Solid wood flooring will last lifetimes. Homes around the world with solid wood flooring date back into BC’s, and the most recent in our state of Maryland, Virginia and Washington DC, dating back to 1500, 1600, 1700, 1800, 1900’s and up-to-date in newer homes.

Now, why or whom installs engineered wood flooring or bamboo in their homes? Typically, condominiums, apartment buildings or areas that are built with a concrete underlayment. Engineered wood flooring are made of millimeters thickness; starting from 4mms > and up. Meaning, sometime you just CANNOT sand really thin engineered wood flooring. A handful can be sanded once or twice depending on the sanding sequence your wood flooring specialist approaches when sanding. And; if you hire a non-specialist good luck. You might end up damaging the engineered flooring and sanding it too far down past the wood veneer and creating spots that seem like brown cardboard.

Bamboo flooring is also installed for the above-reason referenced on the prior paragraph and typically clients install it for its look and bamboo feel. We seem to find bamboo engineered flooring or simply solid Bamboo in higher end condominiums near the White House or in Arlington Virginia, Clarendon, or Bethesda Maryland high rises. Bamboo is part of the grass family. Mostly produced in South Asia. It’s made of compressed Bamboo strand. Giving the flooring the Natrual bamboo appearance of knots and horizontal lines. Generally a uniform and pale yellow. Bamboo is marketed as hard/medium hardness rating by janka hardness. However, it seems to mark and dent easier than oak. Meaning; if you’re going to throw a party or special venue, and if people are dancing or walking around in high heels and or hard heels shoes, or boots, it will become damaged and you will see heel dents throughout the Bamboo flooring.

In conclusion solid oak or solid wood flooring is always better than engineered or bamboo flooring. It’s thicker, it will last for decades, centuries and it’s much harder. Engineered flooring is made of a nail thick wood veneer and the remaining bottom end of the plank is typically made of composites, or cork flooring and other substrates in the market. However, sometimes if you desire wood flooring in a condominium or apartment, or a concrete underlayment area, engineered wood flooring becomes the only options on installing real wood flooring.