Any hardwood floor can be a great investment as it adds a natural, timeless appeal to your property, along with warmth and luxury.
Engineered hardwood flooring is an excellent alternative to solid hardwood flooring as it has more dimensional strength, can be less costly. Set the ambience and character of you home or commercial premises with the timber look.
Engineered wood flooring is constructed in such a way that it provides better stability and resistance to expansion and contraction due to temperature and moisture. The exciting part is that it looks like solid wood flooring as the top layer is real, solid wood but it then has a plywood base construction underneath. The top layer of hardwood runs perpendicular to the plywood base, which creates the strength and stability of the flooring by allowing it to react to changes in temperature and humidity, meaning that it can be used with underfloor heating and in rooms that significantly change in temperature, such as conservatories and utility rooms.
As the top layer is real wood, engineered hardwood flooring can be found in a wide range of species, colours and finishes, just like solid wood flooring. It is usually found in fixed lengths, but is available in different thickness ranging from 12.5mm – 22mm.
Because engineered hardwood flooring is dimensionally stable, it also means that it can be installed in a number of different lay patterns, including: nailed or screwed down, glued down using flexible flooring adhesive or floated over an underlay.
The main advantages of engineered hardwood flooring are that it is:
Less costly than solid hardwood flooring
Difficult to tell apart from solid wood flooring once installed
Has a real layer of wood on top (unlike laminate flooring)
More resistant to fluctuations in temperature and humidity than solid wood flooring
A stable product so can be installed in a variety of ways to suit your property and preference, e.g. loose laid over an underlay
Compatible with underfloor heating
Mostly found with a click fitting system, making it quick and easy to install
Available in different wood species, styles, colours, finishes and plank widths
The top layer (wear layer) can be sanded and re-finished if necessary
