It is difficult to make a comparison between solid wood flooring and engineered flooring, as there is a wide range of engineered wood flooring options available. For flooring, solid wood has quite a number of disadvantages due to the natural characteristics of wood. Expansion and contraction of wood from moisture and temperature fluctuation puts many dimensional restrictions on installing solid wood floors. The installation costs of engineered flooring are typically lower than solid flooring. Engineered floors typically are pre-finished more often than solid wood floors, and usually are supplied with beveled edges, affecting the look.
Solid hardwood is also quite limited in plank width and is more prone to “gapping” “crowning” and “cupping” with increased plank size. Engineered wood flooring has several advantages over solid wood, beyond dimensional steadiness and global use of the wood. Patented installation systems allow for faster installation and easy replacement of boards. Engineered wood also allows a ‘floating’ installation (where the planks are not fastened to the floor below or to each other), further increasing ease of repair and thereby reducing installation time.
Engineered wood panels are longer, wider and better than solid planks. So it is recommended to go in engineered wood flooring considering its advantages.
