What are the different types of hardwood flooring?
Generally speaking, there are two different types of hardwood flooring. First there is solid hardwood. This is the more traditional type of flooring, manufactured from solid pieces of wood. This type of flooring is normally installed over plywood or other type of wood sub floor. The installation method is either a nail (cleat) or staple down. The second type of hardwood flooring is called engineered flooring. These are constructed in ply fashion similar to that of common plywood with an actual hardwood veneer on the surface, commonly called the “wear layer.” Wear layers can vary from one manufacturer to the next. One key to look for when choosing an engineered floor is the thickness of the wear layer. The installation method of engineered floors is either nail or staple down, glued down, or floated. See our installation FAQ section for more details.
