Archive for February, 2012

It is a common practice to consider replacing interior flooring during remodeling or refurbishment work. Fitting wood as the basis for the floor is a popular consideration, but also a complicated one due to the many options. We have therefore put together a guide that lists the various options and considerations.

What are your options then?     

Solid Or Engineered Wood:

To the unsuspected eye, all-wood flooring must look alike. However, in reality, there are two types of wood flooring and the first consideration is to choose one over the other. The most common type is solid wood flooring also referred to as ‘real wood flooring’, though not entirely accurate. These are made from complete wood and vary in their grade. Their solid structure offers property owners fantastic durability (up to 100 years of service life), though there are two disadvantages for using solid wood that may make them unsuitable in your property:

Price – Because 100% wood is used in the production of solid wood flooring, they are dearer compared to the alternative.

Expansion / Contraction – Wood has a natural tendency to react by expanding or contracting when the temperature changes. Solid floors having been made from complete natural wood will inherit this reaction. In cold temperature the floor may contract and logically the other way around in warm conditions.

The alternative is therefore another type of ‘real wood flooring’ called engineered wood flooring. Real wood is still used, but only on the top layer, whilst the core is made from three to four layers of plywood, MDF and softwood. The result is a type of wood flooring that looks like solid flooring, however more affordable and immune to expansion and contraction, though there are two disadvantages for using engineered wood that may make them unsuitable in your property. Read the rest of this entry »

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