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Started By
Message
Engineered vs. Real wood flooring
Posted on 7/30/19 at 9:30 am
Posted on 7/30/19 at 9:30 am
Getting ready to start a reno project on our house in New Orleans. It's older, raised foundation. Post-K the new owner put down shitty 12 x 12 beige tile all through the house. When we bought it in '13 I ran some laminate on top of the tile for a cheap "fix". Looking to do it right this time, take out laminate and tile, inspect subfloor, come back with either eng wood or real wood. It's only going on our main level, about 800 sq. ft. (split-level house).
Engineered stuff is pretty easy, wife has found some wide plank stuff she likes. Figure that's an easier install, probably cheaper. For the real wood, I'm not sure what type of wood, suppliers, install issues, etc. Any guidance/tips are appreciated.
Also, being that we have an older house I don't mind the dents/scratches that come with real wood, so tile and LVP are out.
Engineered stuff is pretty easy, wife has found some wide plank stuff she likes. Figure that's an easier install, probably cheaper. For the real wood, I'm not sure what type of wood, suppliers, install issues, etc. Any guidance/tips are appreciated.
Also, being that we have an older house I don't mind the dents/scratches that come with real wood, so tile and LVP are out.
12
Posted on 7/30/19 at 9:58 am to BlastOff
Just placed my order for a wide plank engineered flooring so will share what I've learned from my research.
Engineered floor is real wood. It's a slice of the target species on top of a plywood base. It has better dimensional stability than solid wood, with a wider tolerance for humidity and temperature. So if you don't have spot-on humidity control in the house and want wide planks, engineered is the way to go.
Engineered can be installed directly on concrete slab; solid requires a wood subfloor.
Engineered is NOT necessarily cheaper, especially the good stuff. Pay attention to the veneer layer (I went with 4.5 mm, which can be refinished one or more times just like solid.) Also the board lengths (many cheap options are 1-4', which looks really choppy in a large room), and what the core is made of (something like baltic birch vs mdf.)
Engineered floor is real wood. It's a slice of the target species on top of a plywood base. It has better dimensional stability than solid wood, with a wider tolerance for humidity and temperature. So if you don't have spot-on humidity control in the house and want wide planks, engineered is the way to go.
Engineered can be installed directly on concrete slab; solid requires a wood subfloor.
Engineered is NOT necessarily cheaper, especially the good stuff. Pay attention to the veneer layer (I went with 4.5 mm, which can be refinished one or more times just like solid.) Also the board lengths (many cheap options are 1-4', which looks really choppy in a large room), and what the core is made of (something like baltic birch vs mdf.)
Posted on 7/30/19 at 9:58 am to BlastOff
Engineered is a go if you buy high end stuff. You can get away not pulling up the old flooring. Real wood, twice the price and you will have to remove the old flooring.
Also, real wood, you will have to insulate under to block moisture.
Also, real wood, you will have to insulate under to block moisture.
Posted on 7/30/19 at 9:59 am to BlastOff
What's your flooding probability look like? It seems like every other week I hear about flooding and pump issues in New Orleans 
Floating engineered hardwood is going to be alot easier to deal with after a flooding situation.
Floating engineered hardwood is going to be alot easier to deal with after a flooding situation.
Posted on 7/30/19 at 10:12 am to shell01
quote:
if you don't have spot-on humidity control in the house
quote:
NOT necessarily cheaper
We had that other thread this week about cupping in real wood, that has me nervous. While our AC performs admirably, we have no insulation under the house. I'd hate to spend $$$ on a heart pine and have that shite jacked within a year.
We intend to go high end, it's not a lot of square footage and we do not plan on moving anytime soon.
Posted on 7/30/19 at 10:30 am to BlastOff
With real wood, the wider the boards, the better the chance of it cupping. More so with pine. Now if you looking at pine, be careful with what they call heart pine flooring. 10x better is to find true quarter sawed boards.
Thread I am doing now.
LINK
Going to try in put the forth coat down maybe tomorrow.
