Solid wood or engineered wood flooring — which should I choose?
Stability, subfloor, underfloor heating, refinishing life and cost — the five points where the two genuinely differ, and which rooms rule one out.
- Difficulty
- beginner
- Time
- 25 min
- Read
- 4 min
Short answer
Engineered board is more dimensionally stable, works over underfloor heating and over concrete, and can be laid floating — which makes it the right answer for most modern situations. Solid wood can be refinished many more times and lasts generations, but it moves with humidity, needs fixing to a timber subfloor, and is a poor match for UFH and for damp-prone rooms.
The two look identical once laid, because engineered board has a real wood wear layer. The difference is entirely in the construction underneath that layer, and it decides where each can go, how it is fixed, and how it behaves in a British winter with the heating on.
Step by step
- Understand the construction difference.Solid wood is one piece of timber throughout. Engineered board is a wear layer of real hardwood bonded to a cross-laminated plywood or timber core, which restrains movement in the same way plywood does.
- Start with the subfloor.Concrete rules out nailing down solid wood without a batten or ply substructure. Engineered board can be floated over concrete with a membrane and underlay, or bonded directly.
- Then ask about underfloor heating.Engineered board is the standard answer over UFH. Solid wood over heating is a specification decision with narrow boards and stable species, and often is simply not recommended.
- Then consider the room's humidity swings.Solid boards expand and contract across their width with the moisture content of the air. A house that goes from damp summer to dry heated winter moves solid wood a lot, and wide boards move most.
- Compare refinishing life honestly.Solid wood can be sanded many times over its life and will outlast several owners. Engineered board can be sanded only as many times as the wear layer allows, so the wear layer thickness is the number that matters when comparing products.
- Compare the fixing methods.Solid wood is secret-nailed or glued to a timber subfloor. Engineered board can be floated, glued or nailed depending on the product, which makes it far more flexible to install.
- Look at board width and format.Wide-plank solid boards are the most movement-prone combination. If you want a wide plank look, engineered board is much the safer route.
- Compare cost properly.Compare the installed cost including subfloor preparation and battens where needed, not just the price per square metre. A cheap engineered board with a thin wear layer is not comparable to a thick one.
- Acclimatise whichever you choose.Both need time in the room they will live in, in their packaging as the manufacturer directs, so they reach equilibrium before being fixed.
Tips
- The wear layer thickness is the single most useful specification when comparing engineered boards, and it varies enormously between products at similar prices.
- Wood floors in kitchens are viable with prompt spill management; in bathrooms they are a poor idea whichever construction you choose.
- Pre-finished boards are more durable at the surface than site-finished ones, because factory finishes are cured harder than anything applied in a room.
- A hygrometer in the room is worth having. Wood floors are happiest in a fairly narrow humidity band, and knowing when the house is very dry explains a lot of winter gapping.
Common mistakes
- Nailing solid boards straight onto a concrete slab arrangement without a proper substructure — There is nothing to nail into, and any moisture in the slab reaches the timber. Solid wood over concrete needs battens, a ply deck, or a bonded installation with the right adhesive and a moisture barrier.
- Choosing solid wide boards for a house with underfloor heating — It combines the two things wood dislikes most: maximum movement per board and a floor that is dried and cycled by heating. Large gaps in winter and cupping are the predictable results.
- Comparing engineered boards on price without checking the wear layer — Two boards at the same price can have wear layers differing by a factor of three, and the wear layer decides how many times the floor can be refinished — which is most of the difference between a twenty-year floor and a fifty-year one.
Questions people ask
Can engineered board be sanded and refinished?
Yes, as many times as the wear layer allows. A thick wear layer permits several full sandings over the floor's life; a very thin one permits one light one at most, or none. The manufacturer will usually state how many sandings the product supports.
Is solid wood better quality?
It is more material, and it will outlast engineered board given the right conditions, but it is not better in every situation — over concrete or underfloor heating, engineered board performs better and moves less. Better means better suited to the job.
Which is easier to lay?
Engineered board, comfortably, because most products can be laid as a floating floor with click joints and no fixing to the subfloor. Solid wood needs secret nailing or gluing to a suitable timber base, which is a slower and more skilled job.