4 Things No One Told you About Engineered Wood Flooring

Hello World!  Welcome Friends!  Engineered hardwood has quickly becoming a preferred choice for homeowners looking for quality hardwood flooring that are less expensive than solid wood but provides better durability.

Engineered hardwood has plenty of benefits but also has its drawbacks. There are lots of articles comparing engineered wood with solid wood or laminate or the ever popular Luxury Vinyl.

However, there are a few things you don’t hear from your supplier or installer that are key to deciding whether to use engineered wood flooring. Gohaus design offers some of the very best Engineered Wood in the market today.

Here are 4 things no one told you about but we definitely think you should know.

1. After installation, you cannot tell the difference between Solid wood and Engineered Wood

Yes, this is true.

Engineered Woods consists of several layers with the veneer made from real hardwood. Therefore, after the flooring is installed, you cannot tell the difference between solid and engineered planks. Engineered Woods offers many variance and exotic species giving the option to select from an array of gorgeous looking wood flooring. All at a discount compared to solid wood because the veneer is much thinner than traditional hardwood flooring.

High-quality engineered floors with thick veneers and quality substrate can be refinished a few times, giving your wood flooring the same aesthetics as solid wood flooring once installed.

2.  When it comes to veneers, thicker is not always better.

You should note that wood stability varies depending upon veneer thickness, species, construction design, and climate.

In the design of Engineered wood flooring one layer balances the next. Hence, if the core is not effectively balance with the veneer, the stronger layer will sooner than later prevail and cause the layers to strain, flex and bend.

Also, some wood species are basically prone to cracking if the veneer is too thick. For exotic species, this can be an issue if the oil in the veneer reacts with the adhesives required to bond the wood plies together. With thinner veneers, oil yield is less; therefore it can be more effective for long term durability of the flooring.

3.  Engineered Wood cannot be used in all environments

Contrary to what most people believe, Engineered Wood cannot be used in all environments that are exposed to excess moisture, heat and condensation. Although Engineered Wood still maintains its dimensional stability when exposed to moisture, it’s recommended that the moisture content of the concrete does not exceed 4% and that your slab is dry.

For environments like basements with higher relative humidity due to being under the ground. It is recommended to use a floating engineered wood floor which allows the use of a 4-6-mil plastic vapour barrier in any areas where there is slightly higher moisture conditions.

4.  Not all Brands of Engineered Wood flooring is the same

Like anything else you buy, there can be big differences in quality.

Some manufacturers try to cut corners by using low quality wood with low grade and cheaper bonding glues for their ply layers. Thus, their milling could be off and their finish quality poor. I generally suggest buying well-known brands sold by GoHaus designs. GoHaus has tons of engineered hardwood flooring options with various color options in almost every popular wood species.

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