Hello everyone and welcome to the latest article about home improvement where we are going to discuss everything under the roof – and also your landscaping. This first article is going to be about hardwood and laminate flooring. It’s frustrating when you get multiple people giving you different information when you are trying to get yourself educated. One of the most difficult is the difference between hardwoods and laminates so I am going to take a few moments and break down all the details so you will hopefully be able to make an educated decision when you purchase your next floor.
Solid Hardwood
Solid hardwood is what it sounds like: solid hardwood. Solid hardwood can be made using any species of wood like walnut, birch, pecan and, most commonly, red oak. The wood is cut down and milled in a tongue and groove pattern so it installs easily. You can get solid hardwood prefinished with the stain and protective coatings already applied or you can purchase unfinished raw solid hardwood that will need to be stained and finished on site. By far, solid hardwoods are the most beautiful and timeless floors that you can install. Solid hardwood is extremely popular in the upper northeast of the country but for Arizona, due to our high variation in humidity, solid hardwoods require more maintenance to ensure your investment lasts for multiple generations. Solid hardwoods require a constant humidity level in your home so the hardwood does not expand and contract so much that you end up with gaps along the joints in the wood strips and the stable humidity level will help prevent checking (small hairline cracks in the finish of the floor) of the hardwood finish. Solid hardwoods are extremely beautiful and will last for many generations if they are well maintained and cared for over the years.
Engineered Hardwoods
Engineered hardwoods are still natural hardwood; they are just manufactured differently than using a solid piece of hardwood. Engineered hardwoods are made by taking veneers of approximately a sixteenth of an inch thick and laminating them together. The individual veneers are stacked together so the grain of the wood is going 90 degrees different for each ply, which is called cross graining. The cross graining adds dimensional stability to the wood so the expansion and contraction are reduced, keeping the engineered hardwood from gaping along the joints. The top veneer is made using hardwood like walnut, pecan or red oak so that it looks and feels like solid hardwood. Engineered hardwoods can be milled in the same tongue and groove method as used in solid wood flooring or they can be milled so they can click together. Because of the high variation of humidity levels in Arizona, engineered wood floors are a great option to capture the beauty of real hardwood without having to worry so much about maintaining a constant humidity level. I would still encourage you to keep your home at a comfortable temperature so the engineered wood stays nice and happy. Because engineered hardwoods are real wood, you will not lose any of the variations and contrasts and most come in random lengths to again get the authenticity we all crave.
Laminate Floors
Laminate floors are not natural hardwood and are made using a picture or artist’s rendition of a species of hardwood and glued to a high-density fiber board. The fiber board is then milled so the finished product can be clicked together. The click method of installation will require a moisture barrier to be installed underneath the laminate floors. Laminates have gotten a bad reputation because they sound hollow or have a tapping sound when you walk around. By spending a little bit more on the moisture barrier you can get a sound barrier that will minimize the hollow or tapping sound. Laminates are a great product and with the improved technology today, the looks are very realistic and have fooled a number of people into thinking they are real hardwood. Laminate can also come in tile and stone looks so they are a bit more versatile when it comes to design. The one thing to remember is that laminates are always installed as a floating floor so you will need to have the baseboard removed and replaced or you will need to add quarter round so the expansion gaps are covered.
Well, I hope this brief description of the differences between solid hardwood, engineered hardwood and laminate has helped you to make a better decision about what floor will work best for your project. As always, please don’t hesitate to reach out and ask any question you may have. I would be more than happy to get you an answer. Thanks for reading and look for our next article where we will cover all things paint and review some great tips and tricks to get that professional look. Until next month, this is Shack to Mansion, where we go over everything under the roof and also your landscaping. QCBN
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