When it comes to choosing the perfect flooring for your property – both commercial and your home – there are numerous things that you have to take into consideration. These range from the species of wood you want to install, the plank sizes, the plank colours and whether you should choose between engineered wood and solid wood.

Although there are benefits to both the engineered wood and the solid wood, there are clear distinctions between the two types of flooring. The aim of this post is for us to help you make the best choice for your property.

Engineered Wood Flooring is made up of multiple layers of wood. The top layer of wood is known as the wear layer; this will be made up of your chosen species of real hardwood. It is the base layer that adds strength and stability to the flooring. This base layer can be made up in two ways:

• Plywood that is glued to the wear layer
• Three-ply block construction: the middle layer is Eucalyptus or Hevea glued between the wear layer and a base of plywood.

Engineered Wood Flooring is a popular choice for homeowners due to the practicality and resilience benefits. This type of flooring is much more resilient to humidity and changes in temperature, particularly for wider and longer planks. Therefore, if you are looking to install wood flooring in rooms such as Bathrooms, Conservatories or Kitchens, this is the better choice as the structure of the layers means that it flexes less easily when in contact with moisture.

If something cost-effective and a little cheaper is what you are looking for, then engineered wood flooring is the choice for you. It is good if you want the feel and look of real wood floors but don’t quite have the budget for solid wood.

This floor can be fitted in numerous ways:

• It can be glued down
• Secret nails
• Floated on underlay

For some clients, they are looking for consistency throughout the house. Engineered wood flooring is able to be used throughout the house and can come in parquet blocks. If you select this flooring, you are able to choose from many different finishes:

• Oiled
• Lacquered
• Brushed

Engineered Wood Flooring can often get confused with laminate flooring. Whereas engineered wood uses a top layer of real wood, laminate flooring only uses a high-quality picture of real wood laminated onto high density fibreboard.

This type of flooring can still have a decent lifespan if properly cared for – something that our other blog posts will be able to help you with!

Solid Wood Flooring is a single, solid piece of hardwood that has been cut directly from a tree and made into a plank of flooring. The thickness of the planks often varies on the needs and budgets of the client. It is recommended that for installations on top of floor joists that the plank is a minimum of 20mm thick as it will act as a load bearing floor. Solid wood flooring needs to be fixed to the floor during installation with either glue or secret nails and cannot be floated above an underlay or it will lack stability.

Compared to engineered wood flooring, it is more durable. The surface of engineered wood can chip easily due to how thin the wear layer is; this also means that the floor can only be sanded down 3-4 times before the upper layer fades away. On the other hand, solid wood can withstand a lot more stress before the surface gets chipped (meaning it can get sanded down numerous times). We come across solid wood floors over 100 years old and they’re still perfect to sand and restore to give them a new lease of life.

Similarly to engineered wood floors, solid wood can be customised through the use of different species of wood, plank sizes and choices of finish.

If properly cared for, solid wood flooring can last for decades and ultimately will outlive most engineered wood floors. Be sure to check out our other blog posts for more information on wood floor maintenance.

What room it is being installed in: If the room is likely to be exposed to a lot of moisture then engineered wood flooring is the more suitable choice.

Your budget: Engineered wood flooring is more cost effective as it allows for the client to have the choice of installing the floor themselves due to the click system it can come in.

If you want to add underfloor heating: As previously mentioned, engineered wood flooring can cope well with constant changes in temperature so it is the best choice if you opt for installing underfloor heating.

The traffic: A high traffic area – such as a hallway – would be more suited to solid wood flooring due to the durability of the flooring. Solid wood flooring is also the better option for a home with pets due to the fact that it won’t chip as easily.

To conclude, for a cost-effective option that still looks and feels like real wood then engineered wood flooring is the perfect option for you. For clients with long-term prospects in mind and the ability for them to spend a little bit more due to a professional installation, then solid hardwood is the better choice.