When you’re making decisions about a new wood floor, there are lots of things you’ll need to think about. Things like which species and grade of wood you will choose; whether you will choose a solid or engineered solution and what sort of finish you’ll plump for. All of these questions will need your attention at some point or another, but if you’re like most people, one of the biggest dilemmas you’ll face is the whole topic of engineered wood flooring. Engineered wood flooring is a superb wood flooring option that is often misunderstood.
In this article we want to help demystify some of the confusion over engineered wood flooring.
First things first
If you’re reading this article, the chances are that you’re not someone who thinks that engineered wood flooring is just like laminate. But just to be clear – it’s not! Engineered wood flooring is made from wood products and topped off with solid wood. Laminates are typically made from board, images and a clear top coat.
An ingenious core
Engineered wood flooring typically comes in 3, or multi-ply options and in this article we’re going to show you what is meant by multi-layer. Multi-layer engineered wood flooring, as its name suggests is made from multiple layers of ply that are bonded together to form a core board. Typically containing anything from more than 3, up to 12 layers of ply that are glued together, often in a cross-layered structure, the core board of engineered wood flooring is incredibly strong.
When engineered wood flooring core boards are made, ply is either sandwiched one sheet on top of the other or laid in cross-layers. Either way, what you get is a board that will resist the expansion and contraction that solid wood goes through when exposed to temperature and moisture fluctuations. Why is this important? It’s important because when solid wood expands and contracts it can cause unsightly gaps and even worse, can cause floor boards to cup or bow, which means that your floor will become unsightly and could suffer serious damage in the long run. It’s thanks to the ingenious construction of multi-layer engineered wood flooring core boards that they don’t behave in this way and are therefore safe to fit in the likes of bathrooms or kitchens and even where you have under floor heating.
A stunning top layer
Engineered wood flooring isn’t just about the core board. It looks great too. With a solid layer of your chosen wood securely bonded to the top of that ingenious core board, not only will multi-layer engineered flooring look just like solid wood, it has the potential to last a lifetime too. In situations where you suspect you might need to sand and finish your floor a few times throughout its lifetime, all you need to do is choose a nice thick lamella or top layer.
Versatility
Great looks are what make multi-layer engineered wood flooring really stand out to the eye, but it’s clever engineering that makes it really special. Thanks to its stability, you can use it throughout the home with confidence. Yes, you can even fit it with confidence in bathrooms and kitchens as well as over under floor heating; where solid wood flooring would normally not be recommended.
If you’d like to find out more about multi-layer engineered wood flooring, simply get in touch and one of our team will be happy to help you.
Post time: Sep-22-2022