If you’re picking hardwood in the Denver area, you’ve probably heard the same question a dozen times: solid or engineered? Both are real wood. Both can look fantastic. The right answer depends on your house, your subfloor, and the way Colorado treats wood—dry winters, sunny rooms, the occasional basement moisture. Let’s make this simple.
What “solid hardwood” really is (and why people love it)
Solid is one thick board of oak, maple, hickory—cut, installed, and finished. It has that classic knock underfoot and the depth you see in older homes. It can be sanded and refinished multiple times over its life. If you grew up with creaky floors that still look great, that’s solid hardwood done right.
What to watch: wood moves. In our climate, humidity can drop into the teens in winter and jump after a summer storm. Solid boards shrink and swell with those swings. If the subfloor isn’t flat, the HVAC humidity’s off, or the floor wasn’t acclimated, you can see gaps, squeaks, or cupping.
What “engineered hardwood” actually is (and why it behaves better here)
Engineered isn’t fake. The top is real wood; under that is a cross-laminated core that keeps the board stable. Think “real wood on top, smart structure below.” That structure matters in Colorado. It rides out humidity swings better and lets us install over concrete or radiant heat without drama.
If your main level is slab-on-grade, or you’re finishing a basement in Broomfield or Highlands Ranch, engineered hardwood flooring is usually the safer call. It still looks and feels like wood—because it is.
Where each one makes sense
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Solid hardwood
- Best in above-grade rooms: living, dining, bedrooms.
- Great if you want a “forever” floor you can refinish more than once.
- Not our first choice over radiant heat or on concrete.
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Engineered hardwood
- Shines over concrete and with radiant heat.
- Good answer for basements and wide, open plans that see sun and dry air.
- Can be refinished (depends on wear layer), just not as many times as thick solid.
Plenty of projects mix both: solid upstairs, engineered downstairs. One look, no headaches.
Feel and sound underfoot
Side by side, most folks can’t see the difference once it’s down. Underfoot, solid has a touch more resonance. Engineered over the right pad is a bit quieter. Neither is “better”—it’s preference and site conditions.
Refinishing: what’s real and what’s myth
Solid can be sanded many times. True.
Engineered can’t be refinished. False.
High-quality engineered with a decent wear layer can take a refinish at least once. The limit is thickness, not the word “engineered.” Either way, most people refinish every 10–15 years; you’ll likely remodel before you run out of sandings.
If you’re sitting on tired floors, hardwood floor refinishing Denver is still the best dollar-for-dollar face-lift—keep what you own, change the color, reset the sheen.
Colorado’s curveballs (and how to beat them)
- Dry air: Keep indoor humidity about 35–45% in winter. A small whole-home humidifier saves your floors and your sinuses.
- South-facing rooms: Strong sun fades and warms tones. We’ll help pick finishes that handle the light better.
- Basements: Moisture history decides the product. If you’ve had a wet carpet moment, don’t roll the dice—engineered or tile wins.
- Radiant heat: Engineered is built for this. Solid fights it.
Local experience matters. We’ve seen solid oak in Westminster last twenty years without a squeak—and solid in another home gap the first winter. The difference was prep, humidity control, and picking the right product for the space.
Costs (without the song and dance)
Prices swing with species, width, finish, and layout, but here’s a useful frame:
- Solid hardwood installed: roughly $8–$12/sq ft.
- Engineered hardwood installed: roughly $6–$10/sq ft.
- Refinishing (either, when eligible): about $4–$6/sq ft.
Stairs, tight hallways, lots of closets—those add labor. Wide open rooms go faster. We put numbers in writing and explain where they come from. No “ballpark if you sign today” pressure.
Install differences that actually matter
Solid gets nailed or stapled into a wood subfloor. It needs expansion gaps and proper acclimation. Engineered gives us more ways to do it: glue-down over concrete, float over radiant heat, or staple to plywood. The method follows the house, not our mood.
If you’re collecting quotes from flooring contractors Denver CO, ask three questions:
- How do you test moisture and flatten the subfloor?
- How will you handle transitions to tile or carpet?
- What’s the plan for expansion gaps and stair details?
Those answers predict how the floor will look in five years.
Color and finish choices (do this part on your floor, not in a showroom)
Samples under the store’s lights lie. We brush test pads on your boards, in your light. Cooler natural? Warmer brown? Lower sheen to hide traffic? Decide with your eyes in the room that matters.
If you’re shifting older oak out of the orange years, we can show you on-site options. That’s where a little custom hardwood staining makes the difference between “close” and “nailed it.”
Maintenance (same rules for both)
- Felt pads on anything that moves.
- Sweep or vacuum with a soft head.
- Skip steam mops and harsh cleaners.
- Use breathable rug pads (no rubber).
- Screen-and-coat before it looks tired—cheaper than starting over.
Ten minutes of care beats a thousand dollars of fixes. If something happens—scratch, pet accident, small board issue—spot hardwood floor repair before it turns into a bigger project.
Real-world combos that work
- Main floor + basement: Solid on the main, engineered in the basement for one continuous look.
- Radiant heat home: Engineered throughout; keep humidity steady; pick finishes that behave under warm floors.
- Busy family + big dog: Engineered with a tougher topcoat or prefinished options; matte sheen hides traffic better.
Where we work (and why that helps)
We’re in Denver, Arvada, Littleton, Westminster, Thornton, Broomfield, Highlands Ranch, and Erie most weeks. Different areas have different bones: older ply in Arvada, newer slabs in Thornton, lots of south sun in Lakewood. Knowing the local quirks is half the job.
If you found us searching engineered hardwood flooring in Denver or hardwood floor installation in Arvada, CO we’ll bring samples, check moisture, and give you two or three solid paths—not a sales pitch.
Bottom line
- Upstairs, well-ventilated, classic look? Solid hardwood still rules.
- Concrete, radiant, basement, or big humidity swings? Engineered is your friend.
- Either way, the prep and installer matter more than the label on the box.
We’ll help you pick based on where it’s going and how you live, then handle the details nobody notices until they go wrong. That’s the work we stand behind.