Engineered
Engineered Hardwood Floors are up to 8 times more stable than traditional solid wood flooring. These specialty floors are ideal for condominiums, walk out rooms, basements, radiant heating, and cottages.
There are two basic structures of engineered hardwood floor: plywood based and high density, fibre core based. Fibre core uses a modern technology of compressing wood fibres with resins, glues and waxes, excellent for floating applications. The LOC, CLICK or UNICLICK joint system prevents board separation.
Plywood based engineered hardwood flooring usually comes in tongue and grove form and can be glued down, nailed down or floated. Most engineered hardwood floors are suitable over RADIANT HEATING subfloors, and can be floated over most existing surfaces.
The Benefits of Engineered Hardwood Flooring
Engineered hardwood flooring has been around for a number of years but some homeowners are still not sure what exactly it is and whether it is superior or inferior to solid timber. If you have already decided that you would like to install wide plank hardwood flooring in your home but you have yet to make up your mind about the particular type – engineered vs. solid wood – take a look at the list of benefits of engineered wood that we have prepared below.
Why Choose Engineered or Solid Sawn Hardwood Flooring?
There are a number of very good reasons to choose this type of flooring instead of solid timber when you are contemplating a new hardwood floor installation.
Stability – Engineered hardwood is made by the bonding of several layers of wood in a cross-ply configuration, which makes it much stronger than solid timber as far as its resistance to humidity is concerned. Anybody who has a solid timber floor in their home will be able to tell you just how much it shrinks and swells as the weather changes: reactions to an increase or decrease in the amount of moisture in the air that can cause the timber to crack or warp in some cases. Engineered flooring is far less likely to shrink or swell, owing to the strength of its cross-ply construction. Solid Sawn technology made of all of the wooden content offers highest degree of dimensional stability. Toronto based Vintage Hardwood Flooring is on the leading edge of producing solid sawn flooring
Prefinishing – Engineered wood is normally prefinished at the factory before it is delivered to your home to be installed by professionals such as our team working out of Vaughan. Solid timber, on the other hand, often has to be finished on site, which can add to the installation costs. Engineered hardwood flooring is also usually bevelled at the edge of each plank to give it a more attractive appearance, something that many homeowners appreciate.
Installation Versatility – Engineered and solid sawn hardwood floor can be installed over any stable surface (carpets exempted). Often it contributes to substantial savings with eliminating need for existing floor or ceramics removal. The following floor installation techniques can be used: floating, glue down and nail down (depending on the subfloor type). Please do call us to request a professional consultation and quotation if you are in Toronto or nearby.
Durability – Today’s engineered and solid sawn hardwood floors, whether prefinished of finished at the job site are equally durable as solid lumber. It all comes down to using and maintaining the floor according to industry standards (maintaining humidity at 38% – 55%, temperature around 22 degrees of Celsius, avoiding abrasives and using felt or rubber protectors under the furniture).
