Flooring is actually one of the biggest investments that the home owner makes considering issues as its appearance, the environmental impact and its durability. It does not matter whether he is building a new home or renovating the existing home, he should consider the type of flooring he chooses to do. The inception of engineered wood flooring is not new; in fact it is more stable as compared to solid wood floors. It consists of different sheets of solid wood but it is bonded together where the top layer being the most decorative wood. The lower layers are more of recycled wood products and sustainable wood. Lastly the top layer of the floor is sanded and prefinished and this complete process is done in the factory.
Composition of the Engineered Wood Flooring
- Basically, it is made of plywood or a real hardwood which is brought in a pre-finished condition from the factory. The top of the wood looks more like a solid wood plank called as Lamella. The wood is given additional stability by making the small pieces of timber run parallel to lamella.
- The engineered wood flooring is made to look indistinguishable from the traditional wood once the installation is done and only the Lamella is visible.
- Right from the low end the engineered flooring runs gamut checking the thickness of the lamella, the number of layers and also the number of finish coats to judge the quality.
Installation of the Engineered Wood Flooring
The installation is quite simple and can be done even by the home owner without professional help. This type of flooring can either be fastened with screws or nails to a particular place or just left floating depending on the mass of the wood to hold it in proper place. Certain methods are followed at the time of installation:
- An application of glue can be used to the tongue of every board and then later with a block tapped into a place.
- A compressor or a floor stapler can be used to secure rapidly the boards. This is to be done without the use of glue.
- The boards like the tiles can be laid in a bed of adhesive and this way of working suits well over cured concrete.
- Some types of engineered floors are also designed in such a way that the milled tongues and grooves are locked together without fasteners or glue. This is considered as the cleanest and the quickest installation methods.
Advantages of Engineered Flooring
If the traditional solid wood is compared to engineered wood then it is seen that the solid wood may give an aesthetic look and sound flooring but there are certain limitations to it. The engineered flooring has distinct advantages in different instances and applications. Some of them are:
- The availability of Lamella veneer is in dozens of wood species.
- In order to enhance the appearance of the floor then surface effects can be applied.
- It is possible for the factory finish to outlast site-applied finish especially on solid hardwoods.
- Drying time is not required as the finish is pre-applied in the factory itself.
- The engineered flooring can even be done in concrete slabs and basements.
- Installation that is done is very quick and easy.
- The engineered wood flooring can be used over radiant heat systems.
- The normal wear and tear that occurs in flooring can be refinished and repaired.
- It is possible to remove the flooring and re-install it somewhere else if wished.
Engineered flooring is highly advantageous and an exceptional choice for floor installations. It is gaining popularity more so because it can be installed by the homeowners. Moreover, if you want to know more than you can search on the internet and you will get more tips about them.