SOLID OR ENGINEERED WOOD?
In the past several years, wood flooring has become a more common choice of homeowners in Southwest Missouri. With homes having more open floor plans, the use of wood in those open areas has become more popular. This raises the question: Do I want solid or engineered wood? I want to go over some of the differences between engineered and solid hardwood flooring in hope of helping customers determine which product is right for their home.
Think of a piece of wood as if it were a tightly packed bundle of long drinking straws running the length of a board (or tree). As those straws draw in moisture from the air, they expand. The get “plumper” and bigger around. Conversely, when the wood dries out those same straws shrink (get more skinny). This is the change in wood that can cause creaks in the spring, cracks to appear between boards in the winter or cause it to “cup” and “crown” and look like a washboard. The wider the board, the more effect these changes will have. The unique thing is that the straws will not lengthen hardly at all. So the board will get wider and thicker, but not measurably longer. The two main factors that affect this movement are humidity and temperature change. Welcome to Southwest Missouri! That’s an ongoing joke around these parts. If you don’t like the weather, just stick around a day, it will change.
Solid wood
When we talk about solid wood flooring we are referring to a ¾” thick piece of solid wood. Historically, solid wood has been predominately manufactured in either 2 ¼” or 3 ¼” widths, but in recent years 5” widths have become very popular. (I think that’s in part to compete with the newer engineered products. But we’ll get to that later). Solid wood is generally nailed/stapled to a wood subfloor. It is not supposed to be installed below grade or on concrete (even if glued). And yes, that does include your walkout basement with windows and doors all along the back side looking out onto your patio.
Solid hardwood can be installed unfinished, sanded and finished with a sealer in the home. This provides a very smooth, almost glass-like finish. This can, and generally does look very impressive, but because the finish is applied in the home, it is limited in the materials that can go in it. This leads to a less durable finish that will need a fair amount of maintenance and will need to be refinished often to maintain that “smooth as glass look”. It is also difficult to show the customer a “true color” stain sample as jobsite conditions can affect the outcome.
Solid wood flooring can also be purchased prefinished with a stain and finish applied in a factory. Because conditions can be readily manipulated in factories, manufactures are able to incorporate materials like aluminum or ceramic oxide into their finishes. The most recent innovation is titanium oxide. These materials do wonders for the finish, making it much harder and stronger than floors finished in the home. So much so that some manufactures offer lifetime wear warranties on their finishes. The disadvantage is that because these board are finished independently from each other they all must have a slight bevel at the edges. When the boards are installed, these bevels between boards are visible, thus you don’t get that perfectly smooth finish you get with the site-sanded and finished floor.
Engineered wood
Engineered wood flooring is usually purchased prefinished from the factory. It is manufactured by binding wood veneers together to form a composite material. It usually consists of a top layer of stain grade wood. The thickness of this layer differs depending on the species of wood and quality of product. But it is the same stain grade wood that would be used in a piece of solid wood, just not as thick. Also, most engineered wood flooring products will have the same aluminum, ceramic or titanium oxide finish as the solid products.
The real differences come in when we look below that stain grade layer of wood. Looking at the end of a piece of engineered wood you will find several layers of wood sandwiched together much like a miniaturized piece of butcher block counter top. The layers will usually be in an alternating light and dark color pattern. Remember the straws we talked about earlier? And the fact that they will get more plump and then skinny but will not grow in length? Engineered wood manufacturers have used this to their advantage. The reason the layers you see are in an alternating light/dark pattern is because those “straws” in those alternating layers are running in different directions. Each layer (except the bottom) has a layer above and below it with the straws running perpendicular. By stacking the veneers at 90 degree angles, no one layer can grow or shrink to much in any direction.
Because of the layering of the engineered wood flooring it can handle a certain amount of moisture and can be installed anywhere in the house; on, above or below grade. It is said to be more stable. That is, it will not expand and contract as much as solid wood so the chances of cracks between boards or having squeaks are minimized. You will also notice that most engineered wood flooring is wider. The standard is usually about 5” (I told you we would get to why 5” solid has become more popular). Engineered wood can be installed on concrete or plywood subfloors with glue or nails or even by floating. This fact has made engineered wood flooring popular with homeowners who want wood in their walkout basement to match the main level.
As for sanding and refinishing, a quality engineered floor can be sanded and refinished about twice, depending on the thickness of the wear layer (stain grade veneer). Keep in mind though, prefinished engineered wood flooring has a very hard finish (remember the aluminum, ceramic and titanium oxide?) making it very difficult to actually sand off the factory finish. As a matter of fact, most conventional sandpaper is made of aluminum oxide.
So, which style of wood is for you? Do you want the traditional on site finished solid wood with the perfectly smooth, less durable finish that requires more maintenance? The prefinished solid wood with the durable finish that will probably move a bit and show some cracks between boards in the winter? Or the engineered wood that is more durable and stable but you can only refinish a time or two? We are always available at Midwest Design Supply to help you make that choice. We value the opportunity to help you craft an exciting and unique flooring solution that offers the perfect living or creative space for you.