Engineered Hardwood Floors - The Hard Facts
You will find that there is a lot of information on the Internet when it comes to hardwood floors. You can learn about engineered hardwood floors just by putting this phrase into your search engine. This type of flooring is created with three different layers. These layers consist of the hardwood that you choose such as oak, walnut, maple, or cherry along with others. It is also made up of an HDF or plywood layer as well as a hardwood veneer top layer. This is an engineered floor that can resemble all the characteristics that you will find in a real wood floor.
The engineered hardwood floors that you find on the market today are very popular because they are created in order to give the homeowner greater stability. They will be able to resist the heat and moisture problems that you often find with real hardwood flooring. This type of flooring will not swell, split apart, or warp when it is exposed to these conditions. This engineered flooring can last for many years because of its thickness. You will find that the hardwood veneer can be anywhere from 0.6 mm up to 2 mm, which give it that extra stability.
Many people will ask if their engineered hardwood floors will ever lose their beauty and luster? The simple answer to this is "yes", but this is only in rare cases. Almost 95 percent of all hardwood veneer floors will never have to be refinished. This is because of the thickness of the veneer. In special cases, when a floor is damaged, a professional will usually just replace the bad part of the floor. This is why consumers need to know about the Janka Hardness Test. This is a test that will tell the consumer how tough their floor will be when it comes to dents and normal wear and tear.
You will find on the Janka Hardness chart for engineered hardwood floors that Brazilian cherry is the best floor to purchase while Douglas Fir will have the lowest rating. On this chart, the higher the rating, the stronger your floor will be. However, you also have to consider that the higher the rating, the harder it may be for installing the floor. If it is very tough wood, it will take more work if the installation involved staples and nailing. Knowing this information as well as many other aspects of your floor will help you to make an informed decision on the exact floor that you want to purchase for your home.
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