Most homeowners and interior designers these days are preferring engineered wood flooring over solid wood. This is because of the greater awareness about sustainability. Today, people know that it is crucial to prevent deforestation.
Another reason for not opting for solid wood boards is that they get easily deformed with moisture changes. This is not the case with engineered wood floorboards as their construction ensures higher stability. Engineered wood can also be used with underfloor heating systems and hence in no time, it became popular for both home and commercial settings.
Why Use Engineered Wood Flooring?
Engineered wood flooring is available in a variety of finishes and colours. It also comes in a variety of structures, and it is critical to grasp the consequences of how the boards are constructed in order to realise the impact they might have on the purpose for which you wish to utilise the flooring.
Engineered oak flooring is constructed of a real wood layer, below which there is a core made up of multi layers of plywood. The top wood layer lends the beauty and elegance of authentic wood whilst the core below ensures stability.
Finishes vary from antique distressed boards to a brushed finish and from rustic to a glossy finish. As mentioned above, engineered floorboards can be utilised with underfloor heating systems. Remember that engineered wood floors are different from low-cost laminated flooring.
Solid wood vs Engineered flooring
There is very little difference between solid wood plank and a premium grade engineered floorboard. In fact, the difference is not visible if both the floors are installed side by side, and if the real wood layer of engineered floorboards is between 4mm to 6mm thick.
Solid wood planks are typically 18mm thick, whereas the total thickness of high grade engineered floorboard ranges from 20 to 21mm thick. As engineered flooring offers high stability and is similar in appearance to solid oak flooring, it is becoming more popular among homeowners.
How are Engineered Floorboards Constructed?
Engineered wood floorboards are constructed with a top layer of genuine hardwood attached to a plywood core using advanced technology.
The core, which in this case is constructed of layers of plywood, is the portion that provides the board with its strength. Plywood is created from thin slices of wood that are joined with each other in high pressure presses. The good quality engineered boards feature a plywood core that is about 15mm in thickness.
The authentic wood top layer is then attached to the plywood foundation using a high pressure press. After this process is completed and the glue has cured, the floorboards are placed in a drying chamber.
Once installed, high-quality engineered flooring appears identical to real oak flooring. Engineered floors are known for their stability, and also most of the time, they do not require acclimatisation.
Environmentally Friendly Option
You can protect the environment by selecting engineered flooring as it is an environmentally friendly option. There are several benefits of picking engineered wood material instead of any other type, including hardwood. Due to environmental concerns, we need to consider purchasing such a sustainable floor option.
If we go with the engineered wood floor option, a lot more floorboards can be constructed from one tree. In fact, three to four times more engineered boards can be obtained, considering the thickness of solid and engineered wood floorboards.
Hope, after reading the article, the difference between the engineered and hardwood floors is clear to you.
