Hybrid Flooring Vs. Engineered Timber Flooring – Ultimate Guide

Hybrid Flooring

Hybrid flooring is exactly what it sounds. It’s the latest innovation in the flooring industry combining the strengths of both laminate and vinyl floorings. It’s not only waterproof and durable but also offers an aesthetic look comparable to hardwood. This revolutionary product is usually made of multiple layers of materials pressed together to provide a rigid floating flooring that can be installed in the entire home.

These layers are:

• A UV-coated hard layer that protects the flooring from water and impact damage

• A decorative layer that simulates the look of authentic hardwood flooring.

• A Trigon® Core technology layer that is made from water-proof limestone composite boards.

• A sound-absorbing and shock-absorbing backing layer that improves the acoustic feature of the flooring and facilitates the installation.

These layers give the flooring excellent durability and suggest Hybrid flooring as a feasible option for wet rooms and rooms and where other types of flooring cannot be installed due to the extreme temperature changes.

Advantage Of Hybrid Flooring

As an innovative flooring option, Hybrid timber flooring delivers some noteworthy benefits for both residential and commercial spaces. Let’s take a look at some of them:

• It inherits the best features of the laminate and vinyl floorings merging the durability and strength of laminate with the aesthetic value of vinyl to create a unique material.

• Hybrid is a floating flooring which means it’s a cost-effective flooring option.

• Hybrid floorings are known for easy installation and maintenance. The best is that you’ll get rid of need odorous and expensive adhesives during installation.

• Like any floating flooring, Hybrid is considered as a DIY-friendly flooring option

• Thanks to a hard topcoat and a PVC-infused core, Hybrid flooring is among the few 100% water-proof (not just water-resistant) flooring type.

• It uses a print layer. That means with hybrid flooring you have a range of styles to choose from. That’s why it’s very hard to differentiate high-quality hybrid flooring from more expensive products such as hardwood or stone just by looking.

• The hard coating top layer gives the flooring the ability to resist wear and tear for a decade making it the best choice for high foot traffic areas such as kids room as well as damp spaces.

• It’s easy to clean and maintain. With hybrid flooring, you need nothing more than regular vacuuming and mopping to keep the flooring in a good shape.

• The hybrid flooring is the most eco-friendly option between composite floorings. It’s also fire and water-resistant.

• Featuring a built-in underlay, it remains silent under feet and makes you feel comfortable on feet.

Engineered Flooring

Unlike solid timbers, engineered flooring (sometimes called composite, manufactured or man-made wood) are not made of solid wood throughout its thickness. Rather, it usually consists of a thin layer of hardwood bonded over the substrate of 3-12 layers of high-quality plywood. Typically, the top “wear layer” is a high-quality hardwood species such as oak, walnut, spruce, etc. To protect from tear and wear and make the flooring water-resistant, the veneer (Top) is covered with at least five layers of extra-tough polyurethane coating.

Most engineered boards come with a factory finish that is more durable than coatings applied at home and removes the mess and health risks of in-place sanding and coating. The best is that the flooring is ready to install as soon as it arrives and, unlike solid timbers, you can stay at home while it’s being installed.

Benefits Of Engineered Flooring

• Engineered boards are easy to install and maintain. While you can float, staple or glue engineered wood, the most popular installation method is locking by tongue and groove mechanism at the edge of boards. That’s what can be named as a perfect DIY project for a weekend warrior.

• Similar to hardwood flooring, well-made engineering flooring can be sanded and finished several times.

• Engineered flooring is problem solver, you can install it on any flooring type including a concrete subfloor and where installing solid wood flooring is not possible.

• Engineered wood is less sensitive to humidity and temperature changes. So, it betters suits for areas without ventilation such as an attic or rooms with high humidity content like an underground basement.

• Since engineered wood is made from small pieces of wood, it reduces the need for cutting our prized jungle trees. The wood required for manufacturing a ¾” engineered board is only one-quarter of that for solid timber.

• Engineering board more strength and dimensionally stable than natural wood floors.

• With engineered flooring, you can choose from a variety of colour, style and pattern available.

Image credit: Rob Jones

Hybrid Vs. Engineered Flooring

Let’s compare the major differences between engineered hardwood and hybrid flooring.

1. Water-Proofing

Water-proofing capability is what most differentiates hybrid flooring from the engineered board. While engineered timber is water-resistant, it’s not a 100% water-proof flooring option. When it comes to choosing flooring type for wet areas such as kitchen, bathroom or moist basement, hybrid flooring is the only option you have.

2. Cost/Price

When compared to engineered timbers, hybrid flooring seems to be a is more cost-effective flooring option. It’s not only cheaper than engineered boards but also requires less amount of money and labour cost for installation. Most engineered floorings in the market are tongue and groove which need PVA glue for installation. This makes the installation process slower and more expensive. In contrary, modern hybrid floorings can be installed just using their built-in locking mechanism. The consequence is cutting cost and time needed for the flooring installation. You can even save some money by installing hybrid flooring yourself. It usually takes only one or two weekend days to finish the DIY project.

3. Thickness

Some traditional builders will say you that a thicker flooring is better. Anyway, it’s not the case with composite floorings. Engineered boards are often thicker than hybrid planks, but it doesn’t mean that it is less durable.
Hybrid flooring combines both durability and accessibly. Typically, a 4mm-7mm is tougher than an engineered timber with the thickness of 12mm-21mm. besides, thinner hybrid floorings are better fit into renovation projects that usually have restrictions in the heigh of floor installation.

4. Look And Appearance

In term of looking premium both engineered and hybrid, floorings outstand any other mid-range flooring type such as laminate and bamboo. On the other hand, the top layer of engineered timber is real wood which creates the unique look and feel of the natural hardwood in the room. So, if you are looking for a cost-effective alternative of timber flooring with the same premium good-looking, engineered wood is your way to go.
In this post, we introduced and compared engineered and hybrid flooring side by side. When it comes to water-proofing, cost-effectiveness and thickness, hybrid flooring have a better value to offer. On the other side, engineered boards are more premium and natural looking flooring option.

Images credit: Scott Lewis and beaufloor