Max’s Flooring Has Qualified Hardwood Flooring Expertise
Our final blog for 2023 explains the differences between solid hardwood and engineered hardwood. If you’re working on remodeling a home, you might be trying to decide between the two. When it comes to understanding hardwood, Max’s Flooring has the expertise you need. Some things to consider about both hardwood options are their origins, the manufacturing process, and finally the maintenance and cost.
Solid Hardwood Comes from Wood Species
You get solid hardwood flooring from various species of trees, like maple, walnut, oak, and cherry. After cutting down the tree, logging companies mill wood species into planks. Once the wood species is milled into planks, it is nailed to a subfloor, which is something best left to professionals. Because solid hardwood comes from these wood species, it’s easy to maintain its appearance over its lifespan. You accomplish this by sanding and refinishing it as often as necessary.
Engineered Hardwood Has a Plywood Core
While the two types may look and feel identical, the engineered variety is only made with a thin layer of hardwood with a plywood core. Companies create the plywood core by gluing and compressing layers of thin wood together in a crisscross pattern. Having such a thin layer of hardwood and a plywood core makes engineered flooring installation DIY-friendly. However, engineered hardwood can’t be refinished as often as solid hardwood.
Engineered Hardwood is Easier to Clean and Costs Less than Solid Hardwood
It may be important for you to know that, in general, the engineered type is easier to clean than solid wood. You shouldn’t use a sopping wet mop on solid hardwood floors, but you can use it to clean engineered hardwood. Besides being easy to clean, there can be a significant difference in cost. On average, the cost per square foot for solid hardwood is between $8 and $15. Conversely, the cost for engineered hardwood ranges between $4 and $7 per square foot.
For more information on our products and installation, give Max’s Flooring a call at (724) 423-5591. Follow us on Facebook for updates. We are happy to discuss more about the differences between solid hardwood and engineered hardwood.
