Solid Wood Flooring and Engineered Wood Flooring - A Brief Introduction

Until the 1960s, wood was considered the best choice for flooring. At that time, several factors combined to replace hardwood. First, nylon-tufted carpets hit the market and the cost of wall-to-wall carpets dropped by nearly half. Then, in 1965, the carpet was approved for homes with FHA-backed mortgages. Lastly, during the winter of 1972–73 when heavy snow in the north and heavy rain in the south stopped logging. With no new raw material, the price of wood flooring hit the roof. Hardwood flooring production went from over 1 billion sq. ft. in 1955 to about 99 million sq. ft. in 1975.

Today, wood is again becoming the floor covering of choice. Unlike carpet, wood flooring can easily last the lifetime of a home, and its durability is coupled with beauty and warmth. It is both renewable and recyclable. Normal maintenance is sweeping or vacuuming. Stains can easily be cleaned from it, and wood flooring does not collect dirt and contaminants that may have adverse health effects. With wood species and products in every price range, more wood flooring options are available than ever before. Today’s finishes are more durable and the adhesives are stronger. In addition to traditional solid hardwood, we now have prefinished engineered wood floors, which combine the stability of plywood with the durability of hardwood.

Two Basic Choices in Wood Flooring

You have got two basic choices when it comes to wood flooring; solid wood flooring or engineered wood flooring. And each of these types comes unfinished or prefinished. The flooring you will ultimately choose is dependent on several factors, including price, wood species, ease of installation, the type of subfloor, and the room itself.

Solid Wood­ Flooring

Solid wood flooring has been popular ever since colonial-era cabins gave way to more proper homes. Even today, houses with wood floors have a high price and they sell faster than homes without them. Solid wood flooring offers a variety of designs and finishing options, comes in many species, and is easily repaired and refinished. In addition, a properly maintained wood floor can easily last several generations.

Unfinished Solid Wood Flooring

Solid-wood flooring is easily available in both unfinished and prefinished varieties. Traditional unfinished hardwood-strip flooring is the most popular wood floor installed nowadays. It’s affordable and attractive, and you can choose to stain it in any color of your choice or leave it in its natural color and form. However, unfinished wood requires sanding, staining (if preferred), and the application of a clear final finish.

Prefinished Wood Flooring

Prefinished wood flooring costs more than unfinished flooring, but it is gaining popularity because it doesn’t require sanding or finishing. As soon as the last floorboard is installed, you can nail up the baseboard and move in the furniture. Prefinished flooring also comes in thinner planks than unfinished flooring, which creates less trouble when changing from one space to the next.

Solid Wood Flooring in Bathroom, Laundry & Basement

Solid-wood flooring is suitable for almost any room in the house, but it’s best to avoid moisture-prone areas, such as bathrooms and laundries. It also should not be used in below-grade locations, such as basements and in other underground rooms.

Solid Wood Floors in Kitchen

Putting wood floors in kitchens has been a popular trend for the past decade or so, especially in homes with open floor plans where the kitchen, dining room, and adjacent hallway all run together. To protect the floor from unavoidable stains, splashes, wear spots, and dents, it is better to lay water-resistant mats or rugs in front of the cooking counters and refrigerator. Another option is to install a distressed floor; its rustic appearance will hide minor stains and scratches.

Wood Flooring Strips, Planks, and Parquets

Wood flooring is commonly available in narrow strips, wide planks, and parquