Need help matching engineered and solid hardwood

2 months ago

last modified: 2 months ago

Most of our house is over a full basement, but the family room is on an uninsulated slab (older home.) I want to keep the look of the floor consistent so it all looks cohesive. I’ll be removing the ceramic tile in the foyer and replacing with 3/4” solid oak and I would like an engineered wood floor for the family room to match. The 3/4” solid oak will also run through the living room/dining room and all of the upstairs so I will need a lot of it. A few years ago I went to Lowe’s and picked up a sample of engineered wood that I really liked but has since been discontinued. What I like about it is that it is made in the USA and it clicks together with no glue and according to the installation instructions, no underlayment is required, although I would most likely use one anyway. I have been unable to find another engineered wood that is made in the USA; they all seem to be made in Asia. My flooring installer says that if I keep the solid oak at 5” wide or less, no glue will be required. Here’s a pic of the sample that I like.

Sort by:Oldest

Comments (5)

Helen
2 months ago
I don't know whether you will find something you find aesthetically pleasing but my engineered wood floors are from a Canadian company - Mirage. They use green methods in terms of production and harvesting - at least per their site.
A thanked Helen
A
Original Author
2 months ago
last modified: 2 months ago
Helen,

Thank you so much. This is exactly the kind of imformation I was looking for. The Mirage website says that it is proudly made in North America and they have engineered flooring as well as hardwood flooring with the same finish! The only downside is that they don’t have them in matching widths, as the widest width for the hardood is 4 1/4” and the narrowest width for the engineered is 5” wide. So they won’t be an exact match but pretty close. May I ask what you chose (they have two different types of core for the engineered floor) and how the finish is holding up? We have 2 big dogs and my son won’t be easy on the floors either. Thanks!
Related Discussions
engineered hardwood floor over old hardwood floor
Q
Comments (14)
You need to do a little more archeological digging still. You need to know the whole construction of the floor before you can decide how best to install something new. I'd take up that plywood piece in the kitchen and see what's under it. It's higher than the surrounding floor, so needs to go. You should also be able to see from there what subfloor is under the original kitchen hardwood. It's too bad the space under your entryway is finished, but I'd still do some exploring from below to see what's under there, and to figure out the fix to stop it from squeaking. Is it drywall below or a drop ceiling? I know it probably seems like a pain to tear out drywall, but if you cut out a clean patch, like 2' x the width of the joists, it'll be relatively simple to repair. Just make sure to cut it down the center of the joists so that there's room to screw the patch piece to it later. Cut the hole under the area that squeaks the most, if you can. Have someone walk on and watch the floor from below to see what's moving. It might be as simple as pounding in a couple shims from below, or face-nailing a loose board from above. You want to find out what's underneath the hardwood. It might be laid directly on the floor joists, or there might be 10" wide boards that the hardwood is nailed to. Another thought is to take out a board in the hallway, since that's not original and you want to replace it. See what the subfloor is there. I am a bit puzzled at why, when you've stripped the kitchen down to the original hardwood, it's still higher than the hallway floor. Is your current surface perhaps not the original kitchen hardwood? Peeling back the plywood area will help determine that. BTW, I haven't heard of that stop squeaking product you linked to, so can't offer any personal opinion. And don't pour self-leveling compound over top of hardwood. It needs to go over plywood.
...See More
Please help! Solid or engineered hardwood in a dry climate.
Q
Comments (1)
If it is properly acclimated solid will perform as well as engineered even in a dry climate, people have had wood floors in Utah for longer than engineered flooring has been available. With a whole house humidifier you should have no issues either way. And, with the exception of some very expensive exotics and top quality solid is always less than a top quality engineered. If you go engineered be wary of any thin veneer products that are rotary sliced, these react very poorly to extremes in humidity, they also can't be refinished, are indicitive of a cheap (not meaning inexpensive) Chinese import.
...See More
solid hardwood vs. engineered hardwood
Q
Comments (21)
I'm a fan of Hickory. Love it! I love it's STRONG variation! Yep. Variation is the word that can be used for Hickory. If you are going for "mid-tone" then it means the Hickory is stained. No problem. That's fine. Hickory takes a stain very nicely. But it will still have plenty of variation. The stain will even that out a little bit, but not entirely. The finish is UV cured urethane. I'm not very excited about that finish. If you are going for factory finish, you will want to work with the TOUGHEST finishes on the market (that's why you go with factory finished...for the TOUGH finish). The UV cured urethane is a ho-hum type of finish. Average would be the best way to describe it. The thickness of the plank is 3/4" = normal for sold. The plank width is 5" with random lengths UPTO 60" (5ft). That tells me there will be many planks in the 3' - 4' range. Again, this is ho-hum average. And with a wide plank product, it will need "glue assist". And Hickory certainly needs it because it has a bit more movement (less stable) than white oak. And then there is the "low gloss" format. The low-gloss finish on this depth of colour = nightmare to live with. It will show dust, etc as well as oily foot prints, sock prints, paw prints and will look hazy at certain times during the day. The "haze" is part of the chemical make up of the finish itself = that's how they take away the gloss...they haze it with a chemical additive. The haze goes away when you sand and refinish the floor. That's the only way to fix it. If you must have a mid-tone floor, I would recommend a TOUGHER finish (aluminum oxide or ceramic infused polyurethane) in a satin. Satin is FAR MORE livable. It offers a lovely glow without being shiny. It hides skin oils (like paw prints from dogs) because it is the same gloss level as skin oils....it isn't hazy....you get the idea.
...See More
Engineered Hardwood vs Hardwood vs LVP in Kitchen/Dining/Living? MDWST
Q
Comments (19)
Kim,,,it's very solid. just make sure the glue is spread to completely cover the plank. I have a few spots (like under the kitchen sink) where they missed the corner and it squeaks. They've held up great. I don't have dogs, but I have cats and have heard their nails burning rubber across the floor they go off on their tangents. I've spilled water, cleaned up their barf, spilled food, whatever, it all cleans up very well. as for dents, only if you drop something very heavy. but any wood floor will dent. I vacuum w/a Dyson, and then I use Bona wood floor cleaner on a mop. in the kitchen, i'll often take the scrubby brush and watered down Dawn to clean up spills or oil stains. no problem. no, I don't baby them. I don't wear shoes in my house though. I love my floors. just make sure on install they clean up all the glue residue. my guys were messy and lazy. had to call them back w/special glue remover and rag and go over the entire floor.
...See More
Kate
2 months ago
I have found that the engineered wood floors to not hold up as well as claimed and once damaged, not much can be done.
Helen
2 months ago
@KateThat is a blanket statement to make about engineered floors which have different quality levels. What isn't holding up? I have had both site finished hardwood and factory finished hardwood and the factory finishes seem to be more durable. Any real flooding would destroy any kind of flooring.

