Should I choose solid or engineered hardwood flooring?

The answer to that question is going to depend upon your needs, and this is why you should have a detailed conversation with your retailer.

A lifetime of beauty

Both types of hardwood are available in a range of different species, colors, and styles, giving the flooring the same distinctive character and natural wood variation.

Both types of flooring look the same when installed correctly, both add the same value to a property, and both can be refinished.

Aesthetics and practicality

This is where you need to be clear at the store.  One of the advantages of engineered hardwood is that it is more stable and better able to handle water; solid can be damaged by excess liquid.


If you are the type of person who has a practical side, this flooring may be for you.

Only the construction is different

Rather than one slab throughout the plank, engineered has one slab on top.  This is called the veneer layer and it’s what gives this flooring the knots, raised grains and swirls.

Underneath the top layer, there are at least three (but preferably more) layers of genuine wood combined with resins. These layers are crisscrossed and that gives the floors more stability and an increased ability to handle moisture. 

That stability results in this hardwood being able to be placed in higher than normal moisture areas, such as the powder room and half bath although, like solid, not the full bath.

Engineered wood doesn’t move around to adjust to weather the way solid hardwood does.  In a humid area, the wood could expand, creating buckling, cupping, and crowning.  Although it can be handled with acclimation, the practical person may not want to deal with it.  Engineering requires no acclimation.

Both are easy to care for.  Like anything, wipe spills as soon as possible so stains don't set.  Vacuum once a week (preferably more) with no beater bars (rotating brushes). Employ common-sense, everyday rules: strategically placemats at entrances and perhaps in front of sinks; use protective pads on furniture feet when moving to avoid scratching; keep pet nails trimmed and void wearing stiletto heels on the floor.

For more information, visit the Cherokee Floor Covering showroom in Woodstock, GA.  We service Woodstock, Canton, Marietta, and Acworth.  Be sure to ask about our estimates.