Solid Hardwood Floors vs. Engineered Hardwood: Which is Best for Your Colorado Home?

Choosing the right flooring for your Colorado home is a significant decision that impacts both the aesthetics and functionality of your living spaces. While both solid hardwood floors and engineered hardwood offer timeless beauty and durability, they have distinct characteristics that make them suitable for different situations.

Durability and Performance: How Solid Hardwood Floors Stand Up to Colorado’s Climate

Engineered hardwood floors combine durability and affordability, providing a stylish alternative to solid hardwood floors for Colorado homeowners.

Solid hardwood floors are a classic choice for homeowners seeking timeless elegance and enduring quality. Crafted from a single piece of wood, they exude a natural beauty and warmth that is unmatched.

  • Longevity: One of the most significant advantages of solid hardwood is its exceptional longevity. With proper care and maintenance, including regular refinishing, solid hardwood floors can last for generations, adding value to your home over time.
  • Durability: When properly installed and maintained, solid hardwood floors are highly durable and are able to withstand heavy foot traffic, the occasional scratch, and even the occasional spill.
  • Colorado Considerations: However, Colorado’s unique climate presents specific challenges for solid hardwood. The state experiences significant fluctuations in humidity levels throughout the year. Dry winters can cause the wood to shrink and crack, while humid summers can lead to expansion and warping. These fluctuations can affect the stability and appearance of the flooring.

Cost Comparison: Is Engineered Hardwood a More Affordable Option for Your Home Remodel?

Engineered hardwood offers a stylish and durable alternative to solid hardwood, often at a more affordable price point.

  • Affordability: Engineered hardwood typically costs less than solid hardwood, especially for higher-end species like oak, walnut, and maple. This makes it a more budget-friendly option for many homeowners.
  • Enhanced Stability: Engineered hardwood is constructed with a multi-layered structure, typically featuring a thin top layer of hardwood bonded to a stable base layer, often plywood. This construction provides enhanced stability and resistance to moisture fluctuations, making it a more suitable option for Colorado’s varying climate.
  • Versatility: Engineered hardwood offers greater versatility in installation. It can be installed over subfloors like concrete, making it suitable for basements, finished basements, and other areas where solid hardwood may not be feasible.

The best choice for your Colorado home will ultimately depend on your budget, lifestyle, and aesthetic preferences.

Invest in the beauty and durability of high-quality flooring. T & G Flooring specializes in the installation of both solid hardwood and engineered hardwood floors. We use only the finest materials and employ expert installation techniques to ensure a flawless finish. Contact us today for a free consultation.

Picture of Chris Keale

Chris Keale

Owner & Operator of Tongue & Groove Flooring
Wood Flooring 101 Course Creator

Chris Keale is the owner of Tongue & Groove and the creator of the Wood Floors 101 course, an educational resource that helps homeowners and design professionals make confident flooring decisions.

With a career that began in global technology and consulting, Chris traded boardrooms for floorboards, bringing his leadership skills and love of craftsmanship into the hardwood flooring industry. Since 2007, he has grown Tongue & Groove into one of Colorado’s most trusted flooring companies—built on a foundation of integrity, education and precision. 

Known for his sharp insight, dry humor and genuine commitment to his clients, Chris has helped homeowners, builders and designers through the complexities of choosing and installing hardwood floors. Whether teaching in the showroom, on a jobsite or through his Wood Floors 101, his mission remains the same: to simplify a complicated industry and deliver floors that stand the test of time.

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