Engineered vs Solid Hardwood Flooring - Comments
(Read the article that everyone's commenting on.)
I often hear that engineered floors cannot be refinished as often as solid floors. I am not sure that I understand the reason. If you look at the portion of the solid wood plank above the tongue, this thickness is the same as on engineered planks (this thickness of the real wood surface - not the plywood base). So why would engineered floors have less refinishing potential compared to engineered? The reason I noted the thinkness above the tongue is because the nail or staple is installed on the top side of the tongue fastening the solid plank to the subfloor. If this thickness is the same in solid or engineered wood floors, why is there the refinish limitation for engineered floors?
Please help me understand why engineered cannot be refinished as often as solid wood floors.
Thanks!
Robert at April 9, 2008 10:57 AM
Posted by: Robert at April 9, 2008 10:57 AMGood observation!
I've always bought into the theory that the top layer of the engineered wood was what you had to pay attention to in regards to how many times you can refinish the floor. And that layer is thinner than solid wood planks. But you're right; the T&G, if nails are involved, would dictate how far down you could go before the floor lost integrity.
So I guess it depends on the engineered floor. They aren't all made the same, so if the top layer doesn't go all the way to the T&G it would have fewer refinishes in it than an engineered plank that has a thicker top layer.
The Flooring Lady at April 9, 2008 12:00 PM
Posted by: The Flooring Lady at April 9, 2008 12:00 PMWhat is an average square foot price I should expect to pay for a med./good grade engineered maple floor installed?
Dave at May 7, 2008 12:00 PM
Posted by: Dave at May 7, 2008 12:00 PMDave, the price of flooring varies by location. Since I don't sell flooring I don't know what you can expect in your area. But some phoning around will give you the information you are looking for.
The Flooring Lady at May 8, 2008 02:14 PM
Posted by: The Flooring Lady at May 8, 2008 02:14 PMI'm trying to decided between installing a hardwood floor in both my family room and kitchen. their located side by side. We have a large lab and while we cut its nails, it tends to run around the house and cause some scratches. Is the hardwood floor better at resisting scratches or is the engineered floor better.
Also, do you recommend wood flooring in a kitchen vs. a tile floor.
bruce at May 25, 2008 08:38 AM
Posted by: bruce at May 25, 2008 08:38 AMHi Bruce, Hardwood & engineered floors are pretty much the same on the surface, becuase the top layer of an engineered floor is hardwood, it just isn't solid hardwood. As mentioned in the article above, a hardwood floor can be refinished more times than an engineered floor. The biggest thing is to make sure that your floor is finished correctly. I personally love Diamond Coat Varathane Polyurethane formulated for floors and would recommend 3 or 4 coats if you go with flooring that you have to finish yourself. Read through the posts here and be sure to do a search for varathane - search is located at the upper right-hand corner of the screen.
I wouldn't recommend wood flooring for the kitchen, for the reasons stated above in the article, but it's a personal choice. If you do choose wood flooring in your kitchen, it's going to be very, very important to make sure that it will be protected from moisture.
Oh, also...... be sure to read through the flooring posts for some problems that other homeowners have experienced with marks that dog's claws can create. Some of the finished flooring that you buy can be very problematic in this area, a big reason why I'd recommend unfinished flooring so you can finish it properly yourself.
The Flooring Lady at May 25, 2008 04:23 PM
Posted by: The Flooring Lady at May 25, 2008 04:23 PMLiving in Phoenix, Arizona, is there any advantage or disadvantage of solid wood flooring over engineered wood? We have been leaning towards a solid bamboo, but are being told by some that it would have to be installed over a plywood subfloor only and could not or should not be glued down. Is this also correct?
Ed in Az at May 28, 2008 10:10 PM
Posted by: Ed in Az at May 28, 2008 10:10 PMWell....... Bamboo flooring can be glued, I don't know why they would have told you that it couldn't be. I am guessing that you have a nice even floor to start out with.
Most bamboo flooring is engineered, but that's not necessarily a *bad* thing. The advantage of engineered wood over solid is that it tends to "weather" the temperature and humidity changes better, and in-floor heat too.
The Flooring Lady at May 29, 2008 07:59 PM
Posted by: The Flooring Lady at May 29, 2008 07:59 PMWe live in Florida and have been told we need to go with an engineered wood floor. If we built up a wood subfloor instead of installing over concrete would there be any advantages to engineered over solid?
T at June 23, 2008 02:47 PM
Posted by: T at June 23, 2008 02:47 PM
Hi T., Did the person(s) who told you that give an explaination why?? It doesn't make sense. Just be sure that before you put your subfloor down that you make sure to use some sort of moisture barrier between the concrete and the subfloor that you won't have any moisture issues to contend with your new wood floor (engineered or hardwood). There's different types of moisture/vapor barriers, so you may want to read further about your options either here on the site or through your favorite search engine. If you want to read up at this site, just use the search bar that's at the top right-hand of every page.
The Flooring Lady at June 23, 2008 04:39 PM
Posted by: The Flooring Lady at June 23, 2008 04:39 PM(Read the article that everyone's commenting on.)
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