Well-maintained solid wood flooring will last for decades. Discover just how environmentally friendly engineered wood floors are in this article. Available in a wide range of wood species, finishes, and stains, you can find an engineered hardwood that meets your performance needs wherever you intend to install it, and no matter what your building’s needs are. Engineered wood maintain all the natural strength of the wood but is further strengthened by fixation methods. Let’s look into that! Medium-density fibreboard (MDF) production process involves grinding hardwood and softwood particles into wood fibers. Solid wood can be sanded several times. Mostly neither. Generally, these canvases are perpendicular in direction and laminated together (similar to plywood), and generally (but not always), these canvases are made of wood although they are not necessarily the same species as the top layer. Today, the finished (also called unfinished) site accounts for about 25 percent of the hardwoods. A beautiful floor which doesn’t buckle in areas of changing moisture. The main disadvantage to using particle board is that it is not very strong compared with other pressed woods, also great material to use when low cost is of higher importance than strength. Installation Methods for Solid and Engineered Flooring, How To Repair Scratches in Engineered Hardwood Floor, How To Increase Your Home’s Equity with Engineered Hardwood Floors. Pre-finished is increasingly the finish of choice for solid wood floors. Solid wood is never recommended for bathrooms, basements or other areas where humidity is prevalent or even expected. Humidity is the enemy of this biological product. It has a tendency to dwell right with respect to temperatures. For every 1 square foot of ¾ inch thick solid wood floor, you can manufacture around 4 times that amount into engineered wood flooring. It is constructed with multi-layers of wood; each layer is positioned in a different direction. MDF is it denser than plywood and it can soak up water faster than and hence is susceptible to damage if used outdoors. One thing to emphasize is that engineered wood is a very versatile and stable product. Finishes applied by the manufacturer can last years longer than those applied by an installer, which in turn increases the durability of your floor. In both cases, the elements that influence the price are: species, width, lengths, thickness. The top layer of engineered wood is the fancy looking one: a beautiful veneer of solid wood. The main advantage when it comes to particle board is that it can create any shape possible. The timber can be cut in three different styles: flat-sawn, quarter-sawn, and rift-sawn. Why Is Engineered Hardwood Becoming So Popular? This means that it cannot be installed in below grade rooms like basements or rooms that are humid and moist. Some timbers are naturally more durable and harder such as oak, hickory compare to softwood timbers such as pine. By ensuring these are installed under the floor, the floor itself can actually take a lot of moisture. If you take into account other types of hardwood lumber, MDF has a lower cost. Perhaps one of the best things about engineered flooring is that it takes the best of solid hardwood and the best of laminate wood floor and combines it into this durable, robust product. The engineered wood is made in layers: The top layer is a hardwood veneer and underneath, there are layers (or layers) of wood. That’s right! Other types of wooden flooring can also be used, but with softer and less dense wood, special attention should be paid to the thickness of the floorboards so that they do not act as an insulator blocking heat. It has the following advantages like allowing the heat to be transferred to the surface of the floor, can deal with the constant changes in temperature and can react accordingly. It will cost you more to install than something like laminate flooring but if you simply look at the lifespan of the floor it will, without question, pay for itself in compliments and enjoyment for the time you own your home. If you still wish to see flooring options by making a showroom appointment or book an in-home consultation, we can still be contacted via the following options: The floor you like looks amazing in the show room, and on display at that home show you went to a couple weekends ago. Engineered Wood also known as “man-made wood” or composite wood is a versatile alternative to hard wood. Overall this flooring gets top marks for its durability. The solid wood floor is nailed or stapled. This is wood that has been manufactured to look like wood. Since solids are made from one wood slab, they are very easy to sand and refinish. Engineered flooring looks exactly like solid hardwood, but it can be installed in basements or other areas prone to moisture. © 2020 The Floor Shop. If however, you would like hardwood flooring for an area where temperature or humidity is continually fluctuating, I might recommend an engineered hardwood floor. It can be either prefinished floor (which is already oiled or lacquered) or unfinished (raw material which needed to be sanded and sealed with oil or a lacquer). As a result, solid hardwood is much more durable than laminate or engineered, offsetting some of the upfront costs. Particle board is a commonly known engineered wood used in the manufacturing of many kitchen cabinets and countertops. It is not termite proof. When it comes to hardwood flooring you’ve probably heard of the words: engineered wood. 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