With so many wood types, colors, and finishes, choosing the best flooring option for your home can be daunting.
The first choice you’ll need to make is between engineered wood vs hardwood floors. Understanding their differences and similarities will bring you significantly closer to selecting the right flooring for your home.
Engineered Wood Flooring vs Hardwood Average Cost
Installing 1,000 square feet of engineered wood flooring typically costs between $3,000 and $8,000.
On average, homeowners across the country pay around $4,700 for an engineered wood flooring project.
When it comes to installing hardwood flooring, the national average is in the same ballpark as engineered wood. On average, homeowners will pay around $4,500 to bring warmth and character to a room with hardwood flooring.
The average cost of installing 1,000 square feet of hardwood flooring runs a little higher, and ranges between $6,000 and $12,000.
Cost Per Sq.Ft. Of Engineered Wood Flooring vs Hardwood
Solid hardwood averages around $8 per square foot, with the typical range going from $4 to $15 per square foot. But with so many factors involved, the cost of solid hardwood can go up to $23 per square foot.
Your hardwood installation costs depend on the type of wood you choose, the project size, labor costs, and the installation method.
Generally speaking, engineered wood is less expensive than solid hardwood.
The typical range goes from $2 to $10 per square foot. Higher-grade engineered wood flooring can cost up to $25 per square foot.
The cost of engineered wood flooring depends on the wood veneer you choose and its thickness, the number of core layers, and the amount of coverage you need.
| Wood Quality | Engineered Wood Flooring Cost per Square Foot | Solid Hardwood Flooring Cost per Square Foot | Labor Costs | Total Cost of Installing Engineered Wood Flooring for a 1,000-Square-Foot Space | Total Cost of Installing Solid Hardwood Flooring for a 1,000-Square-Foot Space |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Low-Grade | $1-$3 | $2-$7 | $3-$5 | $4,000-$8,000 | $5,000-$12,000 |
| Mid-Grade | $3-$7 | $7-$13 | $3-$5 | $6,000-$12,000 | $10,000-$18,000 |
| High-Grade | $7-$13 | $13-$20 | $3-$5 | $10,000-$18,000 | $16,000-$25,000 |
What Is Hardwood Flooring?
Solid hardwood has been considered a benchmark in the flooring industry for years. As the name suggests, it’s made from 100% hardwood.
This flooring option is lauded for its authenticity, durability, and timelessness.
Solid wood flooring typically comes in long planks constructed from hardwood species like walnut, oak, or maple.
What Is Engineered Wood Flooring?
Engineered wood resembles solid hardwood in appearance but significantly differs in its composition.
Natural wood is still present, but only as a relatively thin wood layer on top of around six layers of plywood.
These core plywood layers are pressed together in a crisscrossed pattern, making the engineered wood stable. As a result, engineered hardwood flooring is less likely to shift, contract, or expand when exposed to temperature, moisture, and humidity changes.
Best Engineered Wood Flooring
Almost every company specializing in solid hardwood flooring has added engineered wood to its offerings.
Finding a premium quality option for your home shouldn’t be challenging. The most essential aspect is that the chosen company or brand meets your specifications regarding the wood type, price, style, and eco-friendliness.
Some of the best engineered wood flooring options come from popular high-quality brands.
- Mohawk
- Bruce
- Harris Wood
- Kährs
- Anderson Tuftex
- Somerset Hardwood Flooring
Did you know? To save money, some manufacturers use cheap materials for the core layer, thus compromising the floor’s structural integrity. To avoid making a costly mistake, research the manufacturer carefully before making a purchase.
Wide Plank Engineered Hardwood
Wide plank flooring has a pretty self-explanatory name – it uses planks much wider than the typical three to four inches.
Solid hardwood planks have traditionally been narrower, since natural wood tends to contract and expand when reacting to environmental changes. The narrower the plank, the less likely it is to warp.
