"Click-Lock", "Engineered", "Engineered Click", and "Solid" hardwood... Is there a difference between "Engineered" and "Engineered-Click"?

Question

I've researched this a bunch already and I'm pretty far down the decision timeline, but I was looking at samples again tonight and I've realized that I need a more definitive answer before I can make this very expensive purchase.

I understand the differences between click-lock, engineered, and solid hardwood. For my situation (and understanding of these types) I decided to find an engineered solution so save money, but still have quality wood.

However, at Home Depot I'm seeing drastically different pricing for "Engineered Click", "Click-Lock", and "Engineered". I'm sure the quality is different, but the wording is enough to make me take a step back and try to better understand what I'm buying.

Here are some pictures I took earlier tonight.

They are from two different displays so I understand there will be some difference in pricing there. But is "Engineered Click" equivalent to "Click-Lock"? If so, am I thinking about this wrong if I want a nice engineered hardwood by considering the "Engineered Click" option?

I'm just a little apprehensive that the "Engineered" option is more than 3x the material cost on my existing quote.

None of the articles I can find online explain in enough detail to make me confident about these.

Answer 1

Can you share the SKU on the "Engineered Click" option you're seeing? At that price it's likely HDF plus a wood veneer or thin layer on top. You should also be able to tell if you can look at a cross-section of a plank. HDF is likely better than MDF/plywood/softwood for the layers and may or may not be better than hardwood depending on who you ask, but it is definitely cheaper since it's a recycled product.

I was able to find the more expensive products you shared on the HD website, and they're real wood throughout (no HDF). Both are engineered in that they are in layers rather than one solid plank, even the click-lock.

The price difference between the two is just based on what thickness and installation style you want. The more expensive one per square foot is thicker (1/2" vs 3/8").

Answer 2

There are 2 attributes of the product in play here.

1. Material: Engineered vs Solid wood. Engineered wood is made of a thin layer of solid wood at the top (the side you walk on) glued to a composite core. The core is a man-made product and varies from product to product. The core is dimensionally stable and won't expand/shrink as much as solid wood. Thus your floor looks as good as solid wood and will less likely gonna warp or buckle up. The drawback is you only have a thin layer of real wood on top, thus if you scratch it deeply, you can only sand it down few times.
2. Shape of edges: click, click-lock, tongue&groove, v-groove. They refer to the mechanism used to connect the planks. Different brands use different names to sometimes describe the same design or slight variation of the same design. Generally, solid woods use tongue and groove and engineered wood/laminate/luxury vinyl planks use some form of interlocking mechanism making the installation much faster and without requiring special and/or expensive tools.

That being said, I highly recommend you to visit a few flooring stores in your area. They have a wider selection to choose from, often at lower prices than Home Depot, and the salespeople can explain to you the nuances better than I can.