Engineered is going to be much more stable. We just sold a home that had solid maple flooring. The boards near exterior entrances were cupping and bowing. Same reason why plywood and engineered boards are so much stiffer than solid wood. The multiple layers give it rigidity.

Down side is you can't refinish them as much since you only have so much top layer to work with.

Clients tell us the engineered have been extremely durable, for pets, scratches, etc.

If you go that route, be sure to keep some excess boards in case a few boards get damaged. That way if it is discontinued, you are safe.

It often allows you to get the wide plank boards when budget wouldn't allow that with hardwoods. It's worth doing your research in your area, to compare options.

It boils down to your preferences - re maintenance and most of all budgets.

I hope these help?

There are some other threads in Houzz if you search for "engineered hardwood" that have a great deal of info in them on this subject, from professionals in this area.


Some climates, like Arizona where I live, are really not ideal for solid hardwood. Again, detailed info about humidity and temperature control are in some of these threads.


Also, I learned to stay away from big discount stores, like lumber liquidators, floor and decor, Home Depot, etc. While the prices may look good, the quality of the product is not. The inner core of the material is often very cheap. Also, if you get engineered flooring that has a 4 mm thickness of real wood on the top, it can be refinished if needed, giving it a much longer life. A 2mm thickness will give you very little wiggle room to address any repairs. Then there is the face type, rotary peeled versus sawn and I think some other types. Lots to educate yourself on before investing in this purchase. I know that I know much more about what I need to shop for thanks to the contributions and detailed info I found here.

You can also just use high quality American made Engineered flooring with a wear layer as thick as solid floor. Finish it on site and have the best of both worlds.