Engineered wood floors are showing up in houses and offices all over the country – mainly because they’re an inexpensive flooring option that looks just like the pricier stuff. In fact, there is a major demand for engineered hardwood floors, which is why so many different companies offer it.

But all of those options can make it hard to separate the good from the bad. So, how do you find the best engineered wood flooring?

Follow these 3 tips:

1. Look for the right ingredients

By design, engineered wood floors are pure hardwood. The best engineered wood flooring will have a little bit of genuine hardwood in it (usually as a “wear layer” on the top), so you won’t be able to tell the difference between it and pure hardwood floors. However, engineered hardwood floors will also have a number of other ingredients in them (as the core of the flooring, that you can’t see once it’s installed) that help make the floors more “green”, while also costing you less “green”!

When you’re comparing engineered wood floors, you should be looking for ingredients like 4-ply high-density fiber wood substrate. That way, you’re getting quality ingredients that can handle humidity, moisture, and foot traffic.

2. Buy from a manufacturer that offers you installation tips

Perhaps the biggest perk of engineered hardwood floors is that they’re easy to install. In fact, these floors are called “floating engineered wood flooring“, because they simply snap together – without any adhesives or nails – right on top of your subfloor.

By purchasing floors that are so easy to install, you can do it yourself, instead of spending a fortune for professionals to come in and do it.

But an easy installation process isn’t worth much if your manufacturer doesn’t give you any tips!
The floating engineered wood flooring comes from a manufacturer who’s willing to give you advice on how to make your floors look perfect. The good manufacturers won’t try to convince you to hire their installers.

Instead, they will have tips right on their website that can help you install your engineered wood floors like a pro.

3. Make sure you have a huge color selection
A great product doesn’t help you if it doesn’t come in the color that you need! Before you start comparing manufacturers or looking at reviews, make sure that each potential manufacturer has the shade of engineered wood floors that you need. The best engineered wood flooring manufacturers have everything from a light sandy color to a deep cherry color.