engineered wood flooring

In today’s homes, wood flooring is still quite popular, however traditional hardwood floors are beginning to take a back seat to Engineered Wood Floors. Engineered wood flooring is an alternative to hardwood that is made entirely out of real wood. It is currently the most popular style of flooring on the market today.

The difference between engineered wood and hardwood is that engineered wood flooring is made with a plywood core substrate and real hardwood veneer or “skin”. The top veneer, which looks just like the top of a traditional wood plank, is called the lamella. Some engineered wood is made up of small pieces of milled timber running perpendicular to the lamella. This can be made with an additional layer of plywood running parallel to the lamella, which gives it added stability. The current development of engineered wood flooring has been available since the 1960s, and has steadily increased in quality over the years, which has lead to some improved advantages over hardwood flooring.

Engineered wood flooring is meant to be indistinguishable from traditional hardwood floor once it is installed. (I can certainly speak for this, as a home inspector when trying to describe the type of flooring present in a home, it is increasingly difficult to determine whether or not the floor is hardwood or engineered wood after it is installed. Sometimes, I catch a break and see some extra planks leftover in the attic, and I can easily identify the engineered wood that way, but that stroke of luck is not always the case. So I can certainly attest to engineered wood’s desire to resemble true hardwood is working quite well). The lamella veneers are made from nearly every type of common wood, as well as many exotic ones, in order to provide the same variety of aesthetics that are typical of quality hardwood floors. The substrate that the lamella is attached to is just as strong (if not stronger) and durable as hardwood. The finish applied at the factory often outlasts the finish that is applied on site to hardwood floors. Surface effects can even be applied to engineered wood flooring finishes, that can create that “rustic” or “worn” look that so many homeowners desire today.

What is the cost of engineered wood?
Engineered wood typically runs from the low end of about $3 per square foot to the high end of about $15 a square foot and more. To judge the quality of the flooring, check the thickness of the lamella, the number of layers in the substrate, and the number of finish coats. Usually, the more layers, the better the quality. The number of layers can vary, ranging from 3-ply (five finish coats, 1-2mm wear layer, 10-15 year warranty) all the way up to 7-ply (seven finish coats, 3+mm wear layer, 25+ year warranty). The cost of engineered wood flooring can be, on average, about 20% more than that of traditional flooring, but the difference can be offset by saving on installation, staining, and sealing (saving you money in the total cost after installation).

Installation
It is relatively simple to install engineered wood flooring compared to traditional hardwood. It can also be accomplished by the homeowner without the help of a professional flooring contractor (more savings!). Engineered wood can be fastened in place with screws or nails, glued down, or left to float (relying on its mass to hold it in place). Here are several installation methods described:

• ​A bead of glue can be applied to the tongue of each board, which is then tapped into place with a block. The floor “floats” unattached to the subfloor, except by force or gravity. Sometimes when you are walking on the floor and hear a hollow sound, or a portion of the floor is raised, it is because it was installed using this method.
  
• A floor stapler and compressor can be used to rapidly secure the boards to the existing floor, without having to use any glue.
  
• Boards can be laid in a bed of adhesive, very similar to how tile flooring is installed. This method works particularly well over cured concrete (very common here in Louisiana), which eliminates the need for staples.
• Some types of engineered wood are designed with milled tongues and grooves that locK together without glue or fasteners. This is the quickest and cleanest installation method.

All in all, while solid hardwood is a fantastic, traditional flooring material that provides aesthetically pleasing and structurally sound flooring, it does hav its limitations. The biggest limitation in our area is that it cannot be installed directly on concrete. It is also limited in plank width and is more prone to having gaps between planks and cupping. On the flip side, engineered wood flooring has plenty of advantages: the lamella veneer is available in dozens of different wood species, surface effects can be applied to further enhance its appearance, the factory finish can outlast the site-applied finish of hardwood, drying time for the finish is completely eliminated because the engineered wood finish already dried at the factory, the core layer can expand and contract more freely without warping, and it can also be removed and re-installed elsewhere if desired.

Engineered wood is increasingly becoming the leader of the pack in flooring installations on new builds and remodels, and homeowners who love those DIY projects can usually install it themselves, which adds to it’s appeal.







Source: InterNACHI