Hardwood flooring is one of the best ways to upgrade your home. Timeless and durable, it instantly elevates the look of any room. Planning a hardwood flooring project in Virginia Beach? You might be wondering whether to choose engineered hardwood or solid hardwood.
In short, both options have their advantages. The right one for you depends on your lifestyle, budget and our coastal climate. Let’s compare engineered and solid hardwood so you can choose the one that’s right for your home.
What is Solid Hardwood Flooring?
Solid hardwood planks come from a single piece of timber and are usually about ¾-inch thick. It’s been used in homes for generations for more reasons than one.
Solid hardwood flooring is built to last. With proper care, it can remain beautiful for 50–100 years. That’s because the planks can be sanded and refinished multiple times, erasing scratches, dents, and general wear. Regular maintenance can keep your floors looking brand new and increase your property value.
Solid hardwood flooring isn’t perfect though. Virginia Beach brings coastal humidity, which means solid wood is more vulnerable to expansion and contraction. Without proper care and indoor climate control, gaps or warping may occur. Since solid hardwood is nailed down, it works best on wood floors above grade, not in basements or over concrete slabs.
What is Engineered Hardwood Flooring?
Engineered hardwood is real wood, but it’s best known for its layered construction. Each plank features a real wood veneer top supported by a plywood or high-density fiberboard core. This criss-crossed construction provides stability in humid conditions.
Because of its stability, engineered hardwood is a top contender for Virginia Beach homes where salt air and seasonal humidity can wreak havoc on floors. Depending on the thickness of the veneer, engineered hardwood can last 20–40 years. It can be refinished once or twice, but not as often as solid hardwood.
There’s more than one way to install these floors. Engineered wood can be glued, stapled or even floated over existing flooring. Install it over concrete slabs or in below grade places where solid hardwood might struggle.
Comparing Solid and Engineered Hardwood Flooring
How do these two types of hardwood flooring stack up against each other? Let’s break down some of the key differences:
- Durability: Solid hardwood edges out its counterpart. With regular refinishing, it can last decades longer than its engineered wood.
- Humidity Resistance: Engineered hardwood’s layered construction better handles Virginia Beach’s humidity, making it less susceptible to warping and swelling.
- Maintenance and Refinishing: Solid hardwood can be refinished several times over, while engineered hardwood can only be refinished once or twice.
- Pricing: While engineered hardwood has lower upfront costs, solid hardwood is more of a long-term investment.
- Appearance: On the surface, they look similar to one another. However, following installation, most people can’t tell the difference between the two.
- Installation Flexibility: Engineered hardwood can be installed in more areas (i.e. slabs, basements or floating floors). Solid hardwood is limited to nail-down installations on wood subfloors.
Solid and engineered hardwood both have their pros and cons. That’s why you have to consider these factors when you’re shopping for new floors.
The Right Hardwood Depends on Your Home and Lifestyle
Which is better? Solid or engineered hardwood? In short, it depends. Engineered hardwood offers plenty of stability for humid coastal climate, is easier to install and costs less upfront. However, solid hardwood lasts longer, can be refinished multiple times and adds more value to your property. At Artistic Flooring, we’ll help you compare your options so you can make the right decision for your home.
Still deciding? Contact us or visit our showroom to learn more about hardwood flooring today!
