You’re here because you’re in the process of choosing a new wood floor. You’ve (more or less) decided that engineered wood flooring is going to be the best option for your project. And now you’re at the point of making the selection between single and multi-plank.
Single plank versus multi plank wood flooring is a question that many people face when buying wood flooring. When speed is of the essence, the idea of being able to put 2 or 3 planks in place at the same time instead of 1 is really appealing and tempting. However, if this is where you’re at right now, we’d encourage you to think again. Why? Let us explain…
What is single plank engineered wood flooring?
Single plank engineered wood flooring as the name suggests is wood flooring that comes with only one plank visible on each board.
When engineered wood flooring is constructed, it starts off with a solid core board that is made of layers and layers of ply that are bonded together. Once the core board has been made it is topped off with a layer of solid wood. It’s this layer of solid wood that makes engineered wood look so convincingly like solid wood flooring, yet boast all the benefits of engineered.
Single plank engineered wood flooring has only one piece of solid wood on top. It doesn’t have two pieces butted together on each board, neither does it have grooves cut in the piece so it looks like it is 2 or 3 pieces sitting side by side on the same board. This is what single plank engineered wood flooring is.
What is 2 or 3 plank engineered wood flooring?
Multi plank engineered wood flooring can be as wide as 45 or 60cm and again is constructed with a solid multi-ply bonded board at its core. What is different about this option is that it has a top layer which has been made to look as if it has 2 or 3 different pieces of wood on it. It may well be 2 or 3 different pieces of wood that have been fixed securely to the core board or it might be a single piece of wood with grooves cut in it. So what you effectively end up with is one wide board that looks as if it is 2 or 3 boards.
To the untrained eye, this seems like a great idea. Surely this must mean that you get your job done a whole lot faster and you have a significantly reduced number of joins in your floor? On the face of it that seems like a reasonable argument, but let’s take a closer look at why single plank engineered wood flooring always comes out on top…
Why single plank engineered wood flooring always comes out on top
In order to understand why single plank engineered wood flooring is always the winner, we need to take a step back.
Any regular reader of this blog will now know that wood, in all its forms expands and contracts when it comes in contact with fluctuating temperatures and moisture levels. While engineered wood expands and contracts significantly less than solid wood, it still experiences some slight movement when conditions change.
When wood flooring expands and contracts, the boards push against each other and then pull back. When this happens ever so slightly and not too often, it doesn’t cause a problem. But when it happens excessively you can get gaps in your floor.
“So what does this have to do with single versus multi-plank wood flooring?” I hear your ask.
Here’s the problem.
No matter how well fitted your engineered wood flooring is, no matter how careful you are about temperature and moisture fluctuations, you will get tiny gaps between the planks in time. It won’t happen overnight, but it will happen. It’s pretty much unavoidable, it’s not a major issue and won’t spoil the look of your floor – unless – and this is the important bit of this article. Unless you have 2 or 3 planks on a single board.
What you’ll get in that situation is 2 or 3 boards that stay really close together because they’re glued on a single core board and then a gap. 2 or 3 more planks and then a gap. This pattern will be repeated across your floor and is where things start to look really odd. That’s where you see that in fact your floor is made up of wide boards that aren’t single planks at all but boards that are made to look like single planks.
That’s why single plank engineered wood flooring always comes out on top.
Side by side
| Single Plank Engineered Wood Flooring | Multi Plank Engineered Wood Flooring | |
|---|---|---|
| Construction | A single plank of wood on each board | 2 or 3 planks on a single board |
| Appearance | Consistent and seamless look | Can disrupt the pattern across the floor due to noticeable gaps |
| Installation | No significant impact on installation | No significant impact on installation |
| Long-term effects | Slight gaps due to expansion and contraction less noticeable | Noticeable gaps due to expansion and contraction, resulting in an odd appearance |
| Ideal For | Those wanting a consistent, seamless look | Those desiring a faster installation due to wider boards, but willing to compromise on long-term appearance |
If you’d like help to make sure that you make the very best decisions for your wood flooring project, why not get in touch so that you can benefit from the decades of expertise we have in the team at Wood and Beyond? It costs nothing to chat, and we’ll help you make sure you make the best possible choices.
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FAQ
1. What is single plank engineered wood flooring?
Single plank engineered wood flooring is a type of wood flooring where each board consists of a single plank visible on the surface. This type of flooring is constructed starting with a solid core board made of layers of ply bonded together, topped with a layer of solid wood. This single layer of solid wood gives the flooring the appearance of solid wood flooring, while maintaining the benefits of engineered wood.
2. What is multi-plank engineered wood flooring?
Multi-plank engineered wood flooring, also known as 2 or 3 plank engineered wood flooring, is similar in construction to single plank flooring, with the main difference being in the top layer. The top layer of multi-plank engineered wood flooring is made to appear as if it is composed of 2 or 3 separate planks. These could be actual separate pieces of wood fixed to the core board or a single piece of wood with grooves cut into it to mimic multiple planks.
3. What are the potential downsides of choosing multi-plank engineered wood flooring?
While multi-plank engineered wood flooring might initially seem like a more efficient choice due to its broader width, it does have its downsides. All wood flooring, including engineered wood, expands and contracts with fluctuations in temperature and moisture levels. Over time, this leads to tiny gaps between the planks. With multi-plank engineered wood flooring, these gaps become more noticeable as 2 or 3 planks that are affixed to the same core board stay together, followed by a gap, disrupting the pattern across the floor.
4. How can choosing single plank engineered wood flooring be advantageous?
Single plank engineered wood flooring can be a better choice as it tends to provide a more consistent and seamless look over time. Since each board is a single plank, the slight gaps that occur over time due to expansion and contraction are less noticeable compared to multi-plank engineered wood flooring. These gaps will not disrupt the pattern across the floor, maintaining a uniform look.
5. Does the choice between single and multi-plank flooring affect the installation process?
The choice between single and multi-plank flooring does not significantly affect the installation process itself. However, it does impact the long-term appearance of the flooring due to the natural expansion and contraction of the wood. This results in gaps between the planks which can be more noticeable with multi-plank flooring compared to single plank flooring.