Engineered Hardwood

Engineered wood is made of several layers of different woods or different grades of the same wood stacked and glued together under heat and pressure. It is less likely to be affected by changes in humidity and can be installed above, on, or below ground level.

Engineered wood flooring works well in kitchens, basements, and bathrooms where light moisture might be present. Still, it doesn't hold up to really wet areas such as basements that flood frequently. Nor does it hold up to kids' bathrooms which, as you may know, tend to flood frequently.

Truthfully, no wood flooring product is great for very wet areas (tile, concrete, vinyl, or any other non-organic product is best). But relative to other wood flooring products, engineered wood isn't bad.

Unlike solid wood, which must be nailed to a wood sub-floor, engineered wood can be installed in a different number of ways. Depending on the type you buy, it can be either:

• Nail-Down Floor. This is for the 3/8" thick floor--its thinness requires nailing to enhance stability;
• Glue-Down Floor. The 1/2" thick floor can be nailed down; or
• A Floating Floor. The 5/8" planks are thick enough to act as a floating floor.

Like all other flooring solutions, engineered hardwood comes in a wide variety of size colour and species.