Another question you might hear a lot about the floor installation is the comparison between Solid and Engineered hardwood floors.
You will always hear this in which flooring is a better option for you, whether Solid or the engineered hardwood floors.
So, let us get into this and figure out which option is better and what are the features of these two floors.
Whenever we give this comparison, it does not really mean that we are exaggerating one type to another. As both of these types are popular, and different people prefer going with different types based on what they are more comfortable with.
The other important thing that one should consider is that dining room chairs should not be leaving any dents on floors because if the floor is not really durable, it will surely leave some tiny dents. And that will eventually increase with time and your floor with look bad with such dents.
Another important thing is that if you drop something on the floor that it should not leave a heavy dent on your floor, it should be really hard to sustain such heavy drops. Like for example, if you drop some heavy steel ball, will your floor have a dent?
It will not only make it look bad, but your flooring design will also look really bad, it will lose its apparel, and it might give it a look as if it was dirty all the time. And this is what we have to avoid if we want quality flooring.
The Janka Test – Solid & Engineered Species:
If you are known with wood business, you would know for sure that there is a Janka test used to check the hardness of the particular wood type. And that test also tells us how much force it needs to embed some steel ball into the wood. Of course, nobody is driving the steel ball through the wood type. But this Janka test is necessary to determine how hard is wood is from the other type.
Also, it is to notice that some solid wood floors and engineered floors have the same characteristics. So you will not be able to make any conclusion based on the type of wood.
So let us have a general idea about hardwood engineered flooring and solid flooring.
Solid VS engineered hardwood floor Durability:
Durability is the first thing everyone goes for because not having proper durability means that it will not last for a long time. And that is a big no for many people.
Also, it is to consider that if you are flooring has a lot of traffic on a daily basis, then it might not withstand, or also it can have the opposite results based on the durability. Durability should also include a thing that will not change its appearance over time. And this is very important.
Engineered Flooring Hardness:
There is a general rule that everyone must know if your engineered flooring contains a greater number of plies, then for sure, it would be harder than an engineered floor, which has fewer plies. So, your floor should contain a greater number of plies.
Overall Thickness & Species:
It is a piece of the antique blue label, and Somerset makes it. And it is definitely worth it. But also it is expensive as better the quality more it becomes expensive. The blue label product has eight plies of hardwood core. It would be quite hard and better in quality. And the general thickness is ½". And also, they use harder types such as hickory and oak. This makes their floorings more dent resistant than any other flooring in the market.
Stability:
Stability is another thing that we keep track of. And let us see another big difference between hardwood engineered flooring and solid flooring.
The experts also advise when to install the hardwood engineered flooring and when to install the solid floor. The solid floors are installed on the wood subfloors with the help of nails. So, if there is a presence of concrete, then the engineered hardwood comes into play with the help of glue. And the reason is the moisture. And we surely control the moisture in the house with a crawl or the basement than one we built on a slab.
Also, you should know that the moisture is really bad for wood flooring, from the fact you can see that if the humidity in your house increases by 30%, then it can destroy your Solid wood flooring. That is how bad it affects wood flooring.
And also, the cupping you see on the flooring is due to moisture, and most people say that it goes down when it dries. But this is not the case every time. And also, you cannot fix it by sanding them down. It needs to go through the seasonal cycle for that.
And also, if we do it before the time before it stabilizes, then we risk the cupping to invert. So, the real question is how you can avoid this situation. And the answer would be pretty straight forward. Either you keep the moisture level consistent in your home. Make sure it does not increase any further than it is required. Not even by 30%. Or, if you cannot control it, then you can use hardwood engineered flooring. And that would be the solution to your problem.
Final Words
But use a quality engineered flooring, so the main thing we discuss regarding the difference between hardwood engineered and solid flooring is the plies.
Engineered hardwood is made with plies of wood, and also, when they are installed, the direction is changed. And the multi-direction construction helps the stability more. And it allows the engineered hardwood floor to bear the moisture level at the greater level.
This is why we can surely glue down the engineered hardwood floor, or float it over the concrete and still not have the cupping issue, which is an amazing thing.
In today's market, you would see many wide planks that would be up to 12" inches. And you would see them quite common, and even they would not be solid wood floors.
You can also guess that the soft pine floor would not have cupping issues, but all the other types of the floor would be hardwood engineered floors regardless of the subfloor. So, this is another reason why the majority of the floors are nailed down to the wooden sub-floor. Of course, you would not want the cupping issue at all.
But in both cases, know that there is time and place for both of these flooring types. You cannot just install the hardwood engineered or solid type without knowing the specification of your house.
So, this increases the value of both types. And you should always consult the expert who can judge the moisture level of your house. So you can enjoy the better flooring and durability for a long time. They will make sure for you that if your house has a controlled humid level so that it would not damage the solid flooring. In other cases, you might want to use engineered hardwood flooring. Choose what suits you the best, and according to your house.