Thread I am doing now.
LINK
Going to try in put the forth coat down maybe tomorrow.
Posted on 7/30/19 at 10:49 am to BlastOff
Honestly time will tell, real hardwood will last forever and can be refinished many times, engineered may or may not last as it is a newish product and refinishing is severely limited, once the laminate is gone due to wear or sanding it is toast and must be replaced.
Engineered is also prone to delamination and must be kept in a pretty specific humidity range. LINK
Engineered is also prone to delamination and must be kept in a pretty specific humidity range. LINK
Posted on 7/30/19 at 11:19 am to shell01
quote:
with a wider tolerance for humidity and temperature
quote:I guess homes around south Louisiana have been doing it wrong for 200 years
Also, real wood, you will have to insulate under to block moisture
Posted on 7/30/19 at 11:23 am to BlastOff
I put engineered in the bedrooms of my new build abt 5 years ago (slab foundation). I would have loved solid hardwood, as I'd always lived in old, raised houses w/awesome old longleaf pine floors (even in the kitchens). But the cost was ridiculous, as I'd have needed a subfloor over the slab to install the traditional nailed hardwood.
Picked out a high-end engineered wood. It has performed well in fairly low traffic bedrooms, despite scratchety clawed cats....it takes weight/pressure to scratch it, like sliding a heavy dresser or bed. I just put felt pads beneath all furniture items & haven't had problems once I figured this out. I probably wouldn't be happy if I had installed engineered wood in high-traffic areas, though.
Count me in the tile camp: there are amazing color, shape, and size choices beyond the boring beige you experienced. It is cool underfoot, can be scrupulously cleaned, is ridiculously durable, and is pet friendly. At least consider tile in kitchen/laundry room/bathrooms, or anywhere else you think moisture will be a frequent issue (like entryway).
Picked out a high-end engineered wood. It has performed well in fairly low traffic bedrooms, despite scratchety clawed cats....it takes weight/pressure to scratch it, like sliding a heavy dresser or bed. I just put felt pads beneath all furniture items & haven't had problems once I figured this out. I probably wouldn't be happy if I had installed engineered wood in high-traffic areas, though.
Count me in the tile camp: there are amazing color, shape, and size choices beyond the boring beige you experienced. It is cool underfoot, can be scrupulously cleaned, is ridiculously durable, and is pet friendly. At least consider tile in kitchen/laundry room/bathrooms, or anywhere else you think moisture will be a frequent issue (like entryway).
Posted on 7/30/19 at 11:47 am to Hammertime
quote:
I guess homes around south Louisiana have been doing it wrong for 200 years
Come on, you seriously want to compare the wood they had 200 yrs ago with the crap we have available today? Old growth is much stronger and more dimensionally stable than mass produced product.
And besides that, gaps between planks in wood flooring were considered expected with the seasons. Not something most people today would be happy to deal with.
Posted on 7/30/19 at 11:59 am to BlastOff
A buddy if mine refinishes hardwood floors for a living.
A large part of his work comes from refinishing engineered floor about 5 to 7 years after it has been installed.
He says with real wood, someone that properly finishes it, and proper care you are looking at more in the lines of 15 years before it will need to be refinished. Also, you can only refinish engineered a few times depending on the thickness.
Some products are better that others. And if you are going to install yourself engineered is very easy to do.
But I would definitely think about the refinishing aspect that will come up down the road.
Also, you pretty much have to move out for a week while its refinished depending on your home size.
A large part of his work comes from refinishing engineered floor about 5 to 7 years after it has been installed.
He says with real wood, someone that properly finishes it, and proper care you are looking at more in the lines of 15 years before it will need to be refinished. Also, you can only refinish engineered a few times depending on the thickness.
Some products are better that others. And if you are going to install yourself engineered is very easy to do.
But I would definitely think about the refinishing aspect that will come up down the road.
Also, you pretty much have to move out for a week while its refinished depending on your home size.
