25th Mar 2010
Low Down On Engineered Wood Flooring
As it’s name suggests, engineered wood flooring is going to be different from ordinary wood flooring. Typical solid wood flooring is just that, pieces of solid wood milled into planks for laying as a floor. Available in many different species of timber such as oak and maple, real wood flooring, if done properly, can transform any home.
But as with anything in life there are usually some drawbacks. Well for starters, there is price. Almost everything made from solid timber is expensive. Secondly it’s not always suitable for every floor area in your home. And thirdly it can be quite hard to work with, so would be better fitted by a professional tradesman.
So this is where laying engineered wood flooring has it’s advantages. First off I don’t want engineered wood floor to be confused with laminate floor. Laminate flooring is a different product altogether that is manufactured with no real wood at all.
Engineered wood floor is comprised of several layers of different ply-woods then a top layer of solid wood, whether it be walnut, birch or oak etc. Usually about three to five layers all bonded together in cross ply configuration. This cross ply method is used as it increases the strength of the plank. You now have a very strong and stable piece of flooring which often exceeds the strength of an equivalent piece of non engineered timber.
The cost of these products will be determined by the overall thickness of planks you want, as in three layers or five. The thickness of the top layer of wood, which is available from about 1mm – 6mm. And of course the type of wood such as engineered oak wood flooring.
Where in your home you want to floor is a key factor. Wood being an organic material means that it will be affected by its surroundings. Problems can arise from changes in temperature and moisture.
Any rooms such as kitchens and bathrooms, or rooms with underfloor heating would best be avoided if you are just fitting a real wood floor. In these situations installing engineered wood flooring is usually possible.
Due to it’s layered construction of different ply woods it is a far more stable floor and is more resilient to the many different problems that could warp ordinary solid timber planks. Even with this said it is still an organic material and before making a purchase it would be advised to consult with the vendor about where you are fitting the floor.
The other advantage is that it is much easier to lay. This has made it very popular with with people wanting to fit themselves. It can be installed usually as a floating floor, and depending on the make you buy it often clicks together just the same as cheap laminate flooring.
When your engineered wood flooring installation is finished you will have floor that just looks and feels great. But yes it can happen, scratch damage to the surface. Not all is lost, depending on the thickness of the top wear layer it is possible to have it sanded. If thick enough it may be possible for floor sanding to be done more than once. Again I would stress the importance of this being carried out by a professional. As the top layer is only of a set thickness a mistake could have the lower ply wood layer showing through.
As it’s name suggests, engineered wood flooring is going to be different from ordinary wood flooring. Typical solid wood flooring is just that, pieces of solid wood milled into planks for laying as a floor. Available in many different species of timber such as oak and maple, real wood flooring, if done properly, can transform any home.
But as with anything in life there are usually some drawbacks. Well for starters, there is price. Almost everything made from solid timber is expensive. Secondly it’s not always suitable for every floor area in your home. And thirdly it can be quite hard to work with, so would be better fitted by a professional tradesman.
So this is where laying engineered wood flooring has it’s advantages. First off I don’t want engineered wood floor to be confused with laminate floor. Laminate flooring is a different product altogether that is manufactured with no real wood at all.
Engineered wood floor is comprised of several layers of different ply-woods then a top layer of solid wood, whether it be walnut, birch or oak etc. Usually about three to five layers all bonded together in cross ply configuration. This cross ply method is used as it increases the strength of the plank. You now have a very strong and stable piece of flooring which often exceeds the strength of an equivalent piece of non engineered timber.
The cost of these products will be determined by the overall thickness of planks you want, as in three layers or five. The thickness of the top layer of wood, which is available from about 1mm – 6mm. And of course the type of wood such as engineered oak wood flooring.
Where in your home you want to floor is a key factor. Wood being an organic material means that it will be affected by its surroundings. Problems can arise from changes in temperature and moisture.
Any rooms such as kitchens and bathrooms, or rooms with underfloor heating would best be avoided if you are just fitting a real wood floor. In these situations installing engineered wood flooring is usually possible.
Due to it’s layered construction of different ply woods it is a far more stable floor and is more resilient to the many different problems that could warp ordinary solid timber planks. Even with this said it is still an organic material and before making a purchase it would be advised to consult with the vendor about where you are fitting the floor.
The other advantage is that it is much easier to lay. This has made it very popular with with people wanting to fit themselves. It can be installed usually as a floating floor, and depending on the make you buy it often clicks together just the same as cheap laminate flooring.
When your engineered wood flooring installation is finished you will have floor that just looks and feels great. But yes it can happen, scratch damage to the surface. Not all is lost, depending on the thickness of the top wear layer it is possible to have it sanded. If thick enough it may be possible for floor sanding to be done more than once. Again I would stress the importance of this being carried out by a professional. As the top layer is only of a set thickness a mistake could have the lower ply wood layer showing through.
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