What is Engineered Hardwood?

Engineered wood flooring is made with a solid hardwood surface layer, an artificial core, and an artificial base. Since it’s partially man-made, engineered hardwood is more affordable than natural wood, more durable, and can even be waterproof, depending on the core material. 

Long story short: You get the warmth and beauty of genuine wood planks with the added benefit of durability and water resistance. It’s a win-win situation!

Customer Favorite Engineered Hardwood

There are a lot of engineered wood flooring options out there, and it can be tough to decide where to begin. To give you a head start, here are some of our customers’ favorite products.

Engineered Hardwood Construction

Typically, an engineered hardwood core is made from layers of plywood stacked perpendicular to each other. This construction makes the flooring more resilient. However, manufacturers have recently invented rigid core engineered wood, which features an SPC core.

An SPC core is made of a stone plastic composite that makes rigid core flooring waterproof and incredibly durable. Rigid core engineered hardwood is poised to take over the world of interior design. 

Exciting, right? The key to rigid core hardwood is in the layered design, so let’s explore that now.

Wear/Veneer Layer

The durability of your floor relies on the thickness of your wear layer. The real wood veneer also resides in this layer. 

The manufacturer will determine in their instructions if this layer is thick enough to refinish or not. Always check the manufacturer’s instructions before sanding or refinishing an engineered hardwood product. Failing to do so could result in damage to your flooring.

Core Layer

This is the hero of your plank. The artificial core increases the durability of your flooring compared to solid wood. Plywood and HDF cores offer some moisture resistance, especially if mixed with wax and other water-repellent materials. 

When a plank has an SPC core, it’s also called rigid core flooring, and it’s the most durable engineered hardwood flooring out there. SPC cores are made from a mix of limestone and plastic, which makes them rigid and highly durable. You can thank SPC for the fact that rigid core engineered wood is totally waterproof.

Backing Layer

The backing layer is the foundation of the floor, and before now, it was typically made of plywood or HDF. All of that changes with new luxury engineered hardwood. Now you can indulge in a premium, pre-attached underlayment. 

What is this premium underlayment going to offer you? First, it softens the sound of noisy flooring, and it smooths out imperfect subflooring. Even better? It can save you a bit of time and money on installation. No need to fix a minor dip in the subfloor if the pre-attached underlayment is going to cover for it anyway.

Engineered Wood Surface Textures

• Hand Scraped: This texture showcases long scrapes ingrained in the plank. Hand-scraping varies a lot between planks, giving the floor a rustic feel.
• Textured: Textured flooring adds a touch of personality to any space, giving you a unique look that will remain stylish for years to come.
• Distressed: Distressed flooring is meant to look aged and antiqued, like it’s been through a lot. You’ll find burns, knots, wormholes, and scrapes in distressed planks.
• Smooth: Not into all those wood flooring textures? No problem! You can choose a smooth surface for a more polished look.
• Wirebrushed: Wirebrushed looks show subtle, intentional wire scratches leaving the appearance of exposed wood on the surface. These imperfections are smoother and more consistent than hand scraped or distressed looks.

Engineered Wood Flooring Colors

You can find all the trending shades and tones of wood flooring in our selection, from light and airy blondes to deeper tones. Here’s the scoop on your color options.

• Light: Light wood floors are at the top of all the trend lists. People love how the bright, airy colors of light wood can open up a space to make it feel roomier.
• Medium: Warm colors like honeys create a homey and comfortable atmosphere. You can style medium wood tones to be both contemporary and rustic, depending on your personal style.
• Dark: Deep, rich colors like espresso and mahogany add a touch of drama and contrast to any room.
• High-variation: The natural color variation in wood planks is one of the biggest reasons that wood-look flooring is so popular right now. Get that bold and trendy look in your own home with genuine wood veneers.

Engineered Hardwood Features

• Bevel: A beveled edge on a plank creates a pronounced dip to clearly distinguish joints in your flooring. Choose this if you’re going for a more natural look, and you want to see each plank differentiated as if it were genuine, solid wood flooring.
• Micro bevel: Maybe you want some delineation between each plank, but you don’t want it to be as dramatic as a full bevel. That’s when you can choose a more subtle micro bevel. You still get those joint lines, but they won’t stand out as much, and your floor might be a bit easier to clean.
• Square bevel: Planks with a square bevel fit together exactly edge to edge, so the surface of the flooring is completely smooth, and the joint lines are hardly noticeable. This provides a sleek, seamless look.

Engineered Hardwood Species

Every wood species has its own kind of personality. Color, grain pattern, texture, you name it. Different types of hardwood also have different hardness ratings on the Janka scale. 

What’s the Janka scale, you ask? It’s a measurement of different wood species to determine their hardness. A higher rating means a harder wood species, and a more durable product. 

