An engineered wood floor is a whole lot more sophisticated than traditional carpet or tile – both in the way that it looks and the way that it’s made. If you’re thinking of installing an engineered wood floor in your home, you probably have some questions.

Here are answers to the 5 most common engineered wood floor questions:

1. How much does it cost?

Engineered wood flooring prices vary, depending on the manufacturer you buy from and what ingredients they use in their floors. Remember, an engineered wood floor is not made out of pure hardwood. Instead, it usually has a strip of pure hardwood on the top, with other ingredients used underneath as a core.

No matter where you buy them, though, you can count on engineered wood flooring prices to be much lower than the price of genuine hardwood flooring!

2. Will people be able to tell the difference

between an engineered wood floor and a real wood floor?
Not if your engineered wood floor is manufactured correctly!

The top layer of genuine hardwood is the only thing that anyone will be able to see once the floor is laid down; it will look and feel just like a real wood floor.

3. Is an engineered wood floor as susceptible to moisture as a real wood floor is?

No!

Because it has a core that’s made out of other, more durable materials, an engineered wood floor will not warp or buckle if it gets wet, like a real wood floor will. In fact, that’s one of the reasons why an engineered wood floor is so popular – it can be used in bathrooms, kitchens, or anywhere else where you can’t install a real wood floor.

4. What should that core be made out of?

Different flooring manufacturers will use different materials – some of which are good, and some of which are bad. As a general rule, you should be looking for the words “high-density fiber wood substrate”. That’s a solid material that will give you a durable core.

5. How hard is it to install an engineered wood floor?

These floors are often called a “floating wood floor” because they do not require any nails or adhesives. Instead, all you have to do is lay them on top of your subfloor and snap them together. A floating wood floor simply “floats” over the top of your subfloor – meaning that it’s the easiest type of flooring to install. Even if you don’t have any home improvement experience, you will be able to install it yourself. Skipping the professional installation will save you a ton of money!