Engineered vs. solid wide plank flooring

One of the most important questions clients ask is which type of floor is right for their space—engineered flooring or solid wide plank flooring? Below we will shed some light on the differences between the two, and why we believe our engineered flooring is the perfect choice.

Engineered wide planks are made up of superior quality birch boards that are laminated in a perpendicular pattern to achieve the desired thickness, wear layer and strength. A hand selected natural wood face is then applied, giving the appearance of a solid piece of wood.

Solid wide planks on the other hand are self explanatory—each plank is made from one solid piece of wood (European Oak, Douglas Fir, Teak or Walnut for example).

Our engineered floors are inherently more stable than traditional solid wood floors because the perpendicular pattern of the birch boards we use creates strength and resistance to shrinking that is just not possible in natural wood flooring.

For our natural wide plank floors, we select woods with tight grain patterns and put them through an extensive slow drying process to make them as strong as possible. They are initially comparable in strength to our engineered floors, but due to the nature of a solid natural product, they will inevitably begin to shrink and shift over time—especially if your home experiences environmental fluctuations in humidity and temperature.

Our engineered and solid wood wide plank floors have the same wear layer thickness, which enables you to finish either floor multiple times. This means you may never have to replace your floor for as long as you own your home.

Finally, we’ve made large investments in our technology and team in order to craft some of the widest and longest planks available. This means you can make incredible design statements in your home no matter which type of floor you choose.

Which type of floor is right for you? Ask one of our flooring specialists, they’ll be glad to help.