If you're planning new hardwood for your Brooklet, Savannah, Pooler, or Statesboro-area home, you've probably hit the same fork in the road almost every homeowner does: engineered or solid? Both are real hardwood on top, but how they're built underneath changes where each one actually belongs in your house.
Short answer: in our coastal Georgia climate, engineered hardwood is the safer bet almost everywhere except a few rooms — here's why.
What engineered hardwood actually does well
- More dimensionally stable in humidity swings — far less likely to cup or gap near the coast
- Can be installed over concrete slabs, which solid hardwood generally can't
- Looks and feels exactly like solid hardwood once it's installed
- Can be sanded and refinished once or twice, depending on veneer thickness
- Typically installs in 2–4 days for an average-sized home
We install more engineered hardwood than solid in this area, and humidity is the main reason why — coastal Georgia summers put real wood through a lot of expansion and contraction that engineered construction handles much better.
Where solid hardwood wins
If you're in a climate-controlled home with stable humidity, want floors you can sand and refinish many times over the decades, or you're after maximum resale appeal in a higher-end home, solid hardwood is still the gold standard.
Material pricing. Final project cost depends on room size, subfloor condition, and installation.
Where engineered might not be the right call
If you want floors you can sand and refinish indefinitely, or you have heavy water exposure right at an entryway, solid hardwood or a fully waterproof LVP may serve those specific rooms better than engineered — ask us which fits your layout.
Our take
For most coastal Georgia homes, we recommend engineered hardwood — it gives you the real wood look and feel while holding up far better to our humidity. Solid hardwood still has its place in climate-controlled, higher-end homes. The best way to decide is to see both in your own space: we'll bring samples so you can compare them side by side.