Cabin-grade engineered flooring is the lowest grade of engineered hardwood flooring. It may have bubbles, knots, open cracks, and other imperfections in the wood. That doesn't mean the boards are not made correctly, or are shattered or broken, it just means there may be some imperfections in the top layer of the wood. A professional floor installer may be able to lay this floor without many of the most obvious imperfections showing by cutting and choosing which boards to install, or where to install them.

Select- and better-grade engineered flooring is considered the top grade of engineered hardwood by many manufacturers. In this grade of flooring, there are no manufacturing imperfections, although there may be some stain imperfections due to how the wood takes the stain, and there may be wood-grain variations. These imperfections are not readily visible and are as perfect as possible. Natural products aren't perfect and the imperfections are part of the charm of the materials.

Common-grade engineered flooring typically contains more variations in color and grain than the select- and better-grade flooring. The imperfections are often more visible, but the variations do not glaringly stand out. This is the most common flooring that you see at stores. There may have other imperfections, such as small tight knots, streaks, broken knots, or filled worm holes, but they show the beauty of a real piece of wood.

Tavern-grade engineered flooring boards may have heavy and easily seen variations in color and grain. This flooring may have open worm holes, tight knots or broken knots, burns, and imperfections like a torn grain. Larger holes are filled and finished.

Cabin-grade engineered flooring, the lowest grade available, is less expensive and in many cases, with proper installation, will be difficult to see that it is of an inferior grade. People often choose cabin-grade engineered flooring for their homes so they can have the best of both worlds -- a hardwood floor without a high expense. There may be more waste due to cutting the boards to remove some of the most obvious imperfections, but the reduced price will more than make up for the waste in most cases. Sometimes cabin-grade flooring is chosen because people want a more rustic look and feel they can get that with this grade of hardwood flooring.

Choosing your flooring is determined by not only the room you are installing it in, but also your preferences, and your budget. Some people may be more comfortable with the higher grade engineered flooring while others are perfectly content with lower grade flooring options. The important information to keep in mind is there are lots of engineered hardwood flooring options for you and your home no matter what your budget is. Cabin-grade engineered flooring may be just the choice for you.