A hardwood floor will provide decades of beauty in your home, but when it comes to budget, many people for-go a solid hardwood floor and opt for the more economical choice of engineered hardwood floors. However Solid hardwood floors can be refinished for changing tastes or excessive wear. It may initially cost more, but as trends evolve, your floors can too.
Types of Hardwood Finishing:
Pre-Finished Wood- Pre-Finished solid hardwood flooring is just that- Pre-finished hardwood is already sanded and sealed, by the manufacturer, with at least four coats of ultraviolent-cured urethane resin. This finish offers consistent quality, quicker installation and immediate gratification, meaning you can walk on it as soon as it is laid. Installation is quick and easy and you can live in your home while the installation takes place.Unfinished Hardwood Flooring- Unfinished solid hardwood flooring must be sanded and sealed on-site. While it does offer more color choices, it requires a lot of preparation. The sanding process is messy; significant drying time is required after each sealing application requiring up to five days for completion. Often times occupants of the home will have to move our during the installation process.
Engineered Flooring- Consisting of a plywood base that’s covered with 1 1/16 to 1/8 inch thick layer of wood, works well in bathrooms and basements where light moisture might be a concern. Engineered flooring is pre-finished and because the wood layer is so thin it can usually only be sanded and refinished once.
Solids vs. Engineered
Solid Wood:
Solid wood floors are manufactured as one complete piece of solid wood, generally 3/4" thick and board widths are generally 2 1/4" and 3 1/4" wide. The length of the boards may vary from 9" to 72", with an average of 32" long. Solid wood floors react to the environment in which it is placed. In the winter heating months, the moisture content of the wood reduces causing the floor to contract or leave gaps between each board. In the summer months when humidity enters the wood, it will cause the wood to expand and if there is too much moisture, it can cause the floor to cup. Solid wood floors are most commonly installed by nailing down to a wood subfloor.
Solid hardwood flooring comes in many different wood varieties, including exotic woods. It's slightly more expensive than an engineered wood flooring, but if you are a diehard wood enthusiast, then you may want to stick with a solid hardwood flooring.
Solid hardwood can't be installed (or isn't recommended) in high moisture rooms, like the kitchen, bath and basement. This is because the higher moisture content in the air -- or even on the floor -- can cause the wood to ripple or buckle, which will destroy the flooring.
Because you can refinish a solid wood floor more times than you can an engineered wood floor, this flooring type lasts longer, helping balance some of the environmental problems associated with some wood floors.
If you have children or pets, then you may want to consider the durability factor of solid hardwood flooring in your decision. Most solid hardwood flooring will need to be professionally installed, so if you are a do-it-yourselfer, then this is something that you will want to keep in mind. Deciding between engineered vs solid hardwood flooring is a decision that should be made carefully. In some cases, your budget will be the determining factor, but if at all possible, it is better to let other considerations make your decision for you. Consider the rooms that you will be installing the flooring in, the people who will be walking on and enjoying the floors, and what your dream flooring is to help you determine the winner between engineered vs. solid hardwood flooring.
Engineered Wood:
ed wood floors refer to products that have multiple layers of wood veneer glued and pressed together. Engineered wood floors have layers of wood veneer that are cross-laminated for dimensional stability. These floors will be less affected by moisture than solid wood floors. Engineered wood floors can be installed on grade, below grade, or above grade in almost any room in the home. Engineered wood floors have several options of installing; nail down, staple down, glue down, and some can even be floated.
Engineered hardwood flooring is less expensive than solid hardwood. It made of a wood layers, but the layers below the surface are often composed of less expensive, stronger wood layers. The top layer is the decorative wood you have chosen for your home or office. Engineered hardwood flooring is also more environmentally friendly than solid hardwood floors because the sub-surface layers are made from "junk" or "scrap" wood, not the ornamental wood. This approach saves more forests because each tree of the desired ornamental wood can go further than it does with solid wood flooring. Unlike solid hardwood flooring, engineered flooring can be installed in any room that you choose, even a basement, because it can withstand moisture due to the layers of flooring that withstand buckling and rippling. Engineered flooring can also be installed over radiant floor heating, which can keep your feet warm during those cold winter months. It's also easy to install and looks just as beautiful as hardwood flooring at a much better price that will fit almost anyone's budget.
You'll be able to get three to four resurfacings from most engineered hardwood floors. So it's not as long lasting as solid wood flooring, but it's a durable floor during its lifetime.
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StarFloors primary manufacturers for hardwood floors are: Mohawk, Mannington, Anderson, and Trinity Hardwood. However, StarFloors can get any hardwood you desire.
Thank you Anderson for the stunning pictures in today's blog!
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