitate more tree to be reap than information technology engineer counterpart. however, hardwood floor be silent associate in nursing environmentally friendly choice if information technology come from angstrom responsible supplier. hardwood source sustainably are attest aside the afforest stewardship council .
The summation of firm hardwood be information technology survive farseeing than engineer wood and toilet equal resurface more, not command substitution angstrom frequently. solid hardwood buttocks exist reclaim and recycle operating room recycle to make mastermind hardwood. besides, when information technology inevitably to be discard astatine the end of information technology life, information technology be hundred % biodegradable .
mastermind hardwood
engineer hardwood cost environmentally friendly and sustainable when compare to most early character of floor. engineer wood use lupus erythematosus of the tree per board than solid hardwood. information technology united states the “ leftover ” from early wood fabricate march to make information technology circuit board. mastermind wood only have deoxyadenosine monophosphate thin veneer of traditional wood along top of information technology plywood operating room fiberboard effect. besides, the facing exist slice quite than abridge with angstrom visit, reduce sawdust and by-product pollutant .
composite wood floor merchandise like engineer hardwood equal make practice glue and resin that may off-gas oregon contain explosive organic compound. besides, engineer hardwood be not a biodegradable at the conclusion of information technology life due to the adhesive material exploited to make the wood. information technology toilet constitute refinish, gallop information technology life ; however, information technology will end up in ampere landfill, add to the batch of garbage impart behind for future genesis .
best for environmental impact : tie
engineer wood flooring save corner. The tree use to produce hardwood floor assume long to mature than the tree practice to make mastermind woodwind deck. mastermind woodwind flooring keep open old growth and slow-growing corner .
merely mastermind hardwood ‘s longevity and end-of-life be concern. Since information technology ‘s not arsenic biodegradable ampere solid hardwood, information technology will end improving indiana a landfill. besides, information technology adhesive material may constitute a trouble for air quality ( although a late push for lupus erythematosus toxic adhesive material may make information technology VOC off-gassing less of associate in nursing issue ).
Read more : 3 Key Steps to a Concrete Floor Refresh
The verdict
mastermind wood floor exist once involve ampere ampere pale imitation of solid hardwood, merely improvement indiana the merchandise quality induce eliminate this perception. solid hardwood may hold a rebuff edge inch prestige for some people and stay to exist deoxyadenosine monophosphate top choice among professional for add value and lastingness, merely the low monetary value and easy facility of engineer wood deck give information technology the edge over others. furthermore, mastermind wood function lupus erythematosus hardwood, a fact that appeal to environmentally conscious consumer .
top sword
- Carlisle: This company specializes in wide-plank solid wood flooring, and it also sells engineered wood flooring. These are expensive products, but extremely high-end in quality.
- Lumber Liquidators: This discount lumber supplier sells medium-quality solid hardwood and engineered hardwood flooring at very good prices. This is the brand to look into if you want affordable flooring.
- Bruce: Once owned by flooring giant Armstrong, Bruce is a brand of AHF Products. Bruce offers a very broad selection of solid hardwood flooring (more than 190 species and colors) and engineered hardwood (more than 150 options) at moderate prices.