Contributor Is Engineered Wood Flooring Good? Engineered Hardwood Explained

 Is Engineered Wood Flooring Good? Engineered Hardwood Explained

Engineered hardwood flooring is not something that most of us purchase on a regular basis. More likely, I would guess that most people never buy an engineered hardwood floor. So why do they even make engineered hardwood anyway?

What are engineered wood floors?

Engineered hardwood flooring is a flooring product that is intended to be used in applications that do not suit a solid hardwood floor. Like over a concrete subfloor. One of the downsides to a solid hardwood floor is how they warp or cup if the moisture levels in the environment where they are installed rise too much. If you let the relative humidity in your home exceed 65% then you might see your hardwood start to buckle.

 

Engineered boards are made to be much more stable when faced with an increase in moisture, so engineered wood flooring is a better choice in high-moisture environments.

 

On a concrete slab it is difficult to control the moisture, as it can wick from underneath or seep through basement walls. That is a perfect application for an engineered hardwood floor.

 

Engineered wood flooring is also a great choice when a customer prefers to nail down a wider plank wood floor over a plywood or OSB subfloor. Wider boards have a greater propensity for cupping than the more narrow wood boards. That is when we recommend engineered wood flooring if you want to use boards 5" wide or greater, especially on the more dense species like Hickory. Can you use a solid 5" wood floor? Sure. We do it every day. But remember that you will have to be diligent about keeping the moisture down in your house.

How Is Engineered Flooring Made?

Engineered wood floors are made of layers, or plies, of wood. Each  layer is stacked on top of other core layer, with each ply turned 90 degrees from the previous one. This plywood construction will result in a core that is much more stable in a less than perfect environment, compared to a solid wood floor.

 

After the core is constructed a top layer of wood veneer is added, then coated with a polyurethane finish. The look of the floor will be determined by the species and stain coolor of this top layer. All of the flooring we offer at ReallyCheapFloors.com comes from Bruce, Somerset, or Mullican, and will have aluminum oxide added to the finish to guard against abrasive wear.

 

 

 

 

How Can We Tell How Good An Engineered Floor Is?

The quality of engineered wood flooring is determined by several factors. I will list these is what I feel is the order of importance:

Number of Plys

More plys is better because the additional plys increase the stability of the floor. Our Somerset engineered flooring feature 8 layers of goodness!

Density of Core Materials

Some companies (mostly imported) will use soft woods like Siberian Larch as the core material. This lowers the density of the core and will cause it to dent easily after being installed in your home. Our Somerset flooring only uses core material that is at least as dense as Northern Red Oak.

Overall Thickness

I think a floor for a full-time home should be 1/2" or thicker, although I used a 3/8" Hickory floor in my current house. I got a deal on it at 20 cents a square foot but I regret using it now, as I occasionally find a soft spot. All of our Somerset Blue Label flooring is 1/2" thick.

Veneer Species

The top veneer will not only give your floor the look that you want, but it is also important to the durability of the floor. A species with high density will show less wear over time than a softer floor. The way that we compare the density of different wood species is by looking at it's Janka score on the Hardness Scale. You can read more about the Janka Hardness Scale on an earlier blog here.

Veneer Slice Method

 

There are 2 methods of slicing a veneer, rotary peel and face-sawn. Rotary peel is good, but face-sawn is a whole lot better!

In the rotary peel method a log is peeled as it is turned, resulting in a long sheet of veneer that is cut into 4 x 8 sheets, then applied to an engineered sheet of coring material.

In the sliced or sawn face method, the lumber is sliced across the face of the log, just like a solid hardwood is cut, only thinner. Then that lamello, or veneer, is applied to a high-quality core. Because no one is going to the expense of putting a sawn face lamello on a cheap core!

 

All of our Somerset engineered hardwood floors feature sawn face veneers.

 

Can engineered wood floors be refinished?

This is a question that we get alot, and we have to be careful with the answer, but here goes! An engineered hardwood floor can be refinished over a million times.

Huh?

Refinishing is the act of replacing the clear top coat of polyurethane. You do this by going over the existing finish with a buffer and a high-grit screen to clean and scuff it. Then you vacuum the floor, and apply another coat. 

Sanding a wood floor, on the other hand is a completely different matter. I have had prospective customers tell me that a box store salesman said that their product could be sanded x number of  times. Yeah, right....

