Engineered Wood Flooring or Hardwood Flooring, Which is Best for My Home?

If you’re trying to decide which is best for your home and family, today’s blog may help you decide if engineered wood flooring or hardwood flooring is the right choice. Besides the obvious difference in price between the two, there are many other considerations when choosing the right flooring type for your home.

Moisture from a Crawl Space or Slab

If your home is one of the older homes built on a crawl space, you may have increased moisture seeping into the flooring. Some homes built on slabs have a similar issue when the proper water proofing wasn’t done prior to pouring the slab. If your home falls into either of these categories, engineered wood flooring might be a better option. Because of the way engineered wood flooring is constructed, it is slightly more tolerant to moisture than real hardwood flooring.

Likeliness You’ll Change the Color

In a previous blog we answered the question if you can restain engineered wood floors. And although you can, you are more limited in what you can do and how many times you can do it. If you’re someone who wants to keep up with the latest styles and trends in your home, choosing real hardwood flooring is a better option. Although sanding and refinishing hardwood flooring is a time consuming task, it can be done more frequently and with better success because there is more actual wood that can be sanded away if desired.

Environment Impact

We hear often about the environmental impact of various products for our homes. Flooring is no different. Of course, the option that has the least environmental impact is reclaimed wood flooring which is always a true hardwood flooring product. Reclaimed wood flooring’s only environmental impact is the shipping and the re-sanding that occurs prior to it arriving at your home. If your budget doesn’t allow for reclaimed wood floors, engineered wood flooring would be the next choice. This is because a much thinner cut of wood is used in each wear layer. The other layers of engineered wood often come from scrap and pieces that wouldn’t be used for hardwood flooring.

How Long You’d Like the Flooring to Last

Depending upon the type of engineered wood flooring you choose, it can last as long as real hardwood flooring so this one is a draw. High quality well-installed engineered wood flooring can last as long as real hardwood. Of course, some high quality engineered wood flooring can cost as much as real hardwood floors and because real hardwood increases resale value of your home, you may want to add that to your decision process.

Overall, today’s engineered wood flooring is better than that of even ten years ago. If you’re trying to make the right choice for your home, family, and budget, talk to your Tampa flooring professionals at Seer Flooring. We are locally based and have decades of experience installing both engineered and hardwood flooring throughout Tampa Bay. Call for your free estimate (727) 785-1930.