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Nowadays, engineered hardwood has been getting a lot of hypes on the hardwood flooring market. What makes engineered hardwood more and more popular than the rival, solid hardwood? Is engineered hardwood floors deserving of all the attention and appraisal? Let’s find out more with wooden floor company – Tony Floor.
Compared to solid hardwood board, which is a single cut of ordinary timber, engineered hardwood is a manufactured wood product. An engineered hardwood consists of three main layers, bound together with adhesives into a single board, as follows.
For those who prefer the original look of solid hardwood, especially the exotic ones, but are not financially competent, engineered hardwood comes as a handy solution. Once hardwood floor installation is finished, there would not be many distinctions in between the two types of hardwood.
Engineered boards are factory-prefinished with the sufficient number of coatings. The coatings are embedded with aluminum oxide, which strengthens the quality finishing coats. Thus the manufactured made boards are less susceptible to physical damages and more durable, sometimes as durable as that of solid hardwood boards.
For such structure, engineered hardwood floors are dimensionally stable under the changes of conditions. While solid hardwood would contract and expand as the temperature or humidity level changes, engineered hardwood boards remain consistent. Therefore, engineered hardwood is suitable for all flooring grades, from above to ground level, even below grade sites, such as underground basements.
The versatile characteristic earns engineered hardwood floors another selling point over solid hardwood floors. Engineered hardwood floor could be installed on all both wood and concrete sub-floors and through various hardwood floor installation techniques (glue down, nail/staple down, or floating.)
Regarding hardwood floor installation, many customers opt for engineered hardwood floors for the convenience and shorter construction time. Once the boards are delivered to the site for acclimation and other obligatory preparations are completed, the floor is ready for installation, the homeowner could walk on their newly installed hardwood floors straightaway. With so strong a protective coating, engineered hardwood floors are not subject to regular maintenance, unless the area is a high-trafficked one.
Most solid hardwood floors cost about $8 to $15 per square foot whereas the price for a square foot of engineered hardwood floor could be anywhere between $3 to $14. In many cases, engineered boards come as quite a bargain, especially for those who want to invest in a radical change of appearance to their home or office, but with limited expenses.
Sturdy as the finishing coats are, they are harder to sand down in case of refinishing. Not the mention that the top veneer is thin so refinishing engineered hardwood floors is limited to a couple of times.
The top layer is made of solid hardwood, creating an unfortunate situation in which the rarer or better the species of hardwood used is, the higher the price tag gets. Manufacturers have come up with new variants of high-end engineered hardwood, which is stronger and could be refinished as many times as solid ones. However, bear in mind that quality products come with a price.
The boards are prepared beforehand. Thus, no additional customization could be made on site during the process of hardwood floor installation. Therefore, without expertise and proper preparation, the outcome could not match the image of the hardwood floor that you have long expected.
The lifespan of engineered hardwood floors, except those of high quality, is relatively shorter than that of solid hardwood floors. Maintenance such as refinishing, which requires much sanding, could only be done for a couple of times, whereas solid hardwood floors could be sanded multiple times.
Tony Floor is a credible wooden floor company that provides professional hardwood flooring service. We guarantee to bring you first-class product and swift solution to every single problem that may occur.