Solid, Engineered - What's the Difference?
Solid, Engineered - What's the Difference?
You’ve selected both Solid and Engineered flooring!
For a single space, we recommend choosing just one or the other. Unless you are installing this floor in two different locations of your home, you should only need a solid or engineered.
SOLID
A solid hardwood floor is what most people think of when they imagine a hardwood floor. The flooring is just a piece of wood, cut into a plank, and finished as a floor. Solids come in a wide range of lengths, widths, and a few different options in terms of thickness. Generally speaking, the wider the solid plank, the more careful the installation must be done to avoid cupping in the future. Solids can generally be sanded and refinished at least once in their lifetime. Thicker floors can normally be refinished more times, but realistically it is rare that a floor will need to be refinished too many times. Solid floors have a distinctive look that is very difficult for engineered or manufactured floors to replicate.
On which level is the floor?
With solid hardwoods, it is very important to know where the floor is going to go in your house. There are some areas where a solid hardwood should not go. If you are considering an area that is below the ground outside, an engineered hardwood or a manufactured wood-alternative such as the Windlass Collection should be considered. If you are unsure, a retailer can help you to find out.
ENGINEERED
Engineered hardwood floors are a modern variation of the traditional hardwood floor. Engineered hardwood flooring is made of several overlapping layers of wood, with the top layer being the exact same wood that a traditional solid hardwood plank would be made of. Essentially, if you walk across an engineered and then you walk across a solid, your feet have touched the exact same thing. Engineered floors can more easily support wider widths and tend to bow less in longer lengths because of the overlapping grains underneath the surface layer.
On which level is the floor?
With engineered hardwoods, your placement options open up. Able to be placed below grade or in higher humidity areas, engineered hardwoods can give you the look and feel of a solid in areas where no solid should go. While engineered hardwoods are versatile, they should not be installed in active water areas such as a full bathroom. For areas at risk of excessive moisture, a manufactured wood-alternative such as the Windlass Collection should be considered.
SOLID
A solid hardwood floor is what most people think of when they imagine a hardwood floor. The flooring is just a piece of wood, cut into a plank, and finished as a floor. Solids come in a wide range of lengths, widths, and a few different options in terms of thickness. Generally speaking, the wider the solid plank, the more careful the installation must be done to avoid cupping in the future. Solids can generally be sanded and refinished at least once in their lifetime. Thicker floors can normally be refinished more times, but realistically it is rare that a floor will need to be refinished too many times. Solid floors have a distinctive look that is very difficult for engineered or manufactured floors to replicate.
On which level is the floor?
With solid hardwoods, it is very important to know where the floor is going to go in your house. There are some areas where a solid hardwood should not go. If you are considering an area that is below the ground outside, an engineered hardwood or a manufactured wood-alternative such as the Windlass Collection should be considered. If you are unsure, a retailer can help you to find out.
ENGINEERED
Engineered hardwood floors are a modern variation of the traditional hardwood floor. Engineered hardwood flooring is made of several overlapping layers of wood, with the top layer being the exact same wood that a traditional solid hardwood plank would be made of. Essentially, if you walk across an engineered and then you walk across a solid, your feet have touched the exact same thing. Engineered floors can more easily support wider widths and tend to bow less in longer lengths because of the overlapping grains underneath the surface layer.
On which level is the floor?
With engineered hardwoods, your placement options open up. Able to be placed below grade or in higher humidity areas, engineered hardwoods can give you the look and feel of a solid in areas where no solid should go. While engineered hardwoods are versatile, they should not be installed in active water areas such as a full bathroom. For areas at risk of excessive moisture, a manufactured wood-alternative such as the Windlass Collection should be considered.
Should I be concerned about…?
Will my cute doggy destroy my new floors?
Pets (and even small children) can certainly put a floor’s resiliency to the test. In addition to choosing the right floor, you’ll need to pay attention to the finish that is applied to the floor. Many of our floors are protected with a UV Cured Aluminum Oxide finish, which makes them stand up to some additional punishment. To protect against scratches and gouges, you can also choose a harder wood. (Remember the funny word “Janka” from earlier? This is where that can come into play. Learn more about that here.) Oaks are known to be very hard, but there are some (hickory and maple, for instance) that have an even greater density. If you have a particularly active pet, you may want to consider one of our waterproof rigid-core options. These have been specifically engineered to resist scratch and scrape wear-and-tear. As always, if you have any doubts, discuss this thoroughly with your retailer.
Does the sun get angry at new floors?
Sunlight can affect hardwood floors adversely; some more than others. For instance, Brazilian Cherry is particularly responsive to sunlight. If you are planning on installing a hardwood floor into a room that gets bombarded with sunlight, you may want to consider diffusing the light in some way. Be particularly careful in situations where the light shines starkly on one section of the floor while leaving another in shadow. The position of the window may come into play here, but more often it can have to do with the way the room is furnished. An area rug, for instance, will protect the floor underneath from the sun. Similarly, a sofa or a table may block the sun rays entirely while the spillover strikes the floor directly.
Should I be worried about my radiant heat system?
Radiant heat is nothing to be afraid of. In fact, it is pretty awesome. There are some considerations that should be made as it pertains to choosing a floor. Radiant heat systems vary in how they warm your floor. Some systems affect the underside of the flooring more harshly than others. Many of our hardwoods are rated for radiant heat. Even our waterproof rigid-core can be installed over radiant heat, although we do not recommend it for all systems. To further aid you in this, we do provide installation instructions for radiant heat systems in our Installation Guide. Please note that our installation guides differ, depending on which type of floor you are interested in. Be sure to download the appropriate guide and make sure you fully understand which radiant system you will be installing over.