The reason you would sand a floor is to remove the dents and gouges. That means that the guy doing the sanding will have to grind your floor down to the depth of the deepest dents to be effective. How does that box store salesman know how deep that is?

He doesn't. Nor does anyone else.

Can an engineered hardwood floor be sanded? Yes, but just a little. But it will never happen. Instead buy a quality wood floor with lots of plys, a dense core, and a durable veneer like Hickory, Red Oak, or White Oak. Then your wood floor should never need sanding. May I suggest our Somerset line of engineered wood flooring for your next wood floor installation?

What To Clean Engineered Wood Floors With?

This is a really important aspect of owning any kind of hard surface flooring, whether it is engineered hardwood, solid wood, or even luxury vinyl plank and tiles. 

I cannot tell you how many times i have had a customer come to me, upset because the wear layer on their floor had lost it's shine. My response is always the same, "what are you cleaning it with?"

The answers are always the same,  soap or oil-based cleaners. Please, do not ever put soap or oil on your polyurethane-finished floor.

The only cleaner that you should ever use on your engineered wood flooring is a no-rinse cleaner such as Armstrong's Once N'Done, or one of the Bona floor cleaners. Or maybe a vinegar and water based cleaning solution from your local grocery store. What matters is that the cleaner that you sue on your wood or vinyl floor does not require rinsing, as it is almost impossible to get all of the soap or oil rinsed off. Then your floor develops a residue over time that leaves an icky coat of gunk on top of your floor. That sludge attracts and holds dirt and changes the appearance of your floor. 

Also, frequent passes across the surface of your engineered floor with a microfiber mop will not only spruce up your home but will also increase the lifespan of your engineered wood flooring as you remove the dirt and abrasives. These particles will act like sandpaper if left on the floor in your home, and create a change in appearance due to a loss of gloss level.

Is Engineered Wood Flooring Waterproof?

No, engineered wood flooring is not waterproof. Nor is it immune to the effects of excessive moisture or water. But, depending on the quality of the construction of your engineered wood flooring, it can stay beautiful when excessive humidity is experienced.

Grade Types of Engineered Wood Flooring

At ReallyCheapFloors.com we work closely with our manufacturing partners to help them move the inventory that they need help with. Somerset Hardwood Flooring is one of the largest manufacturers of hardwood flooring in the USA, both solid and engineered. They offer 3 grades of engineered flooring: First Quality, Builder, and Blue Label. At ReallyCheapFloors.com, we offer all 3.

First quality engineered wood is the grade that the manufacturer sets the specifications on. At Somerset, their first quality products are some of the cleanest, most stringently graded engineered wood flooring on the planet. That means that their first quality looks amazing!

(first quality photo)

You know what else that means? It means that there is a lot of good looking engineered wood plank flooring that because of small color variation or tight knots isn't allowed in first quality. That is where the Builder grade falls. If you are looking for a quality engineered floor with long boards, no manufacturing defects, and great value, have a look at our Builder grade floors. Usually at a price under $3.00, this floor will pass for first quality at any other manufacturer. 

(Builder Photo)

What boards are not good enough for Somerset's Builder grade falls into our Blue Label grade. This motley collection of engineered wood flooring may consist of slight manufacturing defects, natural imperfections like knots or mineral streaks, and lots of short boards. Honestly, it will be mostly short boards. But like the first quality and the Builders types, our Blue Label features the same 8 ply core, 3 mm veneer, and polyurethane with aluminum oxide....at a cost of less than $2!

 

If you are looking for a rustic floor with lots of color in the planks, but you don't want to spend much, look at our Blue Label. I put the Red Oak 5" in my rental house and it looks awesome.

Engineered Hardwood Flooring Installation

 

Engineered flooring is much easier and quicker to install than traditional hardwood. Whether you are nailing your engineered floors to the wood subfloor in your home, or doing an installation using adhesive on a concrete slab, an engineered wood floor will install smoothly.

Both pre-finished hardwood or engineered wood floors are extremely durable, but the engineered hardwood is a bit more water-resistant. Well suited to almost any installation, choosing engineered flooring will make certain that you are happy with your floor choice.

 

 

 

 

 

Best priced engineered floors?

When you are ready to purchase your new engineered wood flooring, or any other type of flooring, whether it is wood or vinyl planks, please do not hesitate to give us a call. And if our prices seem to be too good to be true, check out our reviews. Maybe we can add you to our list of happy customers and you will leave a review of your own.

Find out all you need to know about the different types of flooring and find the perfect one for you and your space.