Gapping occurs when there is excess space between the individual planks because the room was just too wide for the width and number of planks but could not fit another in. At the same time real hardwood floors are also more prone to cupping. This is when the planks of wood bend slightly to take on a concave or convex appearance where the height of the plank is higher along its longer edges.

The top layer of engineered flooring has the same qualities of hardness and durability as do hardwood floors or bamboo floors. This then means that it has all of the advantages over carpet that other wood floors do. For instance you can benefit from the fact that wooden floors and engineered floors are much easier to keep clean and tidy. This is partly due to the absence of fibers that you get with carpet. Carpet fibers are small strands of carpet much like blades of grass that sit next to each other pointing upward in order to give the appearance of a flat surface. These carpet fibers however have the downside of swallowing dust and dirt.