Rustic Floor Supply sells engineered hardwood flooring at our Spokane, Washington location. Engineered hardwood is a suitable flooring choice for basements or other areas that are below ground level because it is able to withstand higher levels of moisture. It is composed of a thin layer of hardwood on top of a multilayer base, which provides added stability and makes it less likely to warp or expand due to changes in humidity. Compared to solid hardwood, engineered hardwood is better suited for use in damp or humid environments.
Engineered hardwood is less likely to be affected by changes in humidity due to its multilayer base, which provides added stability. This type of flooring also offers a wide range of colors to choose from, making it a versatile choice for any home decor style. At our company, we offer a diverse selection of colors from various manufacturers, ensuring that there is a shade to suit every preference.
In addition to its wide range of color options, engineered hardwood also offers various textural options that solid hardwood cannot easily replicate, such as wire brushing, circle-sawn texture, distressing, and more. This versatility allows for endless possibilities when it comes to colors, textures, and finishes, making engineered hardwood a great choice for any project.
Both engineered and solid prefinished hardwood are popular choices for homeowners because they eliminate the need for sanding, staining, and finishing after installation. Engineered hardwood is ready to use immediately after installation, saving homeowners time and effort. The installation process for engineered hardwood is often quicker than that of solid hardwood, allowing homeowners to start enjoying their new floor right away. These factors make engineered and solid prefinished hardwood a convenient and low-maintenance choice for many homeowners.
Urban Floor is a high-end brand known for its excellent quality and wide selection of engineered hardwood flooring options. The company offers a range of products at different price points and with various plank widths and colors to choose from. You can find natural and trendy grays among the wide variety of colors available, ensuring that there is something to suit every taste and preference. With such an impressive range of options, Urban Floor is confident that you will find a product that meets your needs and style.
7.5″ and 1/2″ thickness with a 2mm wear layer.
Champagne
Dolcetto
Amarone
Verdiso
Brunello
Avesso
Marsanne
Lambrusco
Malbec
Grigio
Chardonnay
Cabernet
9.5″ width with a 5/8″ thickness and a 4mm wear layer.
Brindisi
Carrara
Lazio
Milano
Modena
Palemo
Romagna
Ravenna
Trentino
8.625″ With with a 3/4″ thickness and a 6mm wear layer.
Chavannes
Antigna
Bazille
Bellini
Chantereau
Degas
Lorrain
Matisse
Monet
Rousseau
Naturale Elegance is a well-respected brand known for its exceptional performance, beauty, and simplicity in its engineered hardwood flooring options. The company offers a range of products that cater to the needs of all customers, with a focus on creating products that are highly regarded by both consumers and contractors. Naturale Elegance’s engineered hardwood flooring offers excellent quality at an affordable price, making it a popular choice among consumers. The brand’s commitment to creating high-quality, practical, and stylish products has contributed to its success and reputation in the flooring industry.
Naturale Elegance is committed to environmentally friendly practices, including responsible tree harvesting for its engineered hardwood flooring. This helps to prevent over-harvesting and promotes sustainable growth. The finishes used on the veneer are also water-based, reducing the amount of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) emitted during the manufacturing process. These eco-friendly practices reflect the brand’s dedication to protecting the environment and ensuring a sustainable future.
Roosevelt
Shenandoah
Rainer
Olympic
Kings Canyon
Katmai
Great Basin
Everglades
Cascades
Viso
Marmora
Roen
Etna
Amiata
Piana
Cristallo
Somma
Broadleaf
Elown
Adair
Hazel
Hollis
Ilana
Ivy
Linden
Willow
Wickham Engineered Hardwood Flooring
Wickham’s engineered hardwood flooring line offers a wide range of color options to suit various tastes and preferences. The company’s engineered hardwood is available in 1/2″ and 3/4″ thicknesses with a 4mm wear layer, and it is made using domestically sourced woods from North America. This means that the flooring is less prone to volatility than exotic species, making it a stable and durable choice. While the color options offered by Wickham may not be as extensive as those offered by Urban Floor or Natural Elegance, the brand still provides a high-quality product at an affordable price point. Wickham’s engineered hardwood flooring is limited to 5″ planks, but it still offers a range of natural domestic wood options that create a high-quality finish.