Depending on what you’re looking for, one particular species might be a better fit than all the rest. Find out the unique qualities of the species we carry.

• Hickory: This is one of the harder and more durable wood species, with a Janka hardness rating of 1820, which makes it a good pick for high traffic areas. The lighter color of the wood allows it to accept stains more readily than some darker wood.
• Maple: The light to medium brown tones of maple wood flooring deliver that classic wood look. With a Janka rating of 1450, this is a great durable option. In fact, maple is a pretty popular option for bowling alleys. Now that’s durable!
• Acacia: This exotic wood offers an impressive 2250 Janka rating. The pronounced grain and occasional knots creates a distinct look that’s perfect for any aesthetic.
• Walnut: The deep coloring and bold wood grain of walnut flooring makes this a great option for a classic or contemporary space. While this flooring is a bit soft, with a Janka hardness rating of 1010, it’s still a great choice for many people.
• Birch: Birch is a light, fine-grained wood that offers a more contemporary look than warmer wood colors. The 1470 Janka hardness rating ensures that any engineered birch wood flooring can handle the demands of a hectic home.
• Oak: Oak wood is one of the most popular species for flooring, thanks to its versatility and affordability. It sets the industry standard for hardness with a Janka rating of 1290.
• Ash: Ash wood features a smooth, straight grain with light brown and beige coloring. It's rated 1320 on the Janka scale.

Engineered Hardwood Thickness

If you’re only thinking about traditional engineered hardwood, then thickness can stand in as a rough estimate of durability. But with rigid core technology added to the mix, all bets are off. 

SPC engineered hardwood is some of the thinnest and most durable flooring out there. Keep this innovation in mind as you consider the importance of flooring thickness. 

Some manufacturers have noted that the thickness of plywood-core engineered hardwood can influence the dimensional stability of a plank. Dimensional stability refers to how much a plank expands and contracts with changes in temperature. Rigid core engineered wood is highly stable regardless of thickness, but thicker plywood-based engineered wood might have a slight advantage over thinner planks.

Wear Layers for Engineered Wood Flooring

The beautiful wood veneer may be durable on its own, but for real protection against surface damage, you need to think about the wear layer. You can choose from a range of thicknesses to match the level of traffic your floor will see. Finding the right wear layer thickness for your floor will be crucial to keep it looking good for years to come.

• Standard Thickness: A wear layer that’s 1-2mm will be great for any residential use, even if you have pets with scratchy nails. However, you won’t ever be able to sand and refinish flooring with a standard wear layer thickness.
• Premium Thickness: A wear layer this thick is going to protect your floor from all sorts of scuffs and scrapes. If you choose a wear layer of 3mm or more, you might be able to sand and refinish it, but you must always check the manufacturer’s instructions first. Improper sanding can lead to irreparable damage to your floor.

Engineered Hardwood Plank Width

Do you want broad wood planks to open up your space and make it appear larger? Or do you want ultra thin planks to create an intricate design? Maybe you’re looking for a variety of plank widths so you can join in on the mixed width flooring trend. 

Whatever your design needs may be, engineered wood flooring has an option that will work for you.

• 5-6": This is more or less the standard plank width. If you want a classic wood floor look, the standard width wood-look planks are probably the best option for you.
• 7-8": These wider planks are perfect for smaller spaces that might feel a bit cramped. A wide plank floor means fewer joints, and that means the floor looks cleaner and less busy. That’s perfect for a space that needs to feel bigger than it actually is.
• Multi-Width: To add a unique touch to any room, consider mixed-width plank flooring. You’ll get wide planks and thin planks mixed together in one box, so you can design a completely one-of-a-kind floor.
• Multi-Length: Instead of coming in planks with a standard length, some products offer varied lengths for a realistic hardwood look. If you really want your flooring to look completely natural, this could be a good option for you.

Installing Engineered Hardwood Flooring

Are you looking to install your flooring yourself? Do you have a specific installation method in mind? Find out more about your different installation options so you can make an informed decision.

• Nail-down: You need to have a wood subfloor for this method. Using a power nailer, apply fasteners into the tongue of the planks, and then lock the next row of planks together before also fastening them down as well. If you’re comfortable using power tools, then you might be able to install it yourself.
• Staple-down: If you want to use staples to fasten your engineered hardwood to the subfloor, then you’ll use the same techniques as nail-down installation.
• Glue-down: You can glue down engineered hardwood when you really want to make sure it stays secure, such as when you’re installing flooring in a high traffic area. Glue-down installation is a permanent solution, but it can be pretty tricky, so this method is best left to the pros.
• Floating floor: The tongue and groove method is the most common installation method for engineered hardwood. Insert the tongue of one plank into the groove of another to attach the planks. To float tongue and groove planks, you will need to glue the planks together using D3 glue.

Ready to get started?