Hardwood in Paramus, NJ from G. Fried Flooring & Design

So, what is the difference between solid and engineered hardwood flooring?


What a great question. The exciting thing is that once they are installed, most people cannot tell them apart. Yet, in terms of their construction, they are quite different.

Solid hardwood


This product is exactly what it sounds like. It is a form of flooring made of planks of solid oak, pine, hickory, walnut, cherry, maple, etc. These planks have been dried, milled, and have had tongue and grooves routed into the wood on opposite sides. Typically, they are then installed by nailing them to the subfloor below. Stains and thicknesses vary, but regardless of the grade you acquire, this material is essentially the same stuff.

Engineered hardwood flooring


While solid wood flooring is a classic option, it has one limitation: it tends to bow and warp when exposed to moisture and areas of high humidity. Also, most products are not designed to be installed as a floating floor over concrete. The solution? Enter engineered flooring.

This product is constructed with a single, thin layer of hardwood that is mounted on a backing. This backing is designed to protect the surface material from moisture and forms a tongue and groove system by which the flooring can be installed over concrete or as a floating floor.

So different, but so similar


While these two products are very different in terms of how they are constructed, most people will never know the difference once installed. Anything that can be done with solid wood floors can be done with engineered hardwood flooring, though the opposite is not the case.

So, regardless of the type of material that best suits your needs, if you are looking for a hardwood flooring store, look no further. G. Fried Carpet is for you. Come by our showroom in Paramus, NJ, and look at some of the beautiful wood floors available today. We serve the area around us in Paramus, but we also serve Ridgewood, Mahwah, Upper Saddle River, Franklin Lakes, and Wyckoff, NJ; we would love to serve you and show you the similarities and the differences in hardwood flooring. Like many things in life, you have to see them for yourself.