Deep gouges, split or warped boards, and other widespread damage are all reasons to replace a wood floor, rather than refinish it. Or, you may simply want to trade a threadbare carpet or a dingy vinyl floor for the warmth of wood. Either way, a solid-wood floor is hardly your only choice. You can also opt for engineered-wood flooring, which incorporates a thin veneer of real prefinished wood over structural plywood. It costs about the same as solid wood, but is easier to install.
Solid wood remains many people's ideal for floors.
Indeed, hardwood flooring can increase a home's resale value and speed its sale, according to the National Association of Realtors. We tested prefinished oak, the most popular and readily available kind. You can also pay less at the store for unfinished solid wood, which is what to buy if you prefer staining the floor yourself. But the price of the stain and varnish that go onto it raises its ultimate cost. Despite solid wood's appeal, there are several areas where faux beats the real thing.