Stain options in engineered and solid wood floors

last year

Hi all,

I'm looking to install engineered wood floors in my dining/family room that's on a concrete slab on the main level of the house, and I'd like to install solid hardwood in the living room and bedrooms. A tiled kitchen will be between the dining/family room and the living room leading up to the bedrooms. Only the dining/family room is on concrete. The rest of the house is not. Ideally I'd like to have the floors match color-wise. Whatever manufacturer I search, I can't seem to find matching stain colors in both flooring options. Is this the norm? Is there any way around this other than installing engineered wood throughout the house? I really want the colors to match. I'm in PA if that helps, so there aren't really any climate issues etc.

Also, which brands should I be looking at? I've looked at Bruce, Mullican and Armstrong. I know these are available in flooring stores near me and I could easily obtain samples. If there are any ones we should stay away from, please let me know.

Thanks!

Featured Answer

SJ McCarthy

last year

You are looking for a company that manufactures the same species/finish in both engineered AND solid. These are NOT found using the big box stores nor the mass producers such as Bruce, etc.

You are on the Eastern Seaboard. Excellent! That's where ALL the great mills are. You need to google/search for hardwood floor mill. You will come up with thousands of options. Go ahead and start looking at the one's closest to you. They will offer samples (either free or for small money) as well as a list of their retailers.

Because you are looking at a match (ie. NO ONE can tell the difference but you!) you are going to pay more for that quality. I would expect $9-$12/sf depending on the cut, species, thickness and finish/stain.

I know how to find them in Canada...it will be up to you to find it in/around PA.

Oak and Broad is a company that produces beautiful wood floors in Georgia...they also post on Houzz (stunning floors...absolutely stunning).

Our Story | A family-owned hardwood flooring company | Oak & Broad (oakandbroad.com)

Follow the link to see what you are LOOKING for. Once you know how to find a quality mill, you can then branch out on your own.

Sort by:Oldest

Comments (7)

PRO
G & S Floor Service
last year
It's easier to get unfinished solid and engineered, site finished to match.
Related Discussions
Solid wood vs. engineered wood flooring
Q
Comments (2)
solid wood is 3/4" thick. You can sand down to where the nails are which is where the 'tongue' is. Engineered wood is 3 5 or 7 plys with a veneer of hardwood on top. Its generally more stable than a solid. There is no intrinsic advantage of a solid over engineered, though there is a perceived difference as one is 'thicker'. That has really nothing to do with anything. Factory finishes are generally far more durable than anything you can do on site. Unfinished allows you to stain any color and sanding will make the floor real flat and smooth. Prefinished you can't pick stain color other than the std colors, and generally will have overwood if the floor isn't perfectly level. As anything in this industry there are tradeoffs to all flooring materials.
...See More
5" plank unfinished wood floor - solid or engineered?
Q
Comments (3)
You really need some consistency in so far as moisture conditions year round for a solid wider plank floor to perform well. I've mentioned some of the issues before. In a nutshell I think of some of the comments here over the years when people say things like "...my 50 old year old house had oak floors and they looked like new...now with my my new house they cup and gap etc." The reasons are due to the way homes are built today. Older homes are generally drafty, the RH is more stable, hardwood floors love that. Today, new homes are are so tightly insulated, but what happens more than anything is the basements or crawlspaces are never given the attention they should be when new hardwood floors are considered. It's your choice, but make sure you have the obvious covered and know what can happen. Engineered Floors Today Ken Fisher
...See More
Solid wood floors OR better grade engineered wood floors
Q
Comments (14)
A high quality engineered floor will have the same or longer wear life as a solid wood floor. This isn't usually a big deal in residential as you are talking at least 45 years of life... Engineered wood flooring can cope with changes in moisture better than a solid wood floor, but if you have a good HVAC system and monitor the humidity in your home, both will be fine. Solid wood floors are not recommended below grade, for example in the basement. Our standard 5/8" thick engineered floor will give you 3-4 sand and refinishes. This floor can be glued to the slab and will line up with carpet and most tiles. This means you don't have to drop the slab (money saver!) or use transition pieces. Some areas where it is very dry have had issues with the thicker engineered floors (3/4" with 6mm wear layer) as the plywood base dries out at a different rate to the wear layer. One of our clients (Flooring installer) in Arizona is replacing engineered with solid as it handles that climate better. Since it sounds like you are doing a remodel, you are probably best to go with an engineered floor. A 5/8" thick engineered wood floor from our company has a 4mm wear layer and will give you 3-4 sand and refinishes. This you can glue to the slab and will take up around the same amount of thickness as the travertine did. This means you will not have to replace the trim, cut off the bottoms of doors etc. Typically a solid wood floor is installed on a plywood sub-floor. On a new build the slab would be dropped on those areas to allow for the extra thickness. A quality engineered wood floor is not inferior to a solid wood floor in anyway. Once it is installed you will not be able to tell the difference. If you have further questions, feel free to reach out! We are only a email or a phone call away -- debbie@woodco.com // (210) 298-9663 Keep safe! -- Debbie George | WoodCo www.woodco.com
...See More
Solid wood or plywood treads under engineered wood flooring?
Q
Comments (1)
It probably makes no difference structurally. It might be easier to use plywood in that it comes in different thicknesses so it would be easier to achieve the correct height of each riser.
...See More
calidesign
last year
I'd just use the engineered wood in all locations. I don't know what benefit you would get by using solid hardwood in some areas.
Athena Nicolaides
Original Author
last year
Thank you all for your replies! It looks like I have multiple options here.

