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Earthy Modern Entry with Hand Scraped Engineered Hardwood Flooring
Earthy Modern Entry with Hand Scraped Engineered Hardwood Flooring

Engineered Hardwood often makes people think of fake wood or laminates. Actually, “Engineered Hardwoods”  are their own product and are made from real wood, (not filler) and are becoming a popular choice for many reasons.

What are the main differences between traditional hardwood, engineered hardwood and laminate?

Solid Hardwood Flooring

Solid Wood is all one piece of wood
Solid Wood is all one piece of wood
Solid Hardwood, illustration from Armstrong Flooring
Solid Hardwood, illustration from Armstrong Flooring

RCI Advice:

This height difference can create an issue in a remodel where connecting rooms’ flooring is not as high as the new wood flooring and adding a new transition strip can create a tripping hazard. Due to this height difference it it often easier  to install solid hardwood in new builds, however, for a large span of hardwood  (through multiple connected rooms) we recommend engineered hardwoods so there are less issues with expansion and contraction.

Engineered Hardwood

Engineered Wood has a thicker finished layer of wood on top with quarter turned layers underneath creating dimensional stability
Engineered Hardwood has a thicker finished layer of wood on top with quarter turned layers underneath creating dimensional stability
Engineered Hardwood Layers, illustration from Armstrong Flooring
Engineered Hardwood Layers, illustration from Armstrong Flooring

Laminate Flooring

Laminate Flooring has a thin wood-image layer and particle board beneath
Laminate Flooring has a thin coated-paper wood-image layer and particle board beneath

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