Engineered wood vs solid and hardwood flooring

When it comes to choosing the perfect flooring for your home, you may find yourself facing a tough decision between engineered wood or hardwood. At first glance, both options appear strikingly similar, offering beautiful, timeless looks. 

Here at Flooring King, we know everything there is to know about flooring – well, what else would you expect from the name? That means when it comes to questions around the differences between engineered wood and solid wood, we’re the experts. Our handy guide aims to cover everything you’d want to know about choosing engineered wood vs. solid wood flooring, including composition, pricing, and durability. 

Ready to learn all about the wonderful world of wood flooring? Let’s get to it.

Engineered wood vs solid wood: What’s the difference? 

When it comes to choosing flooring for your home, should you stick with the traditional appeal of hardwood, or choose the modern and cost-effective option of engineered wood flooring? Below we’ll outline the key differences between both options to help you decide. 

What is hardwood flooring? 

As the name suggests, solid hardwood flooring is made from a piece of solid wood. It’s typically milled from a single part of a tree such as oak, maple, or walnut, offering a beautiful, authentic look. 

Hardwood flooring is popular for a reason, adding luxury and character to whatever space it’s laid in. It comes in a variety of unique shades, grains, and finishes too, allowing you to easily customise your home. 

What is engineered wood flooring? 

Engineered wood flooring features a top layer of real wood but its core consists of multiple layers of cross plywood or HDF (high-density fibre boards). So, while solid wood and engineered wood look similar, there’s a difference beneath the surface.  

Engineered wood offers a genuine and authentic look, as it’s composed of real wood, yet its modern construction provides added strength and stability. It’s also coated in a protective wear layer that offers scratch and moisture resistance. 

Engineered wood vs hardwood: The pros and cons

So, now you know the key differences between engineered wood flooring vs hardwood, it’s time to dive into their pros and cons. 

The pros of engineered wood

Thanks to its advanced construction, engineered wood offers several benefits, especially for modern homes: 

• Durability and stability: Engineered wood is a durable alternative to hardwood, offering increased strength due to its crisscrossed plywood core. 
• Water and warp resistant: Due to its carefully sealed wear layer, engineered wood is resistant to moisture and temperature changes. So, there’s no need to worry about issues like warping, and it can even be used with under-floor heating. 
• Scratch resistance: The wear layer is scratch resistant, offering protection from chair and table legs. 
• Easy to clean: To keep your engineered wood in tip-top condition, it simply requires a regular sweep and vacuum. 
• Easy installation: Just like LVT,  engineered wood offers easy, click-lock installation, meaning it’s a DIY friendly option.

The cons of engineered wood 

Despite its advantages, there are some downsides you’ll need to bear in mind too: 

• Shorter lifespan: Engineered wood offers an impressive lifespan of around 15 years, although this is relatively short in comparison to solid wood’s 30–100-year life span. 
• Limited refinishing options: Unlike solid wood, engineered wood can only withstand one or two light refinishes. Deep scratches are therefore difficult to repair without replacement.   
• Prone to dents: While its wear layer offers impressive scratch resistance, engineered wood is still susceptible to dents, particularly from heavy furniture. 
• Not fully waterproof: While water-resistant for up to 48 hours, engineered wood isn’t waterproof, meaning it’s not ideal for spaces like bathrooms where splashes are inevitable.
  

Solid wood benefits  

From its timeless look to its impressive longevity, hardwood offers a variety of advantages: 

• Style and authenticity: Solid wood has a traditional, luxurious appeal. Due to its natural grain patterns, it also offers an array of design possibilities. 
• Multiple refinishes: Hardwood can be sanded down and refinished multiple times, meaning natural wear and tear like scratches can be easily removed. This can be handy in high-traffic areas like hallways. 
• Longevity: With proper care and maintenance, solid wood can last for years, adding long-term value to your home.  

Solid wood drawbacks 

Just like engineered wood, solid wood also comes with drawbacks that you’ll need to bear in mind: 

• Vulnerable to temperature fluctuations: In rooms with temperature and humidity fluctuations (like conservatories, bathrooms, and basements), hardwood may warp, swell, or shrink, which can cause dangerous tripping points. 
• Spills can cause problems: Liquid left standing on solid wood surfaces can be absorbed, causing stains or swelling within hardwood flooring. 

• Much higher price point: Hardwood often comes with a much higher price tag than engineered wood. This is due to the amount of solid wood that is used for each plank, whereas engineered wood only requires a thinner top layer. 
• Trickier installation: The installation is more labour intensive, requiring professional tools and knowledge to navigate the spacing, sanding, and laying. 
• Expensive upkeep: As with the more labour-intensive installation process, you’ll need to use specific methods to keep a solid wood floor looking neat. Oiling and lacquering will be important to get a good finish, and you should avoid household cleaners and detergents and steam cleaning.
  

What to consider when choosing between engineered and solid wood

After considering the pros and cons of engineered wood vs. solid wood, you’ll also need to have a think about the following: 

1. Budget

Your budget will play a significant role when deciding between solid vs engineered wood. Engineered wood is the more cost-effective option, and if you’re into DIY, you can save even more by installing it yourself – check out our guide on how to install engineered wood flooring for the full rundown. 

2. Room

Solid wood is best suited to rooms with stable temperatures and humidity levels, including bedrooms and living rooms. In places where temperature fluctuations are inevitable (like basements or kitchens) engineered wood is more suitable. 

3. Installation

Hardwood flooring is installed with a tongue-and-groove system, requiring professional tools to blind-nail each board to the subfloor. Alternatively, engineered wood is much easier for DIYers to install.  

So, it all depends on your experience as well as how much you’re willing to pay for installation. If you’re a homeowner who wants to refresh your space quickly, click engineered wood is a fantastic option.

Solid vs engineered wood: Which should you choose? 

Should you purchase solid wood or engineered wood flooring for your home? Well, it ultimately comes down to your preferences, needs, and budget. 

If you love the authentic, timeless appeal of solid wood, then it can be a great addition. But if you’d prefer a cost-effective, practical, and easy-to-install option with a similar look, then engineered wood is an excellent choice.

Here at Flooring King, we stock a variety of engineered wood options, from standard plank layouts to chevron and herringbone patterns. 

Get in touch with a member of our team to find out more, or if you’re looking for additional tips and inspiration, head over to our flooring blog. There you can check out our guides on engineered wood vs vinyl and laminate vs engineered wood.