Hardwood Flooring Click
Kahrs Oak Dome - Habitat Collection
$USD 4.81 Details
Finding the best engineered wood flooring can be challenging sometimes...
The offer is huge and every sales person claims theirs is the best.
No wonder the task seem overwhelming and a bit intimidating.
But if you know the insights of the wood flooring business, choosing the right type it will be a walk in the park.
So, let's take a deeper look into the issue and find out how to pick the best engineered wood flooring out of the bunch.
Beautiful Floors Make Beautiful Homes
What Makes Engineered Flooring Good?
If you've decided to buy engineered flooring you are probably aware of its strengths. When choosing the best engineered wood flooring for your home, you should always have them in mind.
Versatility
A good engineered flooring should be versatile. Out of all the wood flooring products on the market, engineered is the most versatile and the best engineered wood flooring should always have this quality.
Resistance to wear is also equally important. Look for a product with a top layer made out of a strong essence. Engineered flooring is not cheap so, before you buy it make sure it will last a long time.
Maximum Sanding Layer
Regardless of how strong the top layer is, eventually you will have to sand it.
Maybe you'll decide to change its color, maybe is because of wear issues, scratches from moving furniture around the home etc.
Regardless of the reason, the floor will have to be sanded at one point and the thicker the wear layer, the more sanding sessions you will get out of it. Generally speaking you should not buy a product that has less than 1/8'' wear layer.
Resistance to Environmental Changes
This one goes hand in hand with the versatility. Engineered flooring was invented because of the need for a wooden product that will not buckle or shrink under normal environmental changes.
Unlike hardwood that has a lot of movement as seasons change, engineered shouldn't. The best engineered floors will always resist the test of moisture changes in your home.
Formaldehyde, a component in the adhesive used by some flooring manufacturers, is a known VOC, which means it will slowly evaporate in the air putting you and your family in harm's way?
How Many Layers in a Board?
The number of layers that make an engineered flooring board vary from one manufacturer to another. Understanding the importance of this aspect is essential in picking the best engineered wood flooring product.
Its versatility, durability and resistance to moisture changes will all depend on it. The basic concept behind the engineered flooring is that, few layers of wood will be glued together in an overlapping pattern in order to prevent excessive shrinkage or expansion.
The reason for that is simple: the overlapping pattern will ensure that each layer will try to move in a different direction than the one it was glued to, therefore holding each other in place, with little or no movement at all for the flooring board.
This is why, the higher the number of layers, the better. As a general idea, if you want a good engineered product you should never settle for less then five layers in a board.
The Adhesive that Keeps it Together
Cheap engineered flooring uses cheap adhesives, while the best engineered wood flooring will always use a strong, free of harmful chemicals glue. Look for a product that uses formaldehyde free adhesive as a bonding agent.
Formaldehyde is a known VOC, which means it will slowly evaporate in the air putting you and your family in harm's way?
If you want the best engineered wood flooring, make sure you ask this question and choose a manufacturer that uses a good quality adhesive.
Warranty
Warranty is important and a good product will always have a strong warranty behind it.
In the case of engineered flooring a good warranty will have a minimum of 25 years.
Understand your warranty, ask questions about it and demand clear answers. Make sure you understand beforehand what will void your warranty.
How much is the best engineered wood flooring?
This question is hard to answer since there are so many variables about it.
Your markets, the demand at the time of purchase, the country of origin are all factors that will influence the final price.
But if you really want the best, don't expect it to be cheap.
Let's Sum it Up Now
So, to sum things up, these are the characteristics of the best engineered wood flooring:
• It is versatile
• It has a thick wear layer, 1/8'' or more • It is resistant to environmental changes
• It is made out of a minimum of five layers of wood
• It uses a free of VOC bonding agent
• It has a minimum of 25 years warranty
• And ultimately, but not the least important, it doesn't come cheap.
Make sure your floor meet these requirements, hire a qualified contractor to install it and you will have the long lasting, beautiful floor you've always dreamed about.
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