This is the second installment of our interview with Pioneer Millwork’s Sales Manager Jered Slusser who answers the question, “Why, should you use engineered wood flooring for your next project?”

“A solid wood floor is typically nailed down to a plywood substrate and that is as simple as it gets with wood flooring installation,” says Pioneer Millworks Sales Manager Jered Slusser. “But you can’t really use a regular solid wood floor in the basement level of a house. There are some applications where you can direct glue a solid floor to a concrete slab but still not below grade. That’s where our engineered flooring shines.”

Wood can be both finicky and susceptible to elemental factors. Our engineered Black and Tan is not only accustomed to the elements, but with additional support from our FSC certified plywood substrate consistency and stability are a guarantee.

Slusser says, “The lack of movement in an engineered floor also lends itself to seasonal properties as well. Here in the Finger Lakes, we have a lot of houses that get used during the summer, but not so much during the winter, and engineered flooring is great for a house like that because during the winter it’s going to get quite dry and during the summer you will see some increases in humidity. A solid floor may exhibit a little more movement than you would like to see whereas an engineered floor will remain completely stable.”

The ability of our engineered flooring to perform in any condition is what separates it from a standard wood floor. Now your garage workshop or basement man cave can feature the same dependable and consistent look as your living area. Our engineered Black and Tan features all of the best elements of standard wood flooring but with a consistency and history you can feel good about. 

Slusser continues, “The plywood we use for our engineered line is a 9-ply cabinet grade plywood. This gives a really stable platform for the floor and that’s what makes it able to be installed below grade or directly over concrete or over hydronic heating systems. The plies in the plywood are cross laminated and because that movement is spread out over all of those different directions the movement in the floor is that much less noticeable. Our engineered flooring can be nailed down directly over plywood just like a solid wood floor. It can be glued down direct to concrete, whether that’s below grade or above grade, or slab on grade.”