Engineered Hardwood Flooring Reviews. What Makes a Better Engineered Hardwood?

Engineered hardwood flooring. How to make an informed decision from reviews. It can be dictated by price, particularly when you get into the higher end engineered floors selling over $ 10.00 a square foot. But how to sort out the big brands whose pricing is in more reach for the average buyer?

So many brands. What works best for me?

Engineered hardwood floors are for the most part prefinished, but can be obtained unfinished for those that prefer a custom color on site after sanding. Prefinished floors once installed, can be walked on, furniture moved in and you're ready to go.

What Makes One Better Than Another?

Trick question of sorts. A $ 5.00 square foot product could have similar selling points to a buyer on a limited budget versus one that can pay $ 10.00 per square foot. See the example discussed below.

Is it Better Than Solid Hardwood?

As far as dependability, engineered can be better than solid hardwood in that it is not as susceptible to common problems. Problems coming in the form of cupped or buckled floors due to an unfavorable environment (moisture imbalance within the home) for hardwood flooring in the first place.

How Long Will it Last?

How long will it last? This question can be best answered by the type of quality you're seeking. Much also depends on the care provided in making it last. See more below.

Which Finish Will Hold up the Best?

This can be a real head scratcher for most because there are too many opinions. When speaking to prospective customers I try to simplify the confusion by making a comparison to how finish warranties worked before aluminum oxide or ceramic urethane type finishes became available.

Prior to the changes in today's finish technology it was simply a UV cured urethane finish. It could be scratched and dented just like the newer finishes of today. And what's really shocking to many is the warranty period only ran five years, if that.

What changed? New finishes that resist wear far better than the older ones. If one steps back and ignores most of the fine print on warranties today it's only about the finish wearing and that's it folks!

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Example:

European White Oak is all the rage nowadays. The actual veneer or wear layer comes from European forests by way of logs shipped to China. It's then processed into engineered flooring and shipped to the United States. Most are manufactured into budget flooring or in the $ 5.00 square foot price range. It serves a utility need, or satisfies the demand for this type of look for the right customer.

The higher priced 8 to 10 dollar a square foot imported product went through all the basic milling procedures as the first product but with a few differences. The actual difference in price comes from several areas which results in higher quality.

1. The Wear Layer or Veneer

Let's talk about the veneer or what many call the wear layer. A budget $ 5.00 engineered floor with a 2mm wear layer works perfectly fine for many, even those with a household full of kids and dogs, but it will get beat up.

Thin wear layer

It Will Not Wear Out

Here's a tidbit I thought to share because I'm sure it confuses many when the wear layer thickness is mentioned. All products mentioned on this page will not actually wear out or get worn through the layer or veneer. It's just a name that was put on it years ago. It's also unlikely it can be refinished successfully because of the thin wear layer. With all that said you could expect 10 to 15 years out of it until you're 'done with it.'

Lifetime?

This is always subjective. I've had so many ask me the question of 'how long will it last?' It depends on your expectations and what you want out of it. Most new hardwood floor buyers are extremely careful and obsess over every dent and scratch, but as the years pass most get used to it and settle for 'adding character.' However you may be one of those around the 10 to 15 year mark that's had enough and is done or fed up with it. In this scenario replacement becomes necessary, or if you're bold enough, install a new floor over the old.

2. Better Core

The material under the wear layer is often called the core. It can be made differently from one product to another. The example below shows four types in order of quality with 1 being the lowest and four being the highest.

3. Higher Quality Adhesives and Finishes Used

The adhesives we're looking at are part of the manufacturing process. They are used when the ply layers are pressed together. Higher quality adhesives (CARB 2 Compliant PDF) are far more environmentally friendly compared to adhesives used in lower priced products. Some lower priced products over the years have been reported to be of questionable makeup which also affects indoor air quality.

It's simple economics really. As the quality rises more thought is placed into creating a better product in all respects.

Veneer and core before gluing	Veneer with adhesive on the backside before pressing.	Final product

4. Longer Lengths

In the early days of engineered hardwoods, or going back more than 20 years most were made up of short lengths. Many exist today with their specs running at only 12 to 42 or 48 inches long. What's the difference? Short length hardwoods show more end joint seams in the final look.

Higher quality engineered will often have longer lengths running to eight feet. Longer boards look more traditional or similar perceived quality as what most homes were built with 50 and 80 years ago.

Still Confused? Our Short Video Will Help

Other Brands

Prior to the inclusion of American made engineered floors by Uptown, we did offer numerous other brands but discontinued their sales in 2015. In all fairness, these reviews have gone untouched and remain unbiased.

Somerset	USA made. Mostly solid red and white oaks.
Shaw	Solid & engineered hardwood. Some hand scraped.
Pinnacle	Imported solid and engineered hand scraped, distressed selections
Naturally Aged	Imported, mid price hand scraped & distressed engineered plank
Muskoka	Canadian solid & engineered hardwoods. Oak, Hickory, Maple, Walnut
Mullican	Solid. Oak, Maple, Cherry, Hickory. Some engineered. Most USA
Mohawk	Engineered, solid and exotic hardwoods. Some hand scraped
Mirage	High quality Canadian. Solid, engineered, and herringbone
Mercier	High quality Canadian manufacturer. Mostly solid, some engineered
Max Windsor	Imported wide plank, hand scraped engineered
Mannington	Engineered only. Smooth, rustic, hand scraped, and exotic. Most USA
Lumber Liquidators	Engineered and solid. Exotics, bamboo, cork
Lauzon	Canadian engineered and solid hardwoods. High quality
LM Flooring	Imported engineered only. Common oaks, exotic & hand scraped
Kahrs	Pioneer and leader in engineered click floating floors
Johnson	Imported wide plank smooth and hand scraped engineered
Indusparquet	Exotic hardwoods. Solid & engineered
Homerwood	Solid wide plank smooth, handscraped. Some imported.
Harris Wood	USA made engineered mid priced. Some solid
Hallmark	Imported asian engineered, wide plank
Garrison Collection	Imported mid price hand scraped & distressed engineered wide plank
Columbia	Engineered, solid hardwood. Oak, Hickory, Pecan, Maple. Most USA
Century	Solid & engineered. Oak, Maple, Hickory, Walnut
Build Direct	Imported Asian & USA hardwoods. Engineered & solid
Bruce	Solid & engineered. Mostly oak
Boen	European manufacturer floating engineered floors. High quality.
Bella Cera	Imported hand crafted wider plank engineered
Anderson	Engineered, darker stained. Oak, hickory. Hand scraped
Armstrong	Solid & engineered. Mostly oak. Some exotics, parquet