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Quality Engineered Hardwood vs. an Engineered Rip-off

What makes PurezaWood unique? Our clients and customers would be the first to say that we stress quality. And this doesn’t always come with a steep pricetag, either. Let’s compare a piece of “luxury” wide plank engineered hardwood from another brand with PurezaWood.

You’re probably being over-charged for a sub-par product.

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Do you really know what you’re buying?
We recently received a sample of a competitor’s engineered wide plank hardwood. The wear layer is made of walnut — which we also carry — and we were shocked by the low quality and price point of this product. Our own American Walnut is between $3-4.50/square foot, and it looks much different. Please note that we blurred out their brand name and details.

Here’s what the other company’s sample looks like:

The most important photo here is the third image, the cross-section of the sample. The pale wood is the plywood “engineered” component, which is what stabilizes engineered hardwood (unlike solid). Tiny pieces of low-end plywood are sandwiched in the middle. The bottom board appears whole, perhaps to give the illusion of a sound piece of flooring. But it’s not. A high-quality engineered hardwood — especially wide plank — needs quality, whole pieces of plywood to support the integrity of the wear layer and the overall panel.

Is that really worth $10-13/square foot, even at 5″-wide? We don’t think so. Our walnut is 5″-wide, and starts at a very reasonably $3.

So, that sample represents the other guys. Let’s talk about what you should be looking for instead. Here’s our PurezaWood American Walnut product:
Our 2mm-wear layer 5″-width American Walnut.
Nine separate layers of premium plywood secure the longevity of this wide plank. The competitor’s product is hardly better than a piece of “solid” hardwood, relatively. More layers of plywood mean a sturdier foundation. Thicker pieces aren’t going to help you so much. More layers create more tension within the plank, which alleviates the chances of your run-of-the-mill cupping and humidity problems associated with solid hardwood.
Different wear layers and dimensions — same high-quality plywood underneath.
Quality engineered hardwood – PurezaWood wide plank American Walnut.
What is your hardwood worth? Is it worth the trouble of replacement? What are you really getting?

Other brand: walnut, 5″ wide, 2mm wear layer, 2 different layers of a mystery plywood = $10-13/sq. ft.

PurezaWood: American walnut, 5″ wide, 2-3 mm wear layer, 9 layers of premium plywood = $3-4.50/sq. ft.

Those are just the facts. We want to share this information as much as possible — so you can know exactly what you want.

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