Solid Wood or Engineered Wood

It is very difficult to compare a solid wood floor to engineered wood floors, as there is a wide range of engineered wood floor qualities. There are several limitations on solid hardwood that give it a more limited scope of use: solid wood should not be installed directly over concrete, should not be installed below grade (basements) and it should not be used with radiant floor heating. Solid hardwood is also typically limited in plank width and is more prone to “gapping” (excessive space between planks) and “cupping” (a concave or “dished” appearance of the plank, with the height of the plank along its longer edges being higher than the centre) with increased plank size. Solid wood products, on average, have a slightly thicker ‘sandable area’ (the wood that is above the tongue), and can be installed using nails. Lastly, solid wood tends to be less expensive than engineered wood, but this, as with the ‘sandable area,’ depends on the quality of the engineered wood (most inexpensive engineered wood products are ‘veneer’ wood floors, and not ‘engineered’). In many installations, however, engineered flooring can only withstand a limited number of sandings, versus solid wood, which can be sanded many times.

The installation costs of engineered flooring are typically lower than solid flooring.

Engineered wood flooring has several benefits over solid wood, beyond dimensional stability and universal use. Patented installation systems (such as “unilin” or “fiboloc”) allow for faster installation and easy replacement of boards. Engineered wood also allows a ‘floating’ installation (where the planks are not fastened to the floor below or to each other), further increasing ease of repair and reducing installation time.

In general engineered wood panels are longer and wider than solid planks.

The top surface of solid and engineered flooring have the same properties of hardness and durability.

The development of “structural” engineered flooring now means engineered floors (often with 1/4 inch lamellas and birch ply backing) can be nailed directly over joists without the need for plywood sub-flooring.

Hardwood Floor Refinishing Seattle
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Hardwood Flooring: Redefining Floor Installation

Hardwood Flooring: Redefining Floor Installation
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Nothing seems more classy and suave than shiny hardwood flooring. It can give your house the look and feel you have always dreamt of. The warmth provided by these floors is unmatched. These floors are available in many varieties, color and texture. Hardwood floors are highly durable and last quite long with right maintenance and care.

Types Of Hardwood Flooring

There are basically three types of hardwood flooring available namely, Long Strip, Solid and Engineered.

Long strip is made up of three piles of wood laminated to each other. These planks are usually 8 feet long and 8 inches wide. They are flexible and can be glued, stapled, floated or nailed down to fit any space.

Solid floors are obtained from the tree as an unfinished log. These are quite sensitive to climatic changes especially humidity and not much environment friendly.

Engineered hardwood flooring is made of many piles of pre-finished or even unfinished woods laminated together. The main benefit is that these are not disturbed by climatic changes.

Points To Keep In Mind

Only a good and reputable hardwood flooring contractor must be chosen. Before settling for one, it is important that you keep certain points in mind:

• Reputation: It matters the most than anything else. Checks for the track record, number of years spend in the business and also, take the opinion of past clients. This will definitely help you in choosing the right contractor.
• Material: Some contractors keep their price lower but use inferior quality materials. Make sure you get your work done by a contractor who strikes a healthy balance between the two elements of price and quality.
• Insurance: The contractor must provide you with liability insurance. It is very important and you must choose it.
• Payment: Many hardwood flooring contractors charge a lot from their customers in the name of extra taxes and charges. It is important to make the total payable amount clear in the beginning before getting your hardwood flooring installation work done.
• Lead Time: It becomes difficult to carry on with regular household activities with repair and flooring work going on inside the house. It is therefore, important to fix the lead time.
• Variety: There are various varieties available like Tacoma hardwood flooring, red and white oak flooring, American cherry and hard maple to name a few. Your hardwood contractor must have many choices to offer.

Apart from all these considerations, you should also ask your hardwood flooring company about regular maintenance, warranties, cleaning procedures and varnish methods.

Maintenance Is An Absolute Must

To keep that Seattle hardwood floor shining as ever, it is important to take proper care on a regular basis. You can use simple household items like vinegar, lemon and the like to clean your flooring on a day-to-day basis. When proper and detailed repairs are needed or if you cannot manage the work yourself, you can easily take the help of a professional company. There are many hardwood floor refinishing companies that can help you in this. It is important to understand that wood flooring is not as tough as marble and stone. It looks extremely aesthetic but at the same time requires care as well.