This post was edited on 7/30/19 at 12:11 pm
Posted on 7/30/19 at 12:10 pm to NATidefan
quote:
But I would definitely think about the refinishing aspect that will come up down the road.
My understanding is the higher end prefinished engineered wood flooring has a harder topcoat/ finish to prevent wear, but when it gets damaged, it is almost impossible to refinish because of this coating.
Posted on 7/30/19 at 12:12 pm to wickowick
I'm not an expert on it, but its definitely something the OP should look into.
Posted on 7/30/19 at 12:16 pm to NATidefan
Aluminum Oxide is the popular coating offered on LVP and prefinished hardwood floors that is more scratch resistant but hard/impossible to refinish.
I went with a traditional polyurethane prefinished floor to avoid that problem (Bona HD Traffic.)
I went with a traditional polyurethane prefinished floor to avoid that problem (Bona HD Traffic.)
Posted on 7/30/19 at 12:37 pm to BlastOff
The only real knock on engineered wood is that it is hard to clean as it has grooves that collect everything. It looks a bit tacky but if you don't mind the looks and cleaning it is a good product.
Engineered wood is perfect for those that know they will update the house every now and then as styles change. Easy to remove and install.
For a long time home, I love real hardwood. You just can't be the look and longevity. Refinishing beats replacing every 20 years. It needs to match the house though. No point doing real hardwood if everything else is cheapo finishes.
Engineered wood is perfect for those that know they will update the house every now and then as styles change. Easy to remove and install.
For a long time home, I love real hardwood. You just can't be the look and longevity. Refinishing beats replacing every 20 years. It needs to match the house though. No point doing real hardwood if everything else is cheapo finishes.
Posted on 7/30/19 at 12:43 pm to notsince98
quote:
The only real knock on engineered wood is that it is hard to clean as it has grooves that collect everything.
Are you referring to beveled edges between planks? Because you can get engineered floors that don't have those bevels. Also can get engineered floors that are sanded and finished on site just like solid wood. Something to consider.
Posted on 7/30/19 at 1:19 pm to notsince98
quote:
Engineered wood is perfect for those that know they will update the house every now and then as styles change. Easy to remove and install.
This is why hardwood is still an option, I want the timeless look and feel of hardwood floors. The problem is balancing whether or not the potential install issues, and trying to find the right wood and installer, is worth the effort.
Posted on 7/30/19 at 1:43 pm to BlastOff
If you think you are going to be the type that remodels and changes the color etc every 10 to 15 years or so I would just do a cheaper engineered and just replace the whole thing when you get ready to change.
If you plan for this to be a long term look I would consider doing solid wood.
Like I said, the refinishing process takes about a week or longer and you cant be in the house. I have helped my buddy on some bigger jobs so I do know what goes into that. Sawdust, Fumes, usually need to repaint, etc.
With engineered you can stay in the house and just go from room to room as its installed. And it's really a project you can do yourself if you get a wood floor nailer and have a air compressor and table saw.
If you plan for this to be a long term look I would consider doing solid wood.
Like I said, the refinishing process takes about a week or longer and you cant be in the house. I have helped my buddy on some bigger jobs so I do know what goes into that. Sawdust, Fumes, usually need to repaint, etc.
With engineered you can stay in the house and just go from room to room as its installed. And it's really a project you can do yourself if you get a wood floor nailer and have a air compressor and table saw.
Posted on 7/30/19 at 2:25 pm to BlastOff
Real pine floors I had installed this month in NOLA. According to the experts in this thread I did these all wrong. About $8/sqft total.
Photos from different stages of completion
Photos from different stages of completion
Posted on 7/30/19 at 2:41 pm to BlastOff
quote:
inspect subfloor
Makes me cringe. We did a floor in my buddy's house a few years back and ran into a mountain of trouble with the subfloor. It was supposed to be a weekend job but when we got to the subfloor we had to replace 50+% of it. Poor Drainage under the home and lack of insulation caused his subfloor to turn to cardboard basically. Once we started there was no going back. Destroyed the schedule and budget on that job.
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