The only issue I have with site finished is the potential need to move out for a few days when I have kids at home with virtual school. I suppose it could be done.

I also found a mill 2.5 hours away from me that sells both solid and engineered in the same finish. I will be contacting them today. Engineered throughout is also an option.

Thank you all!
PRO
Uptown Floors
last year
On occasion I have customers that want engineered on the bottom floor (typically concrete) and solids upstairs (wood subfloor) Reasons are typically cost saving.

Here's one. Same color. All product colors I offer available in solid or engineered.

8 1/4" engineered downstairs

5 1/4" solid upstairs

Stairs too. They were custom treads that had a channel milled under the nose to embed LED lights so they would not be visible.
Athena Nicolaides
Original Author
last year
Thanks Ken! These photos are great. Which floor from your website is that one? I went on your website and found lots of floors that I liked. We are still in limbo over the floors, mainly because the bedroom floors might need to wait until next year. We need to tear down the plaster in the bedrooms, put some insulation in there and put drywall in both rooms. The plaster is 70 years old and needs to be replaced. We need to start (and finish! lol) the kitchen renovation before we tackle the bedrooms. Obviously, floors would be last.

Do you discontinue the colors on your website frequently? I'm asking because, if we choose to get the engineered now for the family/dining room (which is still up in the air at the moment), would you still the have the solid available in the same color a year from now? That would avoid us having to store boxes of wood in our living room until the time comes.
PRO
Uptown Floors
last year
"Which floor from your website is that one?" It's a custom color

"Do you discontinue the colors on your website frequently?"

Not often except for the poor sellers. We still keep records of the stain formula, but requires a set up fee if the order is under 500 square feet.

Stain options in engineered and solid wood floors

SJ McCarthy

Comments (7)

G & S Floor Service

Related Discussions

calidesign

Athena Nicolaides
Original Author

Uptown Floors

Athena Nicolaides
Original Author

Uptown Floors

COMPANY

BUSINESS SERVICES

GET HELP

CONNECT WITH US

Stain options in engineered and solid wood floors

SJ McCarthy

Comments (7)

G & S Floor Service

Related Discussions

calidesign

Athena NicolaidesOriginal Author

Uptown Floors

Athena NicolaidesOriginal Author

Uptown Floors

COMPANY

BUSINESS SERVICES

GET HELP

CONNECT WITH US

Athena Nicolaides
Original Author

Athena Nicolaides
Original Author