Need help matching engineered and solid hardwood

last year

last modified: last year

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.

Comments (5)

Helen
last year
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
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Original Author
last year
last modified: last year
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!
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You can get an engineered floor that is as good if not better than a solid product. We produce solid unfinished flooring but we also produce unfinished engineered flooring as well. Solid flooring typically has a 1/4" (6mm) of "sandable" or "usable" surface. Basically after you get 1/4" deep you'll hit the nail heads and so you can't sand below that point. Our engineered unfinished product has a 5mm wear layer. However, the engineered product is already pre-sanded to 80g which means once installed the amount of sanding that takes place is minimal. On a solid floor, most contractors will need to do a rough sanding to get the floor even, then one or two more cuts to get it smooth. Even if you have a very talented sander he is going to take 1/32 off in his sanding on the solid floor. That equates to roughly 3/100 which is nearly the difference between the 6mm and 5mm usable surfaces we began with. So in essence, you are getting very close to the same "usable" surface. Not to mention the engineered is more stable, will keep you from having to install a subfloor as it can be glued directly to concrete, eliminates transition issues between hardwood and tile or carpet AND should take less time to install. My two cents. Sam @ Real Wood Floors realwoodfloors.com
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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.
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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.
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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.
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Kate
last year
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
last year
@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
last year
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

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Need help matching engineered and solid hardwood

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Helen

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