Types of wood flooring: Engineered vs. Solid vs. Pre-finished

1. Solid Hardwood Flooring

What you’re seeing:

• Traditional, seamless hardwood look

• Narrower plank widths (common in Cleveland heighs/ Shaker heights homes)

• Sanded and finished on-site (no bevels)

This is 100% solid wood — the most traditional, longest-lasting flooring option.

2. Engineered Hardwood (Unfinished / Site-Finished)

What you’re seeing:

• Raw wood installed first

• Then sanded and finished on-site

• Same clean, flat look as solid hardwood

• COMMON MISCONCEPTION: Engineered does NOT mean pre-finished, meaning the color and sheen are already applied. It just means that there is a plywood base, under the "sandable" layer of real wood.

Looks identical to solid wood once finished — but has a plywood base for added stability.

📌 Used especially in:

• Basements

• Wider plank installs (4–7”)

• Cleveland humidity swings

3. Engineered Hardwood (Pre-Finished)

What you’re seeing:

• Boards already finished before install

• Visible micro-bevels / V-grooves

• Faster install, but not perfectly flat

This comes out of the box ready to install — no sanding needed, but you’ll see the seams between boards.