Engineered Vs Solid Oak Flooring

In order to restrain this natural movement of timber wood flooring producers use engineered wood.

Engineered vs solid oak flooring.

Engineered oak flooring certainly has come a far way from a decade or so ago when it was made from cheap wood pulp and covered in spar varnish. Engineered hardwood can go in the same rooms as solid hardwood but its engineered construction also makes it a great choice for basements and over radiant heating and concrete floors still avoid bathrooms and laundry rooms because engineered flooring is slightly thinner than most solid hardwood it can also be good for projects where your hardwood needs to match the height of an adjoining. It is relatively easy for a non professional to install and can be put down over a thin foam floating floor as required. Engineered oak flooring requires more preparation and production than the solid oak flooring does.

Depending on the level of humidity it is always either expanding or contracting. Here are some comparisons between engineered and solid oak flooring. Solid wood flooring vs. Caring for engineered hardwood flooring is similar to solid hardwoods as the top layer the wear layer that will come into contact with the cleaning materials is essentially the same for both with any hardwoods engineered or solid you will want to avoid abrasive or harsh chemicals like ammonia and avoid using excessive soaking as hardwood is.

The term hardwood doesn t always refer to solid wood though. Even though engineered wood looks pretty much the same as solid wood to notice the difference you will have to look under the surface. Engineered wood flooring. Solid hardwood flooring is available in a wide array of wood species including oak maple and black walnut as well as regional specific choices like pecan mesquite and others.

Engineered oak flooring is usually more expensive than solid oak which may seem strange to the less experienced wood floor customer but when the advantages and construction method are explained properly the reasons become clear and understandable. The contraction and expansion activity of a solid wood plank will depend on the floor s grain pattern and average moisture average equilibrium moisture contents of a said region. It can also refer to engineered flooring a manufactured type of flooring with a hardwood veneer. It is milled with tongues and grooves on opposite edges so that the boards interlock when installed.

This thin veneer means it can only be refinished a fraction of the times of solid wood flooring if at all. Solid wood flooring comes in long planks usually made of a hardwood species. Unlike solid hardwood planks engineered wood floors aren t as susceptible to moisture and heat.