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What is Engineered Hardwood Flooring?

Combining the desirable traits of solid hardwood with the benefits of laminate floors, engineered hardwood offers a “best of both worlds” approach to wood flooring without making any compromises to style or performance. A real wood surface is bonded to a highly-stable laminate core, creating a durable product that looks and feels like real wood, but which costs less and offers more installation flexibility.

answering what is Engineered Hardwood Flooring?
  • The timeless look of real wood flooring at a more budget-friendly price
  • Highly durable, thanks to the engineered core and factory-applied topcoat that resists scratches, scuffs, and overall wear
  • Easy to clean and maintain: engineered wood floors can stay beautiful with regular sweeping and light mopping

Shop Engineered Hardwood Flooring by Style or Color

Like any real wood product, engineered hardwood planks from Empire® are available in a wide range of colors and grain patterns. Warm wood is a time-honored choice for the floor of a sophisticated study, while a modern office might call for a gray engineered hardwood product. Shop a full spectrum of engineered wood floor colors, species, and plank widths at Empire.

Gray

White

Brown

Natural

Medium

Dark

Why Should You Choose Engineered Hardwood Flooring?

Engineered hardwood is one of the most popular flooring products on the market today because it offers the opportunity to get the look and feel of real wood floors but at a more affordable price point. While vinyl and laminate floors do a top-notch job of mimicking real wood floors, close inspection will reveal that they’re both synthetic materials. But the top layer of engineered wood flooring is a slice of real hardwood, ensuring that every plank is unique and feels just like real wood. This top layer is available in a variety of wood species, and can even be produced with optional hand-scraped, wire-brushed, or distressed finishes.

Installing engineered wood floors also brings practical benefits to your home. Unlike real wood, engineered hardwood can be installed over concrete slab subfloors, and even used below grade. Because its durable core is made from a composite material, engineered wood floors are less affected by fluctuations in temperature or moisture, making them a safer choice for those who live in humid environments. And engineered hardwood flooring is often quieter than real wood, which can be a welcome benefit in busy homes.

Extremely Quiet

Walking on WhisperHOME® wood flooring has been measured to be nearly as quiet as a carpeted floor.

Warmer Underfoot

The same innovative construction that makes WhisperHOME® so quiet also increases airflow underneath the planks, helping insulate them and making your floors feel warmer* beneath your feet.

Installation Versatility

Because it’s an engineered hardwood, WhisperHOME® flooring can be used in situations where solid hardwood can’t.

Engineered Hardwood Flooring features

In love with the idea of hardwood floors but not the price tag? Engineered hardwood flooring might be the answer to your dreams.

  • The same look and feel of real wood floors, at a more affordable price point
  • Offers some advantages over solid wood, like better resistance to moisture
  • Can be installed in places real wood cannot, like in basements and over some radiant heating systems
Shop All ENGINEERED HARDWOOD

How Empire Today® Makes It Easy

  • Schedule a Free Estimate

    Click here or call 888-717-1726 and pick a convenient time. Same-day appointments are available.

  • In-Home Consultation

    A flooring professional will bring samples to your home, help you pick the right floors, measure your rooms, and give you an all-inclusive price estimate.

  • Professional Installation

    Professional installers will move your furniture, remove and haul away your old floor, install your new flooring, and clean up when they’re finished.

More than 3 Million Satisfied Customers and Counting

Engineered Hardwood Flooring FAQs

Yes. Because the top layer is made from real wood, an engineered wood floor can be refinished. However, depending on the product, this can only be done once or twice before the flooring will need to be completely replaced.

Engineered wood floors from Empire are easy to clean and maintain. Dust and dry debris can simply be swept up, or cleaned with a vacuum on its hard floor setting (do not use a vacuum with a beater bar). Anything more stubborn can be tackled with a damp mop and hardwood flooring cleaner. However, while engineered flooring is more resistant to moisture than solid hardwood, you should not leave standing liquid on your engineered wood floors.

Installing any wood flooring product requires a high level of skill in order to ensure that it looks and performs its best. That’s why it’s important to leave the job to experienced hardwood floor installers like those through Empire Today.

Empire’s goal is not just to help our customers get the beautiful new floors that they deserve, but to accomplish that as quickly and stress-free as possible. In many instances, your new wood floors can be installed as soon as the day after your in-home estimate.

Ready to Have New Engineered Hardwood Floors Installed in Your Home?

Engineered hardwood flooring is often the best choice for homeowners stuck between wanting the warmth and natural character of real wood floors, but not the associated costs and maintenance worries. But even after making that initial decision, it can be difficult to decide on a specific product. Getting engineered hardwood floors installed is a major commitment, and Empire’s aim is to remove as much anxiety and hassle from that decision as possible. Our in-home estimate gives our customers the chance to see and feel samples of our entire lineup of engineered hardwood products, without ever needing to visit a flooring store.

In the past sixty years, we’ve been trusted with new floors by more than three million customers. Every one of our engineered hardwood floor installations is performed by licensed, insured, and highly-trained professional installers. In many cases, we’ll be able to have your wood floors installed as soon as the day after your in-home estimate. Installers handle every detail of the job: moving your furniture out of the way, removing the old floors, and then returning your room and furnishings to their original state. Choosing Empire for your flooring installation means you’ll get the enduring joy and beauty of new engineered wood floors, without any of the stresses that the process often includes.

*When compared to wood flooring without state-of-the art pre-applied adhesive installation method.

Wondering how new floors will look in your home? Try on floors in your exact room.

  • 1 Snap a Pic Upload a photo of your room, or find one of our pictures you like.
  • 2 Choose a Floor Browse and sort by color, type, and more to find a floor that fits your style.
  • 3 See it in Your Room See how the floor looks in your space. You can even save it or share it.
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