Frank VandePutte - Wood Floors & Stairs 

A moment I absolutely dread when doing wood floor sanding and refinishing estimates is telling a homeowner that their wood floor can’t be sanded and refinished. Many engineered wood floors have a 2mm (1/16") rotary cut hardwood surface. Often a flooring salesperson has told someone that an engineered floor can be sanded once or twice. In a perfect world that might be true. But for a variety of reasons, engineered wood floors with thin (1/8” or less) veneers often cannot be sanded without sanding through the veneer. If you are buying a wood floor, check to see if the wood is a ¾” solid wood floor. If it isn’t, don’t assume that it can be sanded and finished.

Solid wood products should NEVER be installed below grade (below ground level.)  Unless there are reasons why a solid floor should not be installed (i.e. below grade, being glued to concrete, or radiant heat in the floor) you cannot beat the value of a 3/4" thick solid wood floor, it's truly Beauty That Lasts A Lifetime .

The best quality engineered wood floors have thicker sawn veneers, not thin rotary peeled veneers.  At the surface, they look like solid wood floors whereas the rotary peeled veneers look like plywood. 

Below is a product that has a sawn veneer.  It has almost as much of a sandable surface as a 3/4" solid wood product, and comes prefinished or unfinished, so you can have a high quality custom floor. 

Buying a wood floor? Beware of thin veneers.