The Basics of Engineered Wood Flooring

When remodeling, many homeowners want hardwood flooring. However, solid hardwood floor is difficult to install on your own--you almost always need to hire hardwood floor installers for this--and can be finicky when it comes to moisture. And laminate flooring, as much as it looks like actual wood flooring, simply is not real wood.

Enter engineered wood flooring. Let's look at this compromise between solid hardwood and laminate.

Engineered Wood Flooring is Real Wood

Laminate is melamine-infused paper on top, wood chip composite on bottom. Solid hardwood, by definition, is real wood. And engineered wood, too, is real wood. It is a sandwich of 1/16" to 1/8" inch of finish wood on top and non-finish plywood underneath.

Engineered Wood Floor is Pre-Finished

The top finish layer is pre-finished, which means that it's already sanded and sealed. So as soon as the floor has been laid, you can walk on it. This is in contrast to unfinished solid hardwood, which must be sealed and which requires waiting time before use. Note: solid hardwood is available pre-finished, as well.

Engineered Wood Flooring Can Be Sanded--Sort Of

The advantage of engineered wood flooring versus laminate is that engineered wood can be sanded after scratches and dings develop. Two catches, though:

• It cannot be sanded more than 1-3 times (depending on the thickness of the finish layer);
• I seriously recommend that you have a professional sand your engineered wood flooring. It is very easy to gouge your engineered wood floor, revealing the plywood underneath.

It's Good for Areas With Light Moisture

Engineered wood flooring works well in basements and bathrooms where light moisture might be present. Still, it doesn't hold up to really wet areas such as basements that flood frequently. Nor does it hold up to kids' bathrooms which...well, also tend to flood frequently. No wood flooring product is great for these very wet areas (tile, concrete, vinyl, or any other non-organic product is best). But relative to other wood flooring products, engineered wood isn't bad.

Engineered Wood Flooring Has a Range of Installation Options

Unlike solid wood, which must be nailed to a wood sub-floor, engineered wood can be installed in a different number of ways. Depending on the type you buy, it can be either:

• A nail-down floor. This is for the 3/8" thick floor--its thinness requires nailing to enhance stability;
• A glue-down floor. The 1/2" thick floor can be nailed down; or
• A floating floor. The 5/8" planks are thick enough to act as a floating floor.

Value of Engineered Flooring

Engineered flooring is more expensive than laminate, yet provides better value in the long-run because it can be periodically sanded to revive the wood grain and erase scratches. Read more about the value of engineered flooring on ConsumerSearch.