The introduction of engineered wood has opened up a world of possibilities regarding the plank’s width. These boards can be as much as 20 inches wide, allowing for a more distinctive look.
In terms of functionality, there’s no significant difference between conventional and wide planks.
However, the choice of planks can affect the room’s appearance.
Try not to go too overboard with the plank’s width, as it may have the opposite effect. If your room is too small, planks over 10 inches can shrink it even more.
Solid Wood Flooring vs Engineered Wood Flooring Differences
Although engineered wood flooring is designed to mimic its solid wood counterpart, there are considerable differences between the two flooring options.
Appearance
Appearance is arguably the only category where similarities between solid and engineered wood outnumber the differences. After all, engineered wood flooring features a natural wood layer on top to make it resemble solid wood as much as possible.
Some differences between these options can be spotted, primarily concerning the appearance of individual planks.
While similar in length, solid wood planks are generally narrower and thicker than their engineered wood counterparts. The seams between the planks are pretty tight, creating a uniform final look.
In contrast, prefinished engineered hardwood planks can sometimes have slightly uneven edges, creating grooves between them.
Lifespan
One of the most significant differences between solid and engineered wood flooring concerns their respective lifespans.
Since solid wood can be sanded and refinished multiple times, hardwood flooring lasts drastically longer than engineered wood flooring.
The exact lifespan depends on the wood species and the maintenance level.
You can generally rely on solid wood flooring for up to 100 years. If you’d like to get the most out of your solid wood floors, choose harder wood, like hickory or oak, and seal them with a protective finish.
Solid wood flooring shouldn’t last less than 30 years, which is, interestingly, the maximum lifespan for engineered wood flooring.
While three decades is still a decent chunk of time, it can’t compare to the longevity of solid wood flooring.
This discrepancy primarily results from the relatively thin surface hardwood layer in engineered flooring that can only be sanded and refinished once or twice. After that, it’s time for a new floor.
Stability
Although more durable in general, solid wood flooring can be significantly less stable than its competitor. If installed against concrete slabs or in humid locations, solid hardwood is likely to swell and warp.
Thanks to its plywood base, engineered wood fares far better in environments with high moisture, humidity, or temperature. Engineered wood is much better for locations where installation against a concrete subfloor is required.
It’s important to note that neither of these wood flooring options is waterproof, but engineered wood is undoubtedly more water-resistant.
Installation Location
The stability of the two wood flooring options results in somewhat differing installation locations.
Solid wood flooring performs best in aboveground spaces with lower humidity, such as the living room, bedroom, or dining area.
Engineered hardwood flooring can also be installed in the rooms mentioned above, but that’s not all.
The construction of engineered hardwood makes it an excellent choice for areas where humidity, moisture, and temperature can cause issues for solid wood flooring.
These areas include the following:
- Basements
- Kitchens
- Bathrooms
- Laundry rooms
- Any spaces over a concrete floor and radiant heating
Installation Method
For the most part, solid wood flooring is trickier to install.
It calls for a tongue-and-groove system where each plank is nailed to the subfloor.
Alternatively, the planks can be glued down instead of nailed, which might be slightly easier but usually results in a messy installation.
While the same methods can be used for installing engineered wood flooring, most manufacturers offer a floating floor system as an option. With this system, the planks are snapped together above the existing floor.
Naturally, this method is less complex than the alternatives, making engineered wood flooring installation doable for any experienced DIYer.
Comfort and Sound
When it comes to acoustics, solid wood has better properties than its engineered equivalent.
Solid wood is dense and hard, meaning it absorbs reverberation while evenly distributing the sound. Since it’s usually nailed or glued down, solid wood flooring is firmly in place, thus not producing any noise underfoot.
It’s perfectly normal for hardwood floors to creak and squeak when they’re first installed. The noise should stop as soon as the planks settle. If this isn’t the case and a few months have already passed, you should contact your contractor, since the flooring has probably been improperly installed. Alternatively, you might have issues with an uneven subfloor.