Fixing "damage" depends on the extent of the damage. Engineered floors have a wear layer. The thickness of that layer is dependent on the cost of the floors to a great extent since more expensive higher quality floors have a thicker "wear" layer. What this means is that the floors can be sanded and refinished based on the thickness of the wear layer.
dan1888
2 months ago
The sample you show is flat cut oak. The grain from North American white oak, q. alba, turns dark with stain because it's open grain. Think back to all the oak cabinets builders put in their houses in the 70s and 80s. That look hasn't been a popular choice for many years. This could be why you're not finding it offered anywhere. You have to rift cut or quarter-saw the log to avoid the open grain. European Oak doesn't have the dark open grain because it's a different species, q. robur and others. It can be used flat cut. If you look at Lowes and HD you'll find plenty of European Oak offerings. Here's more info. Wide plank engineered hardwood flooring in European Oak and Walnut (monarchplank.com)

Need help matching engineered and solid hardwood

Comments (5)

Helen

A
Original Author

Related Discussions

Kate

Helen

dan1888

COMPANY

BUSINESS SERVICES

GET HELP

CONNECT WITH US

Need help matching engineered and solid hardwood

Comments (5)

Helen

AOriginal Author

Related Discussions

Kate

Helen

dan1888

COMPANY

BUSINESS SERVICES

GET HELP

CONNECT WITH US

A
Original Author