Will my cute doggy destroy my new floors?
Pets (and even small children) can certainly put a floor’s resiliency to the test. In addition to choosing the right floor, you’ll need to pay attention to the finish that is applied to the floor. Many of our floors are protected with a UV Cured Aluminum Oxide finish, which makes them stand up to some additional punishment. To protect against scratches and gouges, you can also choose a harder wood. (Remember the funny word “Janka” from earlier? This is where that can come into play. Learn more about that here.) Oaks are known to be very hard, but there are some (hickory and maple, for instance) that have an even greater density. If you have a particularly active pet, you may want to consider one of our waterproof rigid-core options. These have been specifically engineered to resist scratch and scrape wear-and-tear. As always, if you have any doubts, discuss this thoroughly with your retailer.
Does the sun get angry at new floors?
Sunlight can affect hardwood floors adversely; some more than others. For instance, Brazilian Cherry is particularly responsive to sunlight. If you are planning on installing a hardwood floor into a room that gets bombarded with sunlight, you may want to consider diffusing the light in some way. Be particularly careful in situations where the light shines starkly on one section of the floor while leaving another in shadow. The position of the window may come into play here, but more often it can have to do with the way the room is furnished. An area rug, for instance, will protect the floor underneath from the sun. Similarly, a sofa or a table may block the sun rays entirely while the spillover strikes the floor directly.
Should I be worried about my radiant heat system?
Radiant heat is nothing to be afraid of. In fact, it is pretty awesome. There are some considerations that should be made as it pertains to choosing a floor. Radiant heat systems vary in how they warm your floor. Some systems affect the underside of the flooring more harshly than others. Many of our hardwoods are rated for radiant heat. Even our waterproof rigid-core can be installed over radiant heat, although we do not recommend it for all systems. To further aid you in this, we do provide installation instructions for radiant heat systems in our Installation Guide. Please note that our installation guides differ, depending on which type of floor you are interested in. Be sure to download the appropriate guide and make sure you fully understand which radiant system you will be installing over.
Janka
The Janka scale is the industry standard by which woods are ranked in terms of how hard they are. The test itself is not terribly complicated. Basically, the people who care about these things shoot a small steel ball with a measured amount of air pressure. They increase the pressure until the ball embeds itself into the wood to a certain depth, then someone wearing safety goggles uses the amount of pressure that was needed to grade the density of the wood. The simple way to think about it is: the higher the Janka grade, the harder the species of wood. Oak has become the benchmark for hardwood floors because it is hard enough to hold up against foot traffic, but not so hard that it is difficult to work with.
Janka
The Janka scale is the industry standard by which woods are ranked in terms of how hard they are. The test itself is not terribly complicated. Basically, the people who care about these things shoot a small steel ball with a measured amount of air pressure. They increase the pressure until the ball embeds itself into the wood to a certain depth, then someone wearing safety goggles uses the amount of pressure that was needed to grade the density of the wood. The simple way to think about it is: the higher the Janka grade, the harder the species of wood. Oak has become the benchmark for hardwood floors because it is hard enough to hold up against foot traffic, but not so hard that it is difficult to work with.
Acclimation
If you think about a tree, you’ll imagine the roots leading into the trunk, the trunk branching out into branches, and the branches covered in green leaves. Those leaves need a lot of water. So the tree pulls the moisture from the ground and sends it up through the trunk to the leaves. That trunk is the very same thing that you will be walking on. It stands to reason, then, that the wood that you will be putting down on as your new floor is exceptionally good at transferring moisture through it. This is good for a tree in the forest, but bad for a floor. A wood floor will continue to absorb and release moisture from the air. As it does, the plank will bend and flex to accommodate the space needed for the moisture. What this means is that a new floor will need a certain amount of time to get used to the moisture in the air of your home. It is a very bad idea to simply bring the flooring in and install it that day. Instead, the flooring will need to sit in the room for a few days (or sometimes weeks) in order to ensure that bowing and bending will be minimal once it is installed.
Acclimation
If you think about a tree, you’ll imagine the roots leading into the trunk, the trunk branching out into branches, and the branches covered in green leaves. Those leaves need a lot of water. So the tree pulls the moisture from the ground and sends it up through the trunk to the leaves. That trunk is the very same thing that you will be walking on. It stands to reason, then, that the wood that you will be putting down on as your new floor is exceptionally good at transferring moisture through it. This is good for a tree in the forest, but bad for a floor. A wood floor will continue to absorb and release moisture from the air. As it does, the plank will bend and flex to accommodate the space needed for the moisture. What this means is that a new floor will need a certain amount of time to get used to the moisture in the air of your home. It is a very bad idea to simply bring the flooring in and install it that day. Instead, the flooring will need to sit in the room for a few days (or sometimes weeks) in order to ensure that bowing and bending will be minimal once it is installed.
Yeah, but what about…?
We try to plan ahead and think of everything you might not know. As much as we try, there is certainly something that we have missed. As you have additional question, just ask. We work very hard to answer all of the questions that come in as quickly as we can.
Yeah, but what about…?
We try to plan ahead and think of everything you might not know. As much as we try, there is certainly something that we have missed. As you have additional question, just ask. We work very hard to answer all of the questions that come in as quickly as we can.