As the name implies, solid hardwood feels hard when you walk across it. While this hardness can’t be compared to concrete or tiles, it’s still noticeably harder than engineered wood flooring.
Besides being softer, engineered wood flooring tends to make more noise. The higher level of noise comes from the installation method.
Since engineered wood planks are typically snapped together over an existing floor, they can produce clicking sounds or echoes while being walked on.
Pro Tip: If you aren’t fond of the squeaking noise engineered floors can make underfoot, invest in high-quality acoustic underlayment to be placed under the floor. This way, your flooring will absorb significantly more noise and weight.
Engineered vs Hardwood Flooring Pros And Cons
Hardwood flooring has long been perceived as the gold standard in the flooring industry. As such, it offers many advantages over the artificially produced option.
- Natural wood can be sanded and refinished numerous times, expanding the floor’s lifespan
- Solid hardwood flooring can last a lifetime
- Natural wood can be recycled and reused
- Natural wood is 100% biodegradable
- The look of engineered wood can’t always compare to the classic elegance of hardwood floors
- Hardwood floors provide a better return on investment
- Walking on solid hardwood floors produces significantly less noise
Engineered wood flooring has several benefits that might make this option more appealing to some homeowners.
- Engineered wood comes with a lower upfront cost
- Engineered wood flooring is more water-resistant
- Engineered wood floors are less sensitive to temperature changes
- Installation of most engineered wood floors doesn’t require using potentially toxic glue
It’s worth noting that both engineered and hardwood flooring share some similar advantages over other flooring types.
- Wood flooring is simple to clean with sweeping, vacuuming, and occasional mopping with an appropriate wood cleaner.
- Wood floors provide a neutral background for most design styles.
- Wood floors don’t collect allergens, like dust.
Both wood flooring options share some similar disadvantages.
- Wood flooring is prone to scratches
- Wood floors can be tough on pets, causing them to slip and slide
What Are The Disadvantages Of Engineered Wood Flooring?
Homeowners tend to choose engineered wood over other flooring options due to its relatively low cost and decent durability. But all composite wood flooring products have certain disadvantages that you should consider before committing to this option.
- The engineered wood layers are sometimes bound using resins and glues that can contain volatile organic compounds
- Engineered wood isn’t 100% biodegradable at the end of its life
- Engineered wood flooring can be as pricy as solid hardwood options
- Engineered wood flooring can have a low-quality core, affecting the floor’s structure
- Low-quality engineered wood can be hollow-sounding underfoot
- Engineered wood flooring is susceptible to scratches and dents
- There’s a limit to how many times you can refinish engineered wood floors
- Engineered wood flooring isn’t waterproof
- Engineered wood floors require specific care
- Engineered wood floors can fade over time
Is Engineered Hardwood More Durable Than Hardwood?
Generally speaking, engineered hardwood is less durable than solid hardwood, since it can only be refinished once or twice before the surface layer is exhausted.
Hardwood flooring can withstand sanding and refinishing a number of times, with some professionals repeating the process up to 12 times.
Since engineered wood consists of several tightly bonded layers, it can be stronger and more durable than some natural wood species.
Engineered wood fares much better in humid environments, making it the more durable choice.
Pro Tip: Choose prefinished forms of either wood flooring you choose, since they have a factory-applied protective surface coat that holds up very well.
Which One Is Better, Hardwood Or Engineered Hardwood?
Engineered wood flooring might’ve been perceived as nothing more than a pale imitation of solid hardwood in the past. However, improvements in the quality of this product have leveled the playing field for the most part.
As a result, choosing between hardwood and engineered hardwood primarily depends on how much you value the merits of each option.
If you’re a fan of the prestige associated with solid hardwood floors and their durability, this option will probably be worth the cost. But if you’re looking for a more affordable option that’s easier to install, engineered hardwood is the way to go.
