Top Tips for Buying Engineered Oak Flooring

But don't worry, we've got the answers to all of your questions ready for you. Everything you need to know to make an educated selection for your house is provided without the use of jargon. The greatest brands for every taste are also included here.

Solid, engineered, and laminate flooring all have different characteristics. What's the difference?

With a solid wood top layer, engineered flooring is made out of layers of plywood that have been glued together. Engineered flooring has a lower expansion and contraction rate than solid wood, making it a better choice for damp or hot environments like bathrooms or kitchens. It may also be utilized with underfloor heating.

As co-founder Daniel Bloom points out, unlike solid boards, which must stay on site for at least a week before being fitted, the Ecora system requires no pre-fitting acclimatization time. Additionally, laminate flooring may be used, which is constructed from compressed fiber board planks with a photographic picture of wood and a protective layer.

Is reused wood something I should consider?

Absolutely! Reclaimed wood floors, according to Ted Todd's creator Robert Walsh, have an allure that is difficult to describe and impossible to imitate. Engineered or solid reclaimed wood flooring, whether engineered or solid, not only provides the timber a new lease of life, but also saves the need for further trees to be harvested, therefore it has the lowest environmental effect of any floor covering.'

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a floor with a wood grain

In this Barcelona apartment, Katty Schiebeck used herringbone as an interior design element.

In the film, Katty Schiebeck is the protagonist.

Wood flooring may be installed in a variety of ways.

The most common method of floor repair is tongue and groove. It is secret nailed, secret screwed (the nail or screw travels through the tongue and is invisible from the surface), bonded directly onto the subfloor, or may be floated over an underlay.

Solid wood flooring cannot be installed using today's click-fit wooden boards, which join two planks together with an audible 'click.'

How are parquet flooring installed?

From the center of the room, outwards. Herringbone, brick bond, and diagonal basket weave are the most common designs. The method of installation is unaffected by the pattern you choose. In order to allow for future expansion of the parquet, a 12-millimeter gap should be left around the room's perimeter (which will be concealed by the skirting).

a floor made of wood

Parquet flooring made by Havwoods, Inc.

Havwoods

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What kind of wood floor finish should I go with?

Think about the style you want, the location the floor will be used in, and how much upkeep you're willing to put into it before deciding on a finish for your wood. For high-traffic areas, Daniel Bloom of Ecora recommends a lacquered finish that needs little to no upkeep. Scratches are difficult to hide, and the floor normally needs a complete sanding every seven to ten years.' "