Tips For Choosing Hardwood Flooring

Compare Solid Versus Engineered Hardwood

Hardwood flooring can be solid or engineered! Thus, you need to take the time to compare solid versus engineered hardwood. Solid wood is usually made out of solid squares, planks, or strips of a certain wood. The advantage solid hardwood flooring has over engineered flooring is that it can be refinished considerably more times. Solid floors also tend to last longer, which is why you see solid hardwood floors that are well over a century old. A drawback of solid wood is that it does not adapt as well to humidity as engineered wood. Thus, it is not the best choice for a bathroom or laundry room! They also should not be placed directly on concrete without a vapor barrier. Solid hardwood floors are also nailed in place, while engineered wood floors can be snapped in place if the planks or squares have tongues and grooves.

Engineered wood is made up of layers of wood. Lower layers are often of inferior wood or plywood. Its top layer, also called the wear layer, is made out of quality wood. Engineered wood is very strong because a layer is laid down perpendicular to the layer just above and below it. The layers are then pressure glued together! Though they cannot be refinished as often as a solid wood floor, since the wear layer is sometimes only .6 millimeter thick, engineered floors are very stable and can last decades. Engineered hardwood floors can be laid directly over concrete and are not as subject to warping. Of course, engineered wood is considerably less expensive and still looks like real hardwood. Thus, it is often great for you if you cannot afford the expense of solid hardwood!

Learn more about choosing appropriate hardwood flooring now.