Engineered hardwood flooring has become extremely popular and offers many advantages over solid wood floors. With advancement in technology, these floors are extremely durable. They come in a wide variety of styles and wood species, and can be used in almost any room in the home.
Engineered hardwood floors are constructed from several thin sheets of wood, called plies, that are adhered together to form one plank. These floors will range from 3/8 to 9/16" thickness and vary in width and length. The top finish layer can be cut from a variety of domestic or exotic hardwood species and is generally factory pre-finished.
Most engineered floors can be nailed down or glued down. Some can be floated over different kinds of sub-floors, including some types of existing floors. Caution should be used to verify that the existing floor is well adhered and that your installation application meets the manufacturer's installation recommendations.
There are some types of hardwood floors that can be locked together like laminate. No glue is needed for these floors--they are free floating. This type of flooring should be floated over a pad. The side joint is very similar to a V-locking system. This locking system is desirable because of expansion and contraction, which prevents gaps from being left in the floor.
Solid Wood Floors
Solid wood floors have been used for centuries and never seem to lose their charm and warmth. We generally think of solid hardwood floors as a 3/4" thick plank that is in narrow 2 1/4" strips. This is the classic plank wood floor and still a popular choice, even with newer options like hand scraped floors on the market.
Solid wood floors are manufactured in a variety of widths and thicknesses. The strips or planks are generally in random lengths of 1 to 7 feet. The most common North American hardwood species used for solid wood floors are oak, pine, teak, ash, and maple. There are also a few uncommon solids, such as cherry, walnut, and merbau.
Solid wood floor planks are generally one solid piece of wood with tongue and groove sides. They come in either pre-finished or unfinished styles. Solid wood floors are sensitive to moisture and are not recommended for installation below ground level or directly over a concrete slab without a moisture barrier. These floors are designed for nail-down installations, though it is becoming more common to glue them down directly to the concrete using a sealant base glue (this is not recommended). You can refinish or recoat solid wood floors several times, which adds to their appeal and durability. There are solid wood floors that are several centuries old and are still in good condition today.
Solid wood is made, when you take a log and slab the wood out, then make a floor out of the slab, you have solid wood. If you shave the wood, layer it with the grains, reverse each layer, and put that over a core board, you have hardwood (engineered wood).
How often does a floor need refinishing?
The answer to this question is that it depends on your life style.
If you have three young children, a couple of large dogs, and both husband and wife works outside of the house, you may have to refinish the floor after 5 or 6 years.
On the other hand, if you are at the opposite end of the spectrum; have no children, no dogs and can clean the floor regularly, may not have to re-finish the floor for 10 years or maybe longer.
Wood Grades
Select or Better
This is the grade that is the highest in the pre-finished wood family. The boards are selected for color consistency. This classification may contain subtle color variation and small knots that are less than 1/8 inch.
#1 Common
This is the grade that shows a very nice variation of color in the character of the wood. This grade also consists of approximately 75% traditional and 25% select and also may contain some heartwood and small sound knots.
#2 Common
This grade has the most pronounced variation in color since there are no restrictions of color, or streaks, of any lengths, etc. This grade does contain tight knots, scattered pinworm holes, and possibly some small surface checks. There are no manufacturing defects.
Tavern, Rustic, Cottage
This grade is also known as the "run of the mill". This grade will contain pinholes, knots and heartwood, in addition to some minor manufacturing defects. There is usually no warranty on this grade.
