| Carpet can become boring - and dirty - as flooring, | | | | Some hardwoods are referred to as "engineered." If |
| and if you're looking to switch over to hardwood | | | | you're imagining synthetic flooring along the lines of |
| flooring, adding a domestic or exotic wood to your | | | | plywood, engineered hardwood flooring is actually |
| home is certainly affordable. But, different types of | | | | made from 100-percent natural wood, only the |
| hardwoods exist - and not just the species used. | | | | composition includes two types. A piece of |
| Often, hardwoods are described as being "solid" or | | | | engineered hardwood includes the natural wood on |
| "engineered," and "laminate" is another option. If | | | | top, with a piece about 5/16ths of an inch thick, and |
| you're unsure about the differences and benefits of | | | | nine-ply birch on the bottom at 5/8ths of an inch. |
| each, here's some information about these three | | | | While still being all natural wood, the combination of |
| different types. Of course, some hardwoods may be | | | | birch on the bottom allows you to add hardwood |
| better than others for your home, particularly if you | | | | flooring near a heat source without it warping or |
| have concrete or a radiant heat source directly below | | | | expanding. Solid hardwood, on the other hand, cannot |
| your floor. | | | | be placed near a heat source. |
| Solid hardwood describes flooring that is made with | | | | Laminate is another term for hardwood flooring. |
| 100-percent wood - and one wood only. Usually cut | | | | Unlike solid and engineered hardwoods, however, |
| from the center of a tree, solid hardwood flooring is | | | | laminate contains no natural wood. Instead, laminate |
| fully one type of wood. Whether you're looking for a | | | | flooring is made from high-density particle board with |
| domestic species like white oak or hickory or an | | | | a photographic image of the wood on top. Sealing it |
| exotic one like Brazilian cherry, any wood listed as | | | | on both sides is melamine or resin-cellulose. For |
| solid hardwood has no alteration. Although pre-finished | | | | realism, many types of laminate flooring add texture |
| solid hardwood is a possibility, the actual composition | | | | details and even a core designed to sound like |
| of the wood has not changed in any way, regardless | | | | authentic hardwood. If natural wood simply is not an |
| of whether you can afford clear - the highest - or | | | | option for your home, adding laminate will give your |
| cabin grade - the lowest, also called "character" - | | | | floors the look of natural hardwood. |
| flooring. | | | | |