Erica Bryant Design and I searched high and low for the perfect white oak engineered hardwood floors for our house and today I am sharing our final selection with you! I wanted the floors to have a natural, warm tone to them but still be a light to medium color. I debated between really light floors and light/medium floors for a long time and kept going back and forth – even until the very end. Really light floors are on trend right now (and gorgeous!) but I didn’t want to go too trendy. We will have these floors for a long time!
I personally like light/medium wood floors because they can make your home feel open and airy, but also for practical reasons, too. My boys are messy and I need all the help I can get with the floors not showing dirt and everything else they track in from playing outside. No matter how often I vacuum, inevitably there is a trail left behind them!
We liked all four of the options above, but decided on the first option “Controlled Chaos – Entropy” by Hearthwood Floors. Now that I have seen them installed I love them and think they are the perfect blend of warm light to medium wood tones. Side note: isn’t it fitting that the wood floor collection is called “Controlled Chaos”? 🙂 It reminds me of our life with the boys! Another reason why we chose Entropy is because a local installer had great things to say about Hearthwood Floors as a company. He said they stand by their product and if there is an issue they are willing to help. I thought that was very sound advice because that isn’t always the case with flooring companies.
Engineered Hardwood vs. Hardwood Floors
This was another choice we had to make.
Engineered hardwood floors have a plywood base and a thin layer of actual hardwood on top. Each brand has a different thickness measurement of the hardwood part, so depending on the brand and thickness measurement they could be refinished a couple times if needed. Engineered hardwood floors come pre-finished and there is a huge selection of colors and widths. I like that there is no guessing on the floor stains – what you see is what you get. They are more durable, water resistant, and typically more affordable. The best part of engineered hardwood floors is that since they come prefinished there is no sanding mess – which means no mess in your air vents and on the walls.
We had true hardwood floors in our old home that had the ability to be refinished several times. I knew our kids would be tough on our floors so that part of hardwood floors was enticing. However there is the sanding mess which I didn’t want in brand new air vents and on the walls. Also, the stain part is a little tricky.
Ultimately we chose engineered floors because of their durability, no sanding, and affordability.
What do you think? I would love to hear your thoughts on engineered vs. hardwood floors below!
Pam Corso
Your article was so helpful! The engineered floors make most sense. We have the regulate wood floors and they’re been redone so many times and the mess, dust, and smell is something I can’t handle anymore. I’m wondering if a plank does get damaged, can it be repaired easily. I love reading about your home and family! God bless you with the marathon decorating. You’re amazing!!
Kate
Pam CorsoWith engineered floors you can get them refinished a couple times, but most of the time it isn’t needed if you pick a durable finish. Thank you so much for your kind words!! XO, Kate
Mary
Beautiful! How durable are they against dog paws??
Kate
MaryWe don’t have a dog at the moment, but we do have kids that drag our furniture around. These floors do hide a lot with the stain variation and matte finish!
Shelli
Thank you so much for this article! I am literally going crazy trying to fine the perfect color floor. You hit out of the park for me. I am having the exact same concern with the color I have current chosen. It is a little darker than I want but the other colors I have looked at are too light- cold or way too dark! I am going today to a place that has different companies to look at more flooring. I hope they have this brand you are talking about. Thanks again
Amy
Beautiful home and floors! Do you know what height baseboards you used? It seems getting the trim details right really impacts how the floors and everything else come together!