I love my wood floors! Once you install wood products, you will never go back to carpet. Being a flooring novice, I talked to my friends. One person knew of a flooring specialist. The salesman brought some samples to my home. I was overwhelmed. Which should I purchase, solid oak, or engineered oak flooring? I remained undecided. I went to the Internet sites and got educated, learning about the incredible versatility of solid hardwood and engineered floors.

A solid oak floor is a gorgeous diva. It needs a sub floor and nails, and should not be laid on top of a cement floor. Hardwood shrinks a bit in winter. This causes gaps between the planks. Summer moisture plumps up the wood and the expansion joints disappear. To avoid this, the floor is gapped around the entire room. This requires ripping out smaller baseboards and replacing with thicker boards to hide the new gap. Hardwood is intolerant of water; it can buckle and bow the surface. Thick planks can be stripped and sanded to the bare wood, and re-stained multiple times. Nothing looks or wears like a hardwood oak floor. These floors can last 300 years. This is a high-end investment like tile, or granite. It adds to your home’s value. Oak hardwood floors cost more and are worth the investment.

Enter technology and the engineered oak floor is born. These boards are 1/16-1/8 real wood oak veneer over plywood. They are scientifically engineered to avoid gaps, weather sensitivity and buckling. Installation can be floating, nailed or glued. Engineered floors can be stripped and refinished no more than three times. Don‘t confuse this with a laminate floor. Laminate has a photo finish and cannot be sanded or re-stained. Engineered floors add beauty and durability. They are not recommended for moist basements. Like hardwoods, they add considerable value to your home. The downside is, though not as expensive as hardwood they are still rather pricey when you add in labor and installation. Shop local dealers and the Internet for the best price.