Solid Wood vs Engineered Wood

Many people ask us what’s the difference between solid wood and engineered Wood and how is one better than the other. Read below to find out the differences and the pros and cons of each:

Engineered wood and solid wood floors are both made from 100% real wood, but are very different in their overall construction.

ENGINEERED WOOD:

Each plank is made from a top layer of solid wood with ply wood and MDF sandwiched together underneath.

The benefits of engineered wood are: it’s suitable for use with under floor heating. It is less expensive than solid wood. It is a very resilient and versatile flooring that can be used in most areas of your home. It doesn’t react to the environment like solid wood meaning it is less likely to expand or shrink.

SOLID WOOD:

Each plank is made from 100% solid hardwood.

Solid wood reacts to the environment meaning the planks are more likely to swell in heat during the Summer months and shrink during the colder months in Winter. Moisture will also cause solid wood to swell.

The benefits of solid wood are: It’s very strong. It can be sanded down numerous times meaning its suitable for high footfall areas. It can exceed 100years Service.

So should you be choosing solid wood or engineered?

Solid hardwood is for customers that are looking for real wood that will last for many years, and that do not mind having different types of flooring in different parts of the home, according to need and durability. Solid wood will return value many years down the road.

Engineered wood is for those who want the look of wood but who have a practical bent. Engineered wood enables you to install it in different rooms of the house than you can with solid wood meaning you can have the same flooring throughout if you wish.  It will return value, but will not have the longevity that solid wood has.