Solid Hardwood vs Engineered Wood: What’s the Difference?

So, you’ve fallen in love with the look of wood flooring, and now you want it in your home. It’s pretty understandable. It looks gorgeous and can add value to your home. Now all you have to do is choose between solid hardwood and engineered wood so you can make your final decision from there. The thing is, in order to make the best decision, you need to know what the difference is.

Cost

The cost of solid hardwood compared to the cost of engineered wood is likely one of the first differences you’ll notice. You can expect to generally pay more for solid hardwood than you will for engineered wood. Depending on the options you’re comparing, solid hardwood could be as much as double the cost of engineered wood. The upper end of the price ranges for each aren’t too far off from each other though.

Durability

How durable your floor is can be a deciding factor when it comes to making your final choice, especially if you have kids or pets. Wood floors can get dented and scraped, though there are things that can be done to prevent some of that from happening. If you find that your wood floor looks a little dingy and could use a refinishing, that’s where solid hardwood has the advantage over engineered wood. Solid hardwood can be refinished several times, whereas engineered wood can only be refinished once or twice before you’ve gone through the surface wood as much as you can. This is thanks to the composition of engineered hardwood which involves a thin layer of hardwood being bonded to a quality plywood layer underneath.

Lifespan

Both solid hardwood and engineered wood floors can last for a long time, decades even. That said, solid hardwood can last a lot longer, up to as long as 100 years in some cases. The lower end of the lifespan spectrum for solid hardwood tends to be about 30 years, which is where engineered wood tends to top out.

Cost, durability, and lifespan are some of the things that can differentiate solid hardwood from engineered wood. When it comes to things like appearance and the care and cleaning they need, there isn’t much difference between them. Ultimately, the right one to go with will depend on your personal preference between the two.

Just because hardwood floors can last for ages doesn’t mean they’re going to. Read this next: Signs That You Need to Replace Your Hardwood Floors.