Engineered Hardwood Flooring - Budget-Friendly Alternative to Solid Hardwood Floors
Dan Carter
One of the great innovations in flooring to hit the home improvement market is engineered hardwood floors. Unlike most woods, engineered hardwood is not made from expensive solid wood and it is manufactured from several layers and only the top layer is hardwood. The top layer is the pricey, beautiful wood that you want to show in your home and the under layers are designed to give the floor its maximum durability and stability.
Engineered wood flooring has a ton of great benefits over using the solid hardwood flooring and it is also a choice which is very beautiful. To begin, engineered hardwood flooring in not as expensive as hardwood flooring. Engineered hardwood flooring is plywood or fiberboard which is high density. In a factory the materials are fused together under high pressure. This type of flooring will not shrink or warp with the changes of temperatures or humidity. It can be placed over almost any kind of prior flooring even over radiant heat sources.
The top layer of engineered wood flooring is pre-finished, which means that it's already sanded and sealed. So as soon as the floor has been laid, you can walk on it. This is in contrast to an unfinished floor, which must be sealed and which requires waiting time before use. Note: solid hardwood is available pre-finished, as well. Engineered wood flooring may work well in some basements and little-used bathrooms where only light moisture might be present. Still, it doesn't hold up to really wet areas such as basements that may flood. Nor does it hold up to kids' bathrooms which...well, also tend to flood frequently. No wood flooring product is great for these very wet areas.
The main reason for homeowners selecting engineered wood flooring is its affordability. You can attain the look and texture of hardwood at wholesale prices. Engineered hardwood floors are simple to install, and easy to follow directions come in each box of flooring. You must be sure that your subfloor is thoroughly clean and dust free before you begin, to assure that no debris will work its way through the flooring at a later date.
There are a wide variety of engineered wood floors with many types of wood, stains and finishes. You can also choose unfinished hardwood, but if you are looking for an easy project, it is best to go with the prefinished type. Then when your engineered hardwood flooring is installed, no staining or finishing is needed. You can just relax and enjoy your beautiful new engineered hardwood floor.
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