Hardwood floors brighten and beautify the living space of an otherwise dark area of a home. The floors are easy to maintain and provide years of trouble free service. However, not all "hardwood" flooring is the same.

For use in a basement, the flooring used must be engineered hardwood flooring. Engineered hardwood flooring is made of 3-5 layers of different hardwoods. Each layer is oriented 900 to the surrounding layers. This prevents expansion, contraction, warping and cupping from moisture. The layers are glued together and laminated under high heat and pressure to bond them together.

Engineered basement hardwood flooring can be glued to the substrate or "float" over it. Since the engineered hardwood is going over a concrete slab, nailing is not an option. What type of system used is up to the homeowner and how large of a budget they may have.