Solid hardwood or engineered hardwood?

10 years ago

I am going to be replacing my entire main floor with hardwood, including kitchen and laundry room. I am in love with Antikkwood Night Owl engineered hardwood which is a grey=brown 6 inch plank. My contractor would prefer me to use solid hardwood and the only one similar to this is quite a bit darker and only 5 inch wide. Should I follow his advice or go with what I love. We have a large dog and I need my hardwood to be hand scraped and distressed already, and the night owl colour being a bit lighter probably won't show as much dust and dog hair.

Featured Answer

mmessbl

10 years ago

last modified: 10 years ago

We went with engineered in my last house. Despite doing a ton of research and choosing a quality brand & species, and spending a ton of money, it just never looked great.

In our new house, we refinished (including staining) the existing traditional oak floors and the difference is night and day. It holds up so much better. After three years there is hardly any wear, and what wear there is just doesn't look bad. The engineered floors scratched easily and looked worn after six months. The finish on the engineered made them look dirty minutes after cleaning because they would show every footprint and smudge. Also, the ridges between planks collected gunk, and just looked off in general.

I thought, oh boring old 2.25" inch oak floors.... and now I'm madly in love with them. Classic, timeless, choosing the right color stain made them gorgeous, and they wear great. There's a reason they're ubiquitous!

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Comments (7)

Ann
10 years ago
I went for solid but I've heard that engineered is a fine choice.
kyurgan thanked Ann
User
10 years ago
I'd go with solid hardwood, as I believe it lasts longer and you can sand/restain when it needs it, or to redecorate.
kyurgan thanked User
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jhmarie
10 years ago
Hardwood can be refinished many times. Engineered can be refinished a few times depending on the thickness of the wear layer. Be careful about going with a trend color. Hardwood last for decades - much longer than trendy colors.
kyurgan thanked jhmarie
kyurgan
Original Author
10 years ago
Thank you everyone for your input. I'm leaning towards the solid hardwood.
ka_chuk87
9 years ago
Dying to know what you went with - I am currently looking at floors and in love with the Antikkwood Night owl as well!!
M V
9 years ago
We've used Antikkwood, Yorktowne which is a hickory and we love it. Handscraped, matte finish, goes together like a dream. We used engineered hardwood because it is at our cottage which is not heated in winter. We had some laid last year and it came through winter and a season of use beautifully and now I'm adding it in more living spaces and in bedrooms. Can't say enough good about it. Love the product, love the colour and finish. I'd put it in my house if I needed new flooring there.