Which is better? Solid Hardwood  vs Engineered Hardwood? Sadly, there is no definitive answer, so let’s take a different approach; how about I tell you what I know, and you decide for yourself? If you want a full deconstruction of engineered hardwood flooring from how it’s made, what features can help determine increased durability, or how to spot a “good” one check out our in-depth blog What is Engineered Hardwood Flooring?.

Solid Hardwood vs Engineered Hardwood Construction

Solid hardwood flooring is milled from a solid piece of lumber. While that seems like a pretty straightforward process, factors such as humidity and temperature make the construction of a solid wood floor an art. 

Engineered hardwood flooring is made by stacking layers, or plys, of wood atop each other while turning each piece 90 degrees from the preceding layer, just like a sheet of plywood that you might see used as a subfloor in your home.. This is to increase stability and will be discussed later.

Both hardwood flooring options are the sanded and finished on a large finishing line. This line will include several different processes such as UV curing of the finish, putty, more sanding, and the coating with one or 2 layers of polyurethane with aluminum oxide.

The Janka Test – Does It Apply To Engineered Hardwood

In the wood business, we use a Janka hardness test to determine the hardness of a particular species of wood. The test tells us how much force is required to embed a .444 steel ball halfway into a piece of wood. Why would you be driving steel balls in your flooring? You wouldn’t, but Mr. Janka gave us an excellent way to compare how some species of wood will perform compared to others.  Solid wood flooring and engineered flooring share the same species of wood. However, you wouldn’t make a conclusion on flooring hardness based off of a wood species alone when you’re looking at engineered flooring.

With solid wood flooring, the Janka score is the only barometer we have that forecasts durability.

3/4″ Solid Hardwood Cross Section – Winchester

What Determines Hardness in Engineered Flooring

Now things get a little murky, but as a general rule, the more plies that engineered flooring contains, the harder it will be. Certainly, the species of the surface layer, as well as the content of the core board determine the hardness of an engineered floor as well. What about overall thickness? And the thickness of the veneer on top? It is pretty easy to look at a cross cut section of an engineered board and determine if it is a quality piece. Look at the photo below:

1/2″ Thick – 8 Ply Engineered – Antique

Overall Thickness and Engineered Wood

This happens to be a piece of our Antique Blue Label flooring that is made by Somerset. This is a great example of a quality piece of flooring! The more quality that a manufacturer puts into a product, the higher the cost. This Blue Label product has 8 plies of hardwood core, a thick veneer, and an overall thickness of ½”.  With one of the harder species such as Hickory or Oak, this flooring should be more resistant to denting than 90% of the flooring on the market

Do You Even Give a Ply?

In this second photo we see another example of ½” thick flooring, but with only 5 plies. Why the deviation? Because this core can reduce the price of the finished product by 10% or more, giving this manufacturer an advantage at retail. After all, who looks at the edge of a board?

1/2″ Thick – 5 Ply Engineered – Rural Living

In this third photo we see a piece of commodity 3/8” flooring. Still a 5 ply, this is the recipe many manufacturers will offer for the Builder market. And honestly, it is good flooring as well as a great value. While the thinner construction won’t help alleviate low spots in a subfloor like the ½” flooring, it is usually a lot cheaper.

3/8″ thick- 5 Ply Engineered – Rushmore

The next picture is somewhat of an anomaly. This is the HDF or High-Density Fiber flooring. Or, as some like to say, that cardboard crap. As we discussed earlier, the hardness of flooring is determined by its components.

Shaw, with their Epic Plus HDF products, have managed to produce  flooring that compares well with middle market engineered flooring, but with the benefit of reduced costs and a more environmental-friendly product. After all, they are using 50% less newly harvested wood, utilizing recycled post-industrial wood fibers. Is it as good as our Blue Label? No, but Shaw does offer a wide variety of smooth and handscraped looks for Epic Plus HDF products at a great price, with wear layers of several species.

3/8″ HDF Core – Pebble Hill

Stability Issues, Solid vs Engineered

Now we move on to the big variation between solid hardwood  and engineered wood flooring…. stability! In times gone by, deciding whether to use solid or engineered was easy, as solid flooring was installed on wood sub-floors using a nailer, while the presence of a concrete slab required  engineered flooring, glued down. Why the contrast between the two?? Because of moisture. We can more easily control the moisture in a house with a crawl space or basement than one built on a slab. I don’t want to get too technical here (look for my blog on the effects of water on wood), but moisture can have devastating effects on wood flooring. Not standing water, but just an increase of 30% relative humidity in your home can cause a solid hardwood floor to turn into a giant washboard! Look at the pic below.

Wood cupping creates a washboard look

The cupping you see here is due to an increase in moisture. Will it lay down after it dries? Maybe. Maybe not. And it cannot be sanded down until it goes through a seasonal cycle. If we sand it before it stabilizes, we risk an inverted cup. How to avoid this? Make certain the moisture levels stay constant in your home, or……use a quality engineered floor!

As you know now, the difference between a solid hardwood and engineered flooring is that the engineered product is made with plies of wood, like a sheet of plywood, but did you know that the direction of the plies is alternated as they are added? This multi-direction construction allows an engineered floor to withstand wider moisture ranges because of increased stability. That is why we can glue, or float, an engineered hardwood floor over concrete and not have cupping issues after installation.

Engineered hardwood’s construction prevents moisture defects

Additionally, in today’s market, we see many wide planks. Floors up to 12” in width are commonly available. And you can bet they are not solid wood floors! Maybe in a soft pine floor wouldn’t cup, but any other floor will certainly be an engineered floor, regardless of the sub-floor. That is why the majority of our engineered floors are nailed down to wooden subfloors.  No one wants a cupped floor! Wide planks are a good reason to buy engineered wood flooring over a solid hardwood floor.

Does The Difference In Species Matter?

The species has alot to do with the performance of solid hardwood flooring, as we discussed in the paragraph that dealt with density. Both options of flooring depend on the species for their look. Species that are commonly used in the construction of hardwood flooring in the USA include Maple, Hickory, Red Oak, White Oak, and sometimes Walnut and Cherry. Each of these species will feature a different visual (and price) so you should look at photos and samples to see which species appeals to you the most. Different stains, finishes and textures can also change the look of hardwood flooring. The more aware you are of your options the more likely you are to find your BFF....Best Favorite Flooring!

Where Can You Save More Money Buying Both Solid Hardwood and Engineered

I have to wrap this up soon, as lunchtime is quickly approaching, and I simply cannot maintain this look and skip meals. If you would like more information on the construction of engineered floors, including the difference in veneers, read our engineered hardwood blog here.