Are you renovating your house and stuck having to choose between engineered hardwood flooring and solid hardwood flooring? This is a common problem that many homeowners face because they’re both so similar.
Most professional flooring companies will tell you to choose engineered hardwood flooring. It is comprised of a hardwood upper layer that is bonded to lower base layers which prevent floor shifting. Solid hardwood flooring is comprised of planks that were cut from solid wood pieces. There are no separate layers to these planks like there are with engineered flooring.
The only downside to engineered flooring is its surface cannot be refinished or sanded down because it’s too thin for these actions. If you install the engineered flooring someplace with a lot of people or heavy items consistently on the surface, then the flooring won’t last very long. Engineered flooring is better for environments with fewer people.
Solid hardwood flooring has a more durable surface because the entire piece is one wooden layer. You just need to worry about the contraction cycles of the wood. However, you could install the solid hardwood planks over concrete or plywood to make it more like engineered flooring.
The Installation Process
After you’ve chosen the hardwood flooring that you want, the next step is the installation of the flooring. Usually, you nail or staple down the solid hardwood flooring and glue or mechanically fasten down the engineered hardwood flooring. It all depends on the thickness, construction, and width of your wood planks. If you’re installing a hardwood floor for the first time, you might want to have a more experienced person assisting you.
The first step is to acclimatise the wood planks in the room where the installation will take place. This means leaving the wood in the room for a couple of days in order to get accustomed to the environment and its moisture content. Try to keep the humidity between 35% and 55%.
Read the instructions of the installation carefully. Some video tutorials online are also available to assist you. Clean and dry your subflooring before the installation. If you already have ceramic or marble tiling on the ground, then you can just install the engineered hardwood flooring over it with adhesives. If you’re nailing down solid hardwood flooring, then put vinyl tiles or a vinyl sheet down first.
For expert advice get in touch with the TimberZone team to help you with the installation of your wood flooring.