Engineered Hardwood Flooring

Engineered flooring is made from a core, either of plywood or hardwood, and a top veneer of hardwood veneer. These layers are glued to each other on the core. It is available for almost every hardwood species. This product retains the natural characteristics the selected wood species, rather than a photographic layer. The “engineered product” has been created to give hardwood floors greater stability, particularly in areas where moisture and heat can be a problem, read more.

There are two basic types of wood floors available:

o Solid wood flooring
o Engineered hardwood flooring

Solid Wood Fl is 3/4″ thick and uses tongue and groove sides and solid wood to join the boards. Some manufacturers also offer a thinner version of Solid Wood Fl that is only 5/16″. Solid wood flooring is a durable and easy-to-refinish over many years. Solid wood floors can often last for more than 50 years. Solid wood floors can come prefinished or unfinished in almost all wood species.

Solid wood floors have a tendency to expand and contract due to humidity changes. The floor’s perimeter is usually left with a 5/8- to 3/4″ gap from the wall. This gap will be filled by baseboards and shoe molding.

Floors 3/4″ thick should not be installed below grade, such as in a basement. The thinner 5/16-inch wood floors could be used for this purpose. Be sure to check the concrete’s moisture limits before installing a solid wooden floor.

There are three main types of solid-wood flooring available:

o Strip flooring refers to the thickness and widths of the wood planks. The strip flooring comes in a predetermined width but can be trimmed to any thickness. You can get strip flooring in thicknesses from 5/16″ up 3/4″. It is only available in widths 1 1/2″, 2″, & 2 1/4″.

Although it comes in two thicknesses of plank flooring, unlike strip flooring, the widths are customizable. It’s only available in thicknesses of 1/2″, 3/4″ or 8″.

Parquet flooring can have a different look to traditional hardwoods. They are made up individual wood slats which are held in place using adhesive or mechanical fastening.