Engineered Hardwood Flooring vs. Solid
In case you are looking for a simple way to improve your home in Katy, then you can count on hardwood. In addition, this specific type of flooring has proven to be very durable and has excellent ROI (return of investment). However, hardwood flooring is a broad term and every homeowner should know that there are different types of hardwood flooring. The most commonly used types in Texas are engineered hardwood flooring and solid hardwood flooring. Before we compare these types of flooring it is the best idea to provide a description.
Engineered hardwood flooring Katy TX
Engineered hardwood consists of separate wood fibers or multiple layers of food bonded together with the help of sophisticated technology. This type of flooring is popular due to its durability, excellent performance and ability to be used in almost any place of the home. it can also withstand the challenges of almost any climate.
Solid hardwood flooring
Typical solid hardwood flooring is made from single piece of hardwood. Depending on the level of humidity in the home, this hardwood flooring expands and shrinks and contracts. This is the reason why installers leave some space between the floor and the walls. Most solid hardwood flooring is about ¾ inches thick.
Now that we know more about these flooring let’s compare their performance.
When it comes to installation, engineered hardwood is usually better than solid hardwood.
Solid hardwood is usually installed over plywood subfloor and placing this subfloor requires time (and money). On top of that, installers use special adhesives. On the other hand, engineer hardwood flooring can be glued directly on the concrete subfloor. Some installers use so-called floating technique to install this floor.
Even though the installation process goes in favor of engineered hardwood flooring, the situation is a little bit different when we talk about maintenance. Many people in Katy don’t think much about maintenance when they are looking for hardwood floors, but they should know that proper maintenance can extend the durability and performance of their floor. Every type of hardwood floor can be sanded and refinished after some period of time and the homeowners will get a floor that looks as almost as good as new one. In this way they are able to remove the scratches and other minor damages to the floor. However, solid hardwood flooring can be treated in this way for many times while engineered flooring can’t. Of course, you can sand it and refinish it too, but only a couple of time because if you do it more the first layer will be stripped.
As we all know, wood is a completely natural product and this is one of the reasons why many residents of Texas prefer this material in their homes. However, this material reacts on changes of temperatures and weather and you should be prepared for this. These changes are more visible in solid hardwood flooring ant it is not unusual for this flooring to buckle, gap, crown or cup when the humidity is too high or low or during drastic changes of temperature. Engineered hardwood flooring is more resistant.
So, both hardwood and engineered hardwood have advantages and disadvantages and whatever option you choose make sure that the flooring is installed by true professionals like the ones from Glamour Flooring.
