Floor Savvy

For people who cannot decide whether to adorn their home with laminate or natural hardwood flooring should consider engineered hardwood flooring. It is a good compromise between the two. Engineered hardwood flooring is a mix of natural hardwood and laminate flooring. And it does a good job of utilizing both of the allures and strengths of each type of flooring. Engineered hardwood flooring is usually less expensive than hardwood flooring and more expensive than laminate flooring. But while laminate flooring mimics a specific type of natural hardwood, it isn’t actually that wood.

Engineered hardwood flooring is made similar to how laminate flooring is but has one significant difference. The top layer of laminate flooring is made from a photographic layer of a surface such as wood or stone. The top layer of engineered hardwood flooring is the actual wood. And the types of trade woods used in engineered flooring have expanded and are now available in virtually every species.

Many homeowners choose engineered hardwood flooring over laminate due to the fact it has a more authentic feel. And while it’s true hardwood floors are still more luxurious they aren’t quite as stable as engineered hardwood floors. The reason for this stability can be seen in the way that this type of flooring is made.

Several layers of plywood, between three to ten pieces, are pressed together under extreme pressure. Naturally, the more layers the more durable that specific composite plank will be. Bonding these layers together gives the flooring very good stability and durability. It also makes it more resistant to moisture and temperature. When natural hardwood floors are exposed to moisture or adverse heat they tend to warp. With engineered hardwood flooring warping is less likely due to the composite layers reinforcing each other and resisting warping. This allows you to place engineered hardwood flooring in more places than natural hardwood, like basements and other places that see low moisture.