Which type of floors are the best: multi-ply engineered flooring or 3 ply floors? When choosing the flooring for your home, you want to make sure you’re getting the best of the best. And when you’re choosing engineered hardwood flooring, the plywood used in the flooring is crucial as well.
Why does it matter what plywood my floors have?
In engineered hardwood floors, the section of your flooring underneath the solid hardwood wear layer is made up of plywood. Because of this, your floor’s durability depends on this plywood. When you use multi-ply engineered flooring, there are more layers of plywood, which makes the floor stronger.
3 ply vs multi-ply engineered flooring
These are the two most popular options for engineered flooring. But which one is best for your floors? And how does the plywood affect your floor’s longevity?
3 ply flooring is made up of 3 separate layers of wood. The wood grain on the top layer runs opposite of the middle layer, and the bottom layer is the same direction as the top. The middle layer is made up of one single piece of plywood. Sometimes, this isn’t even solid plywood, but actually plywood dust consolidated into a block. Because of this, the floor isn’t very durable or resilient and will often expand or contract when the temperature of your home changes. This could result in your floors cracking, cupping, or become otherwise damaged.
Multi-ply engineered flooring is made up of multiple plywood layers. Usually there are an odd number of layers, such as 5, 7, 9, or 11. For each layer, the plywood runs in a different direction so it is more resistant to warping. The multiple layers and directions create a grid of reinforcement to prevent the wood from moving and make it more resistant to the damage mentioned above.
Ultimately, we believe multi-ply engineered flooring is the best option. It is a stronger flooring option, will last longer, is more resilient and resistant to warping, and is overall more durable than 3 ply.
3 ply flooring
Multi-ply engineered flooring
- Multiple layers of plywood, and solid hardwood on top