Hickory Engineered Hardwood Flooring
Hickory Natural
Hickory Antique
Hickory Black Rock
Hickory Charcoal
Hickory Cherry
Hickory Cinnamon
Hickory Classic
Hickory Coffee
Hickory Creme
Hickory Cuivre
Hickory Edison
Hickory Golden
Hickory Graphite
Hickory Haze
Hickory Moka
Hickory Montebello
Hickory Nevada
Hickory Pearl
Hickory Polar
Hickory Pyramid
Hickory Savana
Hickory Sierra
Hickory Grey
Hickory Vine
Hickory Western
Hickory Wheat
Maple Engineered Hardwood Flooring
Maple Natural
Maple Antique
Maple Barewood
Maple Beach
Maple Charcoal
Maple Cherry
Maple Cinnamon
Maple Classic
Maple Copper
Maple Edison
Maple Forest Hills
Maple Golden
Maple Graphite
Maple Haze
Maple Moka
Maple Montebello
Maple Nevada
Maple Pearl
Maple Polar
Maple Prarie
Maple Pyramid
Maple Sandbank
Maple Stone
Maple Grey
Maple Vine
Maple Walnut
Maple Western
Maple Wheat
Red Oak Engineered Hardwood Flooring
Red Oak Natural
Red Oak Antique
Red Oak Barewood
Red Oak Black Rock
Red Oak Charcoal
Red Oak Cherry
Red Oak Cinnamon
Red Oak Classic
Red Oak Coffee
Red Oak Copper
Red Oak Cream
Red Oak Edison
Red Oak Golden
Red Oak Grpahite
Red Oak Haze
Red Oak Moka
Red Oak Montebello
Red Oak Nevada
Red Oak Pearl
Red Oak Polar
Red Oak Pyramid
Red Oak Savana
Red Oak Sierra
Red Oak Stone
Red Oak Grey
Red Oak Vine
Red Oak Walnut
Red Oak Western
Red Oak Wheat
White Oak Engineered Hardwood Flooring
White Oak Natural
White Oak Barewood
White Oak Elegance
White Oak Taupe
White Oak Forest Hill
How Engineered Hardwood Flooring is Made
Engineered hardwood is a type of flooring that consists of a multi-layered core, a veneer layer, and a finish coating. The core is made up of 3, 5, or 7 layers of plywood or other manufactured wood products that are layered in different directions to better resist expansion and contraction due to the natural movement of wood. The veneer layer is a thin piece of wood, usually between 1mm and 4mm thick, made from various species such as red oak, white oak, hickory, maple, or ash. It is stained and finished to the specifications of the specific product line. The veneer is less prone to movement than solid hardwood flooring, making it a suitable option for areas with fluctuations in humidity. The veneer and core are glued together and then coated with a layer of finish, which can vary based on the type of engineered hardwood flooring and the manufacturer.
Engineered Hardwood Flooring FAQ’s
Yes and no. Engineered hardwood is wood, so, it is as durable as solid hardwood. However, you are unlikely to be able to refinish it so you need to be sure to maintain the floor and buff & coat if possible every few years to ensure your investment lasts a long time.
While there are disadvantages to engineered flooring, there are advantages as well.
- Colors – You will notice that engineered flooring has more color options than maybe you are used to. Not that site finish on solid hardwood flooring you can’t get these colors – it is usually hard and can be time-consuming. Most engineered flooring has multi-layered colors that are not easily reproducible with stains.
- No sanding – While sanding does take an extra day or 2 engineered flooring allows for anyone to install and be done after installation
- Cheaper price points – While cheaper isn’t always better, not everyone has money for solid hardwood. However, cheaper usually has more issues so be careful which cheap option you choose.
Coming from an industry professional, below are real disadvantages of engineered hardwood flooring that traditional flooring stores will not tell you or warn you about prior to buying flooring. Remember, we sell every flooring – we just make sure to fully educate our client’s customers to the fullest for the most informed decision before spending thousands to only find out the choice was wrong for them.
- Unable to refinish – most engineered flooring has small wear layers, hand scraping, or something else that does not allow for resanding. ONLY 4mm with no distressing can really be truly refinished 1-2 times.
- Delamination – these products use many layers of wood to create their product. You need to understand this is not one solid piece of wood and glue can and will fail.
- Different cuts expand and contract differently – Different manufacturers to get certain price points will use cheap wood that produces issues when it gets cold or heats up.
- More noise – You are putting many layers down that are thin. The nail that goes through these materials usually does not set correctly, why we recommend a glue assist. These nails will produce noise if not set correctly. Pops are within spec.
I mean, this one is impossible to truly answer. However, Ideally, even if you do not believe it solid hardwood is probably better overall. That does not mean that engineered flooring is not ideal for certain applications or homes. Solid hardwood is longer lasting since you are able to refinish it. Engineered is possibly better for you if you desire a very specific color, the flooring is going below grade and your timeline is very slim.
Engineered hardwood typically lasts between 20 and 30 years.
Because they do have a top layer of hardwood, like solid hardwood, they are susceptible to scratches.
If scratch resistance is important to you, look for engineered hardwood floors with a scratch-resistant top coat. Small scratches on engineered hardwood can be repaired a wax repair kit or a cotton cloth and some rubbing alcohol.
Since the popularity of engineered hardwood has grown, solid hardwood is generally on par with most higher end engineered floors. Cheaper floors like 3/8″ flooring will still be cheaper.
While engineered hardwood may look similar to laminate flooring, they are not the same.
Engineered hardwood contains a top layer of solid wood, while laminate flooring has a photographic layer coated with a wear-layer that appears to look like a wood surface.
In addition, laminate flooring is usually thinner than engineered hardwood.
This question really depends on a lot of factors. First and foremost, if you have mapjor water damage the floor is ruined. Usually engineered floors are unable to be sanded since ther eis distressing, bevels and other things making sanding impossible. If you have no major damage a floor should last 20-30 years if maintained and you buff and coat the floor. A solid hardwood floor will last much longer.
Engineered flooring is typically between 3/8” to 3/4” thick, whereas solid hardwood is 1/2” to 3/4“ thick.
When compared to other flooring options, engineered hardwood floors offer the following advantages:
- Affordability: Engineered hardwood flooring falls on the lower end of the wood flooring price scale, typically ranging from $4–$10 per square foot depending on thickness and species.
- Moisture-resistant: Although standard engineered hardwood isn’t waterproof, it does boast excellent water resistance, making it a better choice for moist environments such as kitchens and bathrooms.
- Easy to maintain: Engineered wood floors simply need regular sweeping or gentle vacuuming to maintain, and may occasionally be mopped with a wet mop and neutral cleaner to restore shine to their surface.
- Quick installation: The click-and-lock system offered by engineered wood flooring allows for a quick and easy installation.
Engineered hardwood flooring looks almost identical to solid wood, but the way it is manufactured offers premium durability at an affordable price. Instead of a single wood plank, engineered wood flooring is made of a high-quality plywood core with a thinner layer of wood on top. This allows engineered hardwood to display the beauty of its species while leveraging the cost-effectiveness and added strength brought by its design.
Whether engineered or solid hardwood flooring is the better option for your home is dependent upon several factors. Engineered hardwood flooring is better for moist environments than solid hardwood, making it the best option for kitchens, bathrooms, mudrooms, and basements. Because of engineered hardwood’s improved water resistance, it also offers simpler maintenance than solid wood flooring, as you can use a wet mop to clean its surface. However, engineered hardwood floors cannot be restained over time, meaning solid wood has a longer lifespan. That being said, engineered hardwood is best suited for homes where durability is of primary concern, such as those with small children and animals, or in high-traffic areas such as kitchens or basements.
Different Installation Methods of Engineered Hardwood Flooring
**Please consult the guide for your certain floor to ensure which methods are allowed for that brand of engineered hardwood flooring.
- Floating: This technique involves laying the floor and using glue to secure the tongue to the groove. While it is a popular option among DIY homeowners, it is not as stable as other methods and may not be suitable for all brands, widths, and thicknesses.
- Nail Down: This method involves using nails to attach the floor to the ground, with the nail sitting flush with the tongue. It is important to set the air pressure correctly to prevent cracks and squeaks. This method is suitable for 3/4″ thick floors with planks up to 4″ wide. For wider planks or thinner floors, extra care must be taken to ensure that the nails are set correctly to avoid noise issues and potential problems with the floor over time.
- Nail & Glue Assist: This is generally considered the best method for installing engineered hardwood. The nails hold the floor in place while the glue helps reduce noise if a nail is not set correctly. An S pattern or strips of glue applied with a sausage gun can provide additional stability. Nails are added according to NWFA guidelines.
- Full Glue Down: This method involves spreading adhesive on the floor and placing the flooring on top. It is suitable for slab-on-grade or concrete subfloors, as well as plywood or OSB. However, if the flooring is later removed from a plywood or OSB subfloor, it is likely that the subfloor will be damaged and will need to be repaired at a high cost.