Engineered floors with hdf instead of plywood?

10 years ago

I'm installing engineered hardwoods in my home, and have come across some brands which now use hdf instead of plywood for the under layers. Anderson makes a "Rideau Plank Maple" using high density fiberboard, and the rep said most Shaw products are moving to hdf b/c it is more moisture and dent resistant than plywood. Does anyone have an informed opinion on whether one is better than the other for moisture and dent resistance?

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Comments (4)

glennsfc
10 years ago
Of course, I'm not a flooring product engineer, but I'd have to say on the face of it I think it's baloney.

Were manufacturers able to impregnate the wood fibers of the high density fiberboard with a water-resistive resin, then maybe it would be an improvement over plywood cores. Perhaps they have done that, but I wouldn't know for sure.

Good luck with your project.
car57
Original Author
10 years ago
Well, yes, actually. The rep said the hdf has been impregnated with resin which makes it more water proof than plywood, in addition to being harder than plywood. I don't know who to believe, and there seem to be conflicting views. Anyone else?
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gregmills_gw
10 years ago
Just remember what ever the sales guy says doesnt mean its true. His job is to bring money in. That being said is he lieing to you? Who knows? I dont.

Does the HDF sound better? Sure does. One way to tell is to play the waiting game. If virtually every mill makes that move than i would say it is. But if in a years time the fad kinda of dies than it was just a fad.

On the outside impregnating hdf with a resin seems like a pricey option to be done without being sent to china. Are they selling the product with HDF similar to those with plywood? Shaw and anderson are big companies but everyone is out to make a buck and with the cost of the HDF and the companies trying to keep their profit margins i doubt this is here to stay. But thats just me.
TxMarti
10 years ago
We bought the Shaw product. It's too new to tell how it is going to hold up though.

Edited to add:

While the Shaw looks pretty good installed, I don't recommend it. The veneer is extremely thin and there are a lot of jagged edges. I used a dust mop on it yesterday, lightly sweeping back and forth and a loose edge caught on the mop and a 4 inch long splinter peeled off the side of a plank. Now I have to fix that.

Also, everywhere the installers cleaned off a bit of glue, there is a dull spot on the floor. We couldn't figure out why there were dull spots all over until we cleaned off a bit of glue they missed (with thinner just like they used) and just the spot where the glue was, was dull.

This post was edited by marti8a on Sat, Jan 4, 14 at 22:40