Wood Flooring vs. Best Engineered Wood Flooring

Interested in new flooring for one or more rooms in your home but concerned about the cost? Consider a floating engineered hardwood floor. Most engineered floors are affordable and can be assembled without the assistance of a trade professional. Best of all, you get the same aesthetic appeal of a traditional wood floor, but for a fraction of the price.

The best engineered wood flooring brands offer a range of wood species, each of which conveys its own unique character. Red oak, for instance, is ideal for both contemporary and vintage settings. The color is light and unobtrusive with slight undertones of red. The color is similar to that of maple gunstock, though in the case of the latter the grain is a bit more prominent, as are the birds-eye and fiddleback features therein.

People who buy wood flooring are often stunned by the cost, most of which comes from having to hire installation specialists. Traditional wood flooring often weathers and scratches easier, too. Engineered wood flooring, however—also called click lock flooring because of the way the pieces “click” together—is made of a durable multiply system that makes it ideal for any environment, no matter how high-traffic, and can be refinished 2 or 3 times. You don’t have to deal with glue or nails; installation can be completed in just a few days. Also, engineered hardwood floors are humidity-friendly, which means they hold well in beach-, river-, or lakefront homes.