Engineered hardwood is the new child on the hardwood flooring block, as they say. Both engineered and traditional wood floors bring downsides and benefits, as described below. Continue reading to determine whether engineered or classic solid lumber floors are ideal for you.
Conventional Hardwood Floors
Solid hardwood floors could be refinished again and again since they’re normally milled to some ¾” thickness. Standard wood flooring is cut like this therefore the hardwood flooring could later be sanded and resealed. Thanks in part to this procedure, hardwood floors stay durable and beautiful for decades – it is not uncommon for them to last 50 years or even longer.
Nevertheless, there is in addition a major drawback of typical wood flooring: It’s impacted by heat and also water. Obviously, wood expands in hot/moist options as well as contracts in cold/dry factors. This calls for contractors to keep little spaces across the tips of hardwood floors, so it is able to grow in the summer. (These spaces tend to be concealed with baseboards.)
In addition to possibly unsightly gaps, hardwood floors also can present a health risk if not correctly cared for. Water is able to linger in timber floors as well as cause mildew and mold, fungi, and mildew to develop. Not merely do these water lovers destroy wood; they might also result in respiratory diseases like allergies and asthma.
Because of the issues that traditional lumber flooring surfaces have with water, it is not surprising that they cannot be fitted “below grade,” in a basement. Furthermore, most contractors won’t install lumber flooring in kitchens or bathrooms, several of the most moisture-rich areas in a house.
Lastly, timber floors cannot be constructed directly on concrete, since concrete conducts drinking water. If you have a concrete foundation/pad, you have to develop plywood subflooring for your wood floors to sit down on. Individuals are usually turned off by these setup limitations. Now before we move on, I suggest you also read more about epoxy coating your garage floor for a more stylish look that minimizes risk of falls. Head on over to FAQ about Garage Epoxy here.
Engineered Hardwood Flooring
Like plywood, engineered lumber floor surfaces are produced of many levels of thin timber bound together with glue, heat, and pressure. Each layer faces another path to boost strength.
This development process enables engineered hardwood being fitted almost anywhere – including toilets, kitchens, and also over concrete pads – since engineered wood doesn’t increase as well as contract with temperature as standard hardwood floors do. The last tantalizing chance for just where structurally sound engineered lumber flooring may be installed: over a radiant heating system.
A disadvantage of the engineered timber flooring is the fact that it cannot be refinished continuously, as reliable lumber floors can. Deep chafing & dents are tougher to repair within an engineered wood flooring since engineered wood cannot be sanded down and also resealed much more than twice or once. This restricts the durability of built wood floors to around twenty-five years.
The last drawback: many engineered wood floors have elevated edges, where interlocking planks come together. Some homeowners discover that these beveled edges make cleaning challenges. Given these drawbacks, engineered hardwood floors could be much less appealing for prospective homebuyers, who might opt solid wood floors since they are able to be endlessly refinished.
Nevertheless, since the typical individual cannot distinguish between engineered and traditional wood floors, the resale value for built wood floors is frequently much like that of typical wood flooring. Extremely eco-conscious people typically prefer sound timber flooring surfaces, since the production procedure for engineered lumber flooring calls for the use of poisonous chemical substances.
As in many aspects of life, you will find downsides and upsides to both solid and engineered hardwood floors.