If you've been considering a hardwood floor for your home, you may have discovered that there are far more choices available than you have imagined. And it can get confusing. What's the difference between solid wood, engineered wood and laminate? And what's this Pergo® thing? How come all these different types of flooring are called different names, cost differently, yet look almost the same? To help you make sense of it all, here are a few pointers.
HARDWOOD FLOORING
If you want real hardwood floor, two types of construction are available - solid and engineered. With solid hardwood floors, each plank is made of a single piece of wood. With engineered hardwood floors, each plank is made of several sheets of wood sandwiched together, much like plywood. The top sheet (the only visible one after installation) is made of the wood species that you picked (say, oak), whereas lower sheets can be of a different type of wood. Which one should you choose, solid or engineered? It depends on a couple of factors. Solid hardwood floors are installed by nailing or stapling, so they require a specific type of sub floor which can't be concrete. Engineered hardwood floors can be installed by gluing or "floating," so they can easily be installed over concrete, vinyl, or even tile. Costwise, if you prefer the look of wider planks, engineered hardwood will be cheaper; for narrower planks, solids are more economical. Also, if you are looking for an exotic type of wood, you will be more likely to find it in engineered form. Both solid and engineered floors are real wood, and overall have similar pros and cons. On the plus side, real wood has a warm, homey look that's hard to beat. It will last for decades, can be refinished several times (including changing colors), and it ages gracefully with scratches and cracks even adding character. On the minus side, real wood can get stained, and it can also fade if exposed to direct sunlight.
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