| Wood flooring has always been very popular. Wood | | | | engineered wood floors which are just 3/8 to 5/8 of |
| flooring has a formal, beautiful and warm look that is | | | | an inch, allowing them to be installed on existing |
| ideal for all kinds of rooms. They are also | | | | floors. |
| eco-friendly, affordable and the best part is that | | | | Engineered wood flooring is available in finished as well |
| there is a lot of variety available. Wood floors are | | | | as pre-finished forms. Pre-finished engineered wood |
| also relatively easy to maintain. Additionally, wood | | | | flooring is very popular since it is very easy to install. |
| floors increase the value of a house and are | | | | All the sanding and finishing is done in the factory |
| therefore an investment. These days, wood flooring | | | | itself. The quality of the finish and the thickness of |
| is being done in unique and custom designs like | | | | the wear layer are important aspects to be |
| borders, medallions, hand-distressing, painting, mixed | | | | considered. Engineered wood floors are also |
| media, stain and exotic wood. | | | | categorized as parquet (series of flooring pieces |
| Engineered wood floors are made from layers of | | | | arranged in a geometric design); plank hardwood |
| wood that are pressed and glued together. Each | | | | flooring (linear and wider planks of wood); and strip |
| layer is stacked on the other in a cross-grain | | | | (linear flooring that is not as wide) styles. |
| configuration and then pressed using heat and | | | | Engineered flooring is available as tongue-and-groove |
| pressure. The thickness of this kind of wood varies | | | | strips. There are also longer panels available for |
| greatly. Three- and five-ply flooring are the most | | | | floating type of installations. Here, the boards are |
| common engineered wood flooring. | | | | glued to one another and not to the substrate. The |
| Engineered wood flooring is suitable where solid wood | | | | beauty of engineered floors depends upon the wear |
| flooring is not, including basements, kitchens, utility | | | | layer, which is actually the veneer. The veneer ranges |
| rooms and powder rooms that are likely to be moist | | | | from around 1/12 of an inch to ¼ of an inch. |
| or those which have high traffic. These floors can | | | | Engineered floors can also be abraded and recoated. |
| endure changes in humidity and temperature | | | | Flat-cut veneers look better than rotary-cut veneers |
| effectively and can thus be installed at any level in | | | | though they are more expensive and rare. |
| the house. Another advantage is the thickness of | | | | |