Unless things have changed in the last few yrs factory finished floors tend to have a higher resistance to abrasive wear than site finished floors. Aluminum Oxide can be applied at the factory under controlled conditions where site finished floors can't. The 'wearable' portion of the wood can sometimes be as much on an engineered floor than with solid hardwood. Lots has to do with 'design', stain and other factors. Some people just hate the beveled edges and other love them. Some houses with slabs or other conditions don't lend themselves to solid hardwood so engineered is the only choice

Wood vs. Engineered Wood? No contest in this case. If the home was built in 1905, put real hardwood in. This preserves the integrity of the home's building materials. Plus, as you can see from the age of these floors, higher grades (i.e. thicker) hardwood can be sanded several times; you usually don't get even one chance to sand engineered wood. The hardwood layer at the top of this multilayered product is simply too thin. Level Floors and Subfloors There are ways to level a subfloor, ranging from replacing parts of the subfloor with thicker or thinner sheets of plywood (or planks, see below), to pour-on leveling compounds that harden to make the entire floor level. What you use to level uneven areas depends on what the subflooring is. If it is plywood or concrete, the compound works. But more likely with this home, on floors at or above grade, there will be wood planks laid at a diagonal across the floor joists. So in your home, the layers were probably joists first, then subfloor planks of wood, then hardwood with tongue & groove joints. You cannot effectively use a pour-on leveling compound on a plank subfloor, as there are cracks between the planks. However, you can lay a new hardwood floor directly on a wood plank subfloor as long as those planks are sound and relatively level. Replace individual planks that have been damaged by water or insects, are otherwise compromised, or even missing (it happens!), with either new planks of lumber, or with plywood of the same thickness as the planks. Any lumber you install, for either the subfloor or finished flooring, should be brought in to your home several days prior to installation, so the materials acclimatize to your typical interior temperature and humidity. Unlike for ceramic or porcelain tile, the subfloor does not have to be perfectly level. And unlike vinyl sheeting, planks or tiles, the hardwood won't "telegraph" minor differences in height, and minor surface irregularities, so the subfloor doesn't have to be absolutely perfect; it should be sound, strong, uniform and essentially level. Your flooring contractor can give you specifics on what upgrades your subfloor may need once the original hardwood is removed. Joists If the floor is significantly not level in parts, or if certain areas feel spongy when you walk on them, I recommend you have your flooring contractor, a home inspector, or structural engineer inspect the subflooring and especially the floor joists. You don't want to invest in a new floor, only to have it become damaged because some joists weren't attended to. Transitions Transitions (a.k.a. thresholds or molding) between existing rooms and the new floor ought to be made of the same wood and same finish (stain, polyurethane, etc.) as the new flooring you are putting down. As wood ages, the finish becomes darker, so trying to make the transitions match the finishes of existing floors is very difficult and not recommended (what will match those floors right now won't match later after your transitions age up a bit). Eventually, the transitions wouldn't match either the new or the old floors! Transitions come in four types: reducer (when the two floors being joined are of different heights), seam binder (when the floors are the same height, and the boards from each are very close to one another), T-mold (when the two floors are the same height, but there is a crack between the two rooms' flooring) and stair nose or stair edger (when the flooring needs to curve around the front of a stair's "tread"--the flat part of a stair upon which you tread!). The transitions for your particular project can be ordered when you order the hardwood, so make sure to include measurements for those doorways/entrances. The contractor can tell you if he/she anticipates there will be a height difference or gap between the floorings, which would require those particular transitions. Dry Air Concerns Consult a local lumber supplier or flooring contractor familiar with your local climate conditions to discuss finishes or other tips for keeping your wood floors healthy in the dry winters. Sounds wonderful! Have fun!

Let's do a cost analysis: Cost of sanding/refinishing floors: $5/sf for NWFA Certified Sand/Refinisher (a little less for someone without all the letters after their name). Total costs associated: $5/sf (includes stain samples and all chemicals required) Cost of Installing Factory Finished Hardwood: Cost of Removing Hardwood: $1-$2/sf (includes labour and disposal fees) Cost of Preparing subfloor: $1-$3/sf (the $3/sf is unusual but not unheard of) Cost of Materials: $7-$15/sf (depends on your choices...DuChateau isn't cheap) Cost of Labour: $2-$4/sf depending on form of install Total Cost Associated: $11 - $24/sf It's your decision. It's your house. So long as your hardwoods have enough life to give, I would have a look at sanding/refinish. it is good for the environment.

We are planning to replace flooring throughout our house as well, 2900 sq ft. We currently have 20yo tile and carpet that our new dog has had accidents on. We are trying to budget and also debating btwn hardwood, porcelain wood look plank tiles , or engineered vinyl luxury plank. Any thoughts on Engineered vinyl. I’ve read feels/looks most like wood, is waterproof (rather than water resistant) , doesn’t dent from weight of furniture is pet friendly, and cost less than real wood and tile. My preference is tile due to pets and water , but most likely cost prohibitive due to labor intensive/cost. Hardwood not pet friendly or moisture friendly in kitchen , guest bath. We have a very open floorplan where we cannot separate flooring from kitchen and bath. BUT i’ve also read that you do not get ROI on vinyl flooring, even though a designer told me she is installing Luxury vinyl in multi-million $ homes these days (I am in S. California) Any advice appreciated