If you’ve thought about adding a new floor to your home, especially hardwood in place of carpet, you’ve probably come across the term “engineered hardwood flooring.” Although the connotation of “engineered” is something synthetic, when pertaining to hardwoods, it’s not. Rather, engineered flooring is still 100-percent natural wood but created in a way that the boards don’t warp or expand when placed near a heat source. If you’re home is lined with concrete or cement and has a radiant heat source, solid hardwood is nearly out of the question but, with engineered, having natural hardwood in your home is more practical.
Engineered hardwood flooring is made from a combination of natural hardwood and nine-ply birch. If you’re considering a domestic hardwood species like red oak, engineered red oak flooring would have a top part, about 5/16ths of an inch, of natural red oak and below, about 5/8ths of an inch, would be nine-ply birch. This combination, while still entirely natural wood, keeps the floorboards from expanding near heat when added to your home. Engineered hardwood still comes in grades, additionally, and qualities ranging from cabin or character grade to clear are sold.
One of the main issues with solid hardwood flooring is where it can be placed in a home. As you don’t want the boards to warp or expand, placing solid hardwood isn’t an option near a heat source without having your flooring ruined. Many homes have radiant heat but should be allowed to have the look and quality of hardwood flooring. This is where engineered hardwood is beneficial: Natural hardwood can be placed in more locations around the house and the flooring won’t become damaged when the heat turns on.
Additionally, some manufacturers make adding engineered hardwood flooring even easier. With prefinished and unfinished flooring, installation time is less for adding an entire floor of new hardwood, as prefinished flooring needs no sealing.
