Differences Between Solid, Engineered and Laminate Flooring

Hardwood flooring comes in several types and styles with the three largest categories being solid, engineered and laminate.

Solid hardwood floors are solid pieces of wood the entire thickness of each piece. Each piece is not fabricated from any other material except the tree the wood originally came from. The only thing added in the manufacturing process may be appearance enhancements like hand scraping, chiseling or brushing along with protective coating or color stains.

Solid hardwood flooring is more susceptible to natural changes in expansion and shrinkage with changes in humidity and moisture. Solid hardwood floors can be nailed or glued into place over existing flooring. Expansion and shrinking issues can be minimized by following the National Wood Floor Association Installation Guidelines.

Engineered hardwood floors are also made from the tree the wood came from except it’s formed from several different manufactured layers. The top layer is the actual original wood that may have been hand scraped, chiseled or brushed before shipping. The bottom layers are different base type of woods that can be made from scrap pieces of the original trees (to reduce waste) or other wood like plywood. Engineered wood is much lighter than solid wood planks. Engineered hardwood is not the same thing as laminate flooring because it’s still real wood.

Engineered hardwood flooring is less susceptible to natural expansion and shrinkage issues compared to solid hardwood flooring. Engineered hardwood floors can be clicked together, glued, nailed or “floated” over existing floors potentially reducing installation costs. These methods work as long as installation follows the National Wood Floor Association Installation Guidelines.

Laminate flooring is not real wood, but instead is a picture of real wood glued together between hybrid materials that also resemble real wood. Wood Monsters does not work with laminate flooring.