Difference Between Wood And Hardwood Floor

Homeadvisor s flooring guide explains the differences between laminate and engineered hardwood and reviews the pros and cons of each.

Difference between wood and hardwood floor. Depending on the thickness of the veneer that tops the flooring the quality of flooring used and how well you maintain your floors engineered hardwood can last a lifetime. It provides the unmatched beauty of real wood without solid wood flooring s tendency to shrink or warp. Flooring made with engineered wood can look. Two flooring choices available to homeowners today are hardwood floors and vinyl 1 flooring.

Hardwood flooring consists of sawed planks from natural hardwood timbers like oak and maple and is sometimes called solid wood hardwood flooring is more expensive than engineered hardwood a k a engineered wood flooring which is constructed from thin glued together layers of derivative wood products such as osb mdf or plywood. How long will an engineered wood floor last. Hardwood flooring may be made of a solid piece of wood or it may be engineered with several layers of plywood 2 beneath a hardwood veneer 3 oak and maple are the most common hardwoods used. Engineered hardwood flooring has a similar construction as laminate except the top decorative layer is a thick veneer of real wood protected by a coating of clear acrylic.

Solid hardwood flooring boards tend to be narrower than engineered hardwood flooring. Engineered flooring is typically between 3 8 to 3 4 thick whereas solid hardwood is 1 2 to 3 4 thick. Solid hardwood generally has very tight seams between boards and there is a great range of colors and species than is found with engineered hardwood flooring. Solid hardwood flooring is available in a wide array of wood species including oak maple and black walnut as well as regional specific choices like pecan mesquite and others.

In most cases hardwood tends to be harder than softwood but not always. Hardwood vs engineered wood flooring knowing the difference between hardwood and engineered wood flooring will give you the advantage of choosing the best flooring option for you. Solid hardwood is available in both pre finished and unfinished boards. Hardwood flooring and engineered wood flooring are two popular options when it comes to flooring.

The boards usually 3 4 inch thick are generally milled with a smooth top surface and tongue and groove edges that interlock to hold the boards together. Solid hardwood flooring as the name suggests is comprised of flooring boards that are solid hardwood material through and through. The best example of this is balsa wood which although extremely lightweight is classed as a hardwood.