It’s allowed to mix every interior design style. And wood goes along with everything (Image: Kahrs Oak Engineered Flooring)
The interior design trends change, but in the 21st century, every style is acceptable. Industrial style lamps can perfectly hang in a wooden cabin while an oriental rug can be a perfect match in a modern style apartment.
Today, you can really opt for so many flooring options. There’s tyles, timber, stone, laminate, cork, laminate, vinyl, carpet, even having a polished concrete floor in a home (with underfloor heating systems and the right interior design it can be far away from looking like a bank lobby).
But wood is still the classic choice with all the aesthetic feel it brings to a room. True, tiles, vinyl and laminate can imitate the wood texture, but nothing can beat the feel of real wood.
If you want that wooden finish, you can choose between solid or engineered wood flooring. So, what to choose?
Engineered or solid wood flooring?
Before choosing the right wooden flooring, consider the differences. Sometimes the most expensive decision isn’t the right one.
We’ll list the major differences between engineered and solid wood flooring:
- The material. Solid wood flooring, like its name, says is purely made out of wood. Engineered wood has a real wood finish, but underneath it, there is a layer of plywood and a wooden bottom.
- Finishes. With engineered wood flooring there’s a bigger variety of colours and shades you can opt for, from white finishes to almost black ones. Solid wood doesn’t have as many finishes in the start. But, as it is real wood, you can repaint it any way you like.
With engineered flooring, you can choose from a broader variety of finishes (Image: Ashton&Rose Glasson Flooring)
- Patterns. Engineered flooring can come in different patterns, as solid one is always in one pattern – the strip one. Engineered can have that one or two floorboard pattern, or can resemble parquet. But it doesn’t stop there. With engineered, all patterns are available. You can opt for the herringbone, chevron, or the almost forgotten dutch pattern.
- Suitable spaces. Solid wood flooring is pure wood, so it expands and shrinks in heat and cold. Also, humidity isn’t a friend of wood. If it’s lower than 35% the wood is drying out. The higher percentage of humidity, over 55%, if it’s constant, can make the wood expand. So, solid wood, despite good isolation isn’t really suitable for damp places like basements, kitchens or bathrooms. Engineered wood flooring, as it’s more stable due to the fact it’s made of three different layers, is more resistant to atmospheric changes. If you keep the humidity levels in control, you can put it in a bathroom (if that’s your dream). But, you should be careful and use a dehumidifier and be able to open windows.
- Installation. Solid wood flooring has to be glued or nailed down to the concrete surface. Some of the engineered floorings require glueing down while some don’t. If you’re not a DIY type, the best choice is to pay for getting them installed.
- Refinishing. Solid wood can last for more than 100 years in the right conditions. As it is all wood, it can be resanded up 10 times. The same doesn’t go for engineered flooring. Usually, the more expensive ones have a thicker top wooden layer (7.2 to 20 mm) that can be resanded one or two times. If the top wooden layer is thin (some can be only 3 mm), you have what you have, it can’t be repaired.
- Price. Generally speaking, the price of solid wood flooring is higher than the price of engineered flooring.
The right choice
Solid wood flooring is beautiful, but when you draw the line, you can get much more from engineered wood flooring. It’s the smarter choice, especially if you choose engineered that has a thicker top layer made out of real wood.
And wood really goes with everything.
Written by: Hardwood Floor Store
