Engineered Flooring Requirements

Over the past decade there has been huge controversy over engineered vs. solid wood flooring. Engineered flooring was designed to be more dimensional stable than solid under certain conditions. Most manufacturers have found by maintaining proper relative humidity (typically between 35 to 55%) engineered flooring remains reasonably stable where solid flooring will see side affects like gapping. Engineered will also see side affects but at lesser amounts.

If engineered flooring is exposed to high or low RH conditions one may see irreversible affects like checking, splitting, shear, delamination, dry cupping, etc. When environmental conditions go beyond the caution zone and into the guaranteed to fail zone these side effects will become permanent. Where solid wood flooring will see side affects as well but usually will just have larger gaps between the planks.

Listed below is a chart which helps outline some of the relative humidity boundaries by the flooring manufacturers. Retailers should educate their clients in pre-sale regarding proper relative humidity requirements and the possibility of the effects in the “Guaranteed to Fail” zone.

To download the factory finished performance document click here.