What is Engineered Hardwood?

Engineered hardwood flooring is an increasingly popular choice for both traditional and contemporary homes throughout the US. But what is engineered hardwood? And what are the pros and cons of installing this type of flooring in your home? Here we discuss everything you need to know about engineered hardwood flooring to help you decide if this is the right type of flooring for you.

What is Engineered Hardwood Flooring?

Making the right flooring choice for your home is a decision that requires a lot of careful thought. There are plenty of options to consider, and you need to make sure you are choosing a flooring that looks beautiful, will stand the test of time, and will cater to all your lifestyle needs.

If you are in the process of choosing new flooring for your home, engineered hardwood is a term you are likely to hear a lot. So, if you’re wondering what is engineered wood flooring, we are here to answer this question for you.

How is it constructed?

Engineered hardwood is a type of flooring that is constructed from several layers of hardwearing plywood, with a layer of solid hardwood on the top. This surface layer, sometimes referred to as the “wear layer,” can be made of any type of hardwood you choose – oak is a particularly popular choice due to its durability and versatility.

However, not all engineered hardwood is constructed the same way, so you want to make sure that you do your research. The engineered hardwood flooring at Southern Luxe is constructed using cutting-edge technology and is designed to overcome the limitations of traditional solid hardwood. Vintage Series floor planks consist of multiple layers of wood, each positioned in a different direction to prevent the type of warping, cupping, and bowing that can occur when moisture is introduced to an environment. 

The advantage to this three-layered plank construction is that our engineered hardwood can be installed in all grade levels of the home, including below ground. Combined with a solid hardwood top layer or “veneer”, the Vintage Series provides the same natural beauty as solid hardwood with the added benefits of increased durability and resilience against seasonal change. Our engineered flooring also offers easy care and maintenance.  

Read more below about why professionals consider this flooring an excellent investment!

Engineered Hardwood Pros and Cons

There are plenty of advantages to installing engineered hardwood in your home, but it is important to be aware of all the facts before making such an important decision. Here we take a look at the main engineered hardwood pros and cons so you can make an informed choice about whether this type of flooring is suitable for all your needs.

Pros

1. It's cost-effective: If you love the look of solid hardwood flooring but your budget won’t stretch to it, engineered hardwood is the natural choice. It will give you the exact appearance of solid hardwood but without the price tag, enabling you to achieve the look you want on a budget. As it looks exactly like solid wood, it won’t bring the value of your home down – it still has that high-end appearance.

2. It comes in a variety of colors, tailored to suit your tastes: One of the benefits of oak engineered flooring is that it can be stained in a wide variety of shades, from light to dark, to coordinate with your furniture and paint color schemes.

   So many new homes come with builder-grade flooring, which is generic and doesn’t say anything about you as the homeowner. The right flooring will enable you to stamp your own personality onto your property. One of the main advantages of engineered hardwood is that it can very easily be tailored to match your own tastes. Engineered wood flooring is also available in both finished and unfinished planks, so you can achieve a custom look in every room.

3. It coordinates with all home styles: The beauty of engineered hardwood flooring is that it coordinates perfectly well with all homes and décor styles. Whether your home is a longstanding traditional property or a brand-new build, engineered wood floors will add character and maintain the integrity of the period when your home was constructed. It doesn’t matter if your interior design tastes skew modern, rustic, classic, or industrial – there is an engineered hardwood style that’s right for you. Even better, it won’t date, so your home will look as fashionable and beautiful in the years to come as it does today.

4. It's hardwearing and durable: Engineered hardwood flooring is specifically constructed to be strong, durable, and suitable for use in any room in the home. This even includes kitchens and bathrooms, as this type of flooring is resistant to warping when wet. It can also be relied upon not to be affected by weather and temperature changes. This makes it a great choice all year round, even if you choose to install it in an underground room such as a basement. In addition, engineered hardwood is easy to clean and maintain, so you can spend less time taking care of your flooring and more time enjoying it.

Cons

Even though it is a great all-around product, engineered hardwood may not be the right choice for every homeowner. For example, if you have young children or pets, or you lead a particularly active lifestyle, you might want to choose a luxury vinyl flooring instead. This is an even more budget-friendly type of flooring that is more difficult to scuff or scratch while still offering attractive looks.

If you are considering engineered hardwood, it is important to choose a high-quality product that is designed to last. Not all engineered hardwood is created equal! At Southern Luxe, we only offer the highest standards of engineered wood flooring, so you can feel reassured that your flooring will withstand all your lifestyle demands for many years to come.

Engineered Hardwood VS Laminate

If you’re working to a tight budget, you might have considered installing laminate flooring. However, when you take a closer look at engineered hardwood vs. laminate, you can realize that laminate flooring is often a false economy. Here are some of the reasons why:

1. Engineered hardwood is much stronger and more durable – unlike laminate, you can use it in kitchens and bathrooms, as it is designed not to warp when wet.

2. Engineered hardwood will last 25-30 years on average, while laminate flooring only has a lifespan of 5-10 years.

3. Engineered hardwood perfectly mimics the appearance of solid hardwood, as its top layer is actually made of solid wood. Laminate flooring has a printed top layer, which can never match the look of real wood.

4. Engineered hardwood has the luxury look that buyers want, which adds to the resale value of your home, unlike laminate flooring.

What Rooms Should Have Engineered Hardwood?

One of the best things about engineered hardwood flooring is that it is suitable for any room in the home. Whether it’s a room with high levels of foot traffic such as a living room, a room that is prone to getting damp such as a bathroom, or a peaceful space like a bedroom, engineered wood is the ideal addition to every room. It is also ideal for family gathering spaces such as the kitchen and dining room.

With open-plan living now extremely popular, many new build homes include the kitchen, dining room, and living space all together without dividing walls in one large ground floor plan. Engineered hardwood is the perfect choice for creating a cohesive look in open-plan spaces, as it can coordinate with all elements, from your sofa to your dining table and kitchen cabinets.

Even if you want different color schemes in different areas of the home, you can still find the right engineered hardwood flooring products for every room, as it is available in so many different styles and colors. Or, if you prefer, you can choose unfinished engineered wood planks, enabling you to finish them in any stain you like.

Whether your interior design tastes and the architecture of your home are classic or contemporary, engineered hardwood is a practical and beautiful flooring choice that you won’t regret.

Choosing Engineered Hardwood for your home

Now that you know what is engineered wood flooring, you will hopefully feel more confident about your flooring choice. We have discussed all the engineered hardwood pros and cons, as well as the benefits of engineered hardwood vs. laminate flooring. You can now also tell the difference between engineered hardwood and solid hardwood, helping you to decide which type of flooring is the best choice for you. And you don’t need to worry about which room you are choosing flooring for, as engineered hardwood is suitable for every room in the home!

If you want to look more closely at the different types of engineered hardwood, you can request samples so you can get your color and style choices exactly right. Simply Request a Sample on any of our product pages so you will be able to see how each type of flooring will look in your own home before you make the decision to purchase.

Or, if you would like more help and advice about the different types of flooring, our specialist team here at Southern Luxe is highly knowledgeable about all flooring types and always happy to advise you. Click Start Your Project to take the next exciting step on your flooring journey!