Remodeling -- getting wood floors --- should I do solid or engineered wood flooring?
solid wood all the way , it looks better and will add more value,and if you can afford it look into re claimed wood floors ...they are really nice
Hello. The only way to lay solid wood requires a major re-building effort,as flooring goes right back to outside walls. Would cost a heap. Laminated and kit-set flooring looks good and is a lot simpler and easier to fit. Some kits just lock the parts together. Lay over existing bare floor with proper glue.
One thing to remember is if you use the sand and finish type wood flooring, you will have to live with the dust and inconvenience of the loss of using the room for several days. I would still recommend the sand and finish flooring if you can deal with the hassle of the dust etc. Now, one thing that others haven't mentioned is the fact that most engineered flooring comes with a 20-25 year warranty on the finish. Check and see, because if you don't want to have to bother re-doing your flooring for a long time, you might want to invest in the engineered flooring but to me, it looks fake. Not really like laminate but I just don't like the pre-finished OR the engineered floors, but you have to make that call depending on your financial situation as well as the inconvenience you're willing to experience. Also be sure when you pick out your flooring, if you DO use the engineered or pre-finished, look at the space between the boards......some have a deeper groove which, to me, would catch dirt. In a sand and finish floor, of course there is no groove, so that is also a plus. (another thing to remember is, if you really want something pretty that will be unusual, do something in the exotic woods instead of the oak that everyone does. While oak is nice, it's so blase. Almost everyone has oak and while it's less expensive, if you shop around, you might be able to get a good deal on an exotic hardwood, such as Brazilian Cherry, which is what I have. It is the first thing people notice when they walk in!!!) So, think about that as well and have fun doing this. Good luck to you!!!!!!!
Solid wood flooring is HANDS DOWN a better investment, there are so many of the other types of flooring improperly installed and it clicks when you walk on it, it feels cheap and looks cheap, solid wood flooring will get the smile of approval from a future buyer of your home.
If you are laying your floor over a concrete slab, you have to do engineered wood. It really depends on what your subfloor is made of. If you don't have a concrete slab to lay over, then look into the warranty offered and the look of the wood. If I could, I would do solid wood. Unfortunately we have a slab floor. Good luck!!
