Monday, January 26, 2015

Why Choose Engineered Hardwood vs. Solid Hardwood Flooring?

Hardwood flooring is an easy way to improve the look, durability and value of your home. When it comes to hardwood flooring in Madison, Wisconsin, you have many different options to choose from. The color choices are endless and you will need to choose between engineered flooring or solid wood. What's the difference you might ask? Floors for Less is here to help you understand the differences!

Solid Hardwood Flooring


Solid wood is single piece of thick wood. Solid wood flooring will expand and contract with changes in your home's relative humidity. To compensate for this movement, solid wood flooring is typically installed by leaving an expansion gap between the floor and the wall. Base molding or quarter round can be used to hide this extra space.

Engineered Hardwood Flooring


Engineered wood on the otherhand, is produced with 3-5 different layers of hardwood. Each layer is stakced in a cross-grain configuration and bonded together under heat and pressure. As a result, this type of flooring is less likely to be affected by changes in humidity.

Why Engineered? 


The greatest advantage of Wisconsin engineered flooring is that it is more stable in "un-stable" climates compared to solid wood floors. Generally, engineered flooring can be installed over concrete, as well as wood sub-floors. For many customers, due to their sub-floors, it is the only flooring option for them. Engineered flooring, like all things in life, is available in quality flooring, as well as bargain sub-quality flooring. Since there is less need to sand your hardwood flooring than in the past, the thinner hardwood surface layer that is common with engineered flooring can and will last a long time. This is, however, dependent upon the individual product.

With today's moderate use of climate control systems (air conditioning and humidity systems) the biggest problem facing hardwood flooring is abrasion of the urethane finish. There are various degrees of finish and all are not equal. Depending on th amount of wear from kids, cats and dogs, all that is usually needed is a simple buff and recoat process. The urethane is lightly roughed up and then the new coat is applied. The wood is never sanded, thus the need for solid flooring is not as important as years gone by.

In general, engineered floors are more stable than solid hardwood floors. So when extra wide boards are desirable, engineered flooring presents a big advantage! To learn more about what flooring option best fits your needs, contact Floors for Less at 608-442-1200. Get good Madison flooring at a great price when you choose Floors for Less!

For all your flooring needs, contact the BEST flooring company in Madison, WI


1017 Applegate Rd., Suite 200
Madison, WI 53713
Phone: 608-442-1200

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1 comment:

  1. It is very difficult to choose the one, as both are best in their way. To change the complete look of our home you can choose according to the area and budget. I got engineered hardwood flooring installed easily from http://www.pcwoodfloors.com/ at less cost that adds more warmth, character and value to my place. As this floor is highly resistance to moisture and tends to be more stable when compared with others. Hope you like my suggestion.

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