Engineered Wood Flooring

The Advantages Of Engineered Wood Flooring

If you are thinking about getting engineered wood flooring, then you might have been made aware of the different advantages that this type of material brings. Let us first define what engineered wood is by comparing it to hardwood and laminate wood. First off, laminate wood is not real wood. It's sort of like the fake turf used in some ball games. Engineered wood, however, is real.

The difference between this material and hardwood is that hardwood is solid wood all the way through. That is, what you see is what you get. With wood that's engineered, however, this is not the case. This type of flooring material is actually composed of different layers of wood: Good-looking hardwood on top and plywood on the bottom. This means that engineered wood can be quite cheaper than solid hardwood.

This type of wood flooring is also quite advantageous over laminate wood flooring in the sense that it can be refinished when dents and scratches develop. It can be sanded and stained to look as good as new. As you may know, this can't be done with laminate wood flooring as sanding it will reveal that the wooden look is simulated.

However, sanding engineered wood flooring can be quite delicate. As said before, only the top layer of the material is actually made of solid hardwood. This means that you can only sand it so many times before the unfinished plywood underneath is revealed -and that is something you certainly do not want.

If you are planning on sanding and refinishing this type of flooring, you had better get a professional to do it. It would be all too easy for you to ruin the look of the whole floor by gouging out a deep part of the hardwood.

Another advantage of getting this material for your flooring is that it comes pre-finished. That means that all you need to do is install and use. With hardwood floors, you still need to go through the necessary processes of finishing and waiting before you can use it just to make sure that you don't ruin the look of the material. You can always get hardwood floors pre-finished but that may involve a huge addition to your already huge expenses.

Another advantage to this material is that it can be used where light moisture is expected. Although no type of wood flooring can stand to a basement flood or the wetness of the bathroom, this type of flooring actually performs better than others.

Installation of this type of flooring is also a snap. With engineered wood flooring, you will be able to make use of a variety of installation option unlike hardwood, which should always be nailed down. This type of material gives you all sorts of options such as making a nailed down floor, which is ideal if you get the thinner varieties of the material. You could also choose something a bit thicker and install it simply by gluing it down. Another great option is to make a floating floor or the type of installation where the floor rests on supporting planks.

As you can see, engineered wood is the most versatile material for flooring. Engineered wood flooring offers all sorts of compromises to help you with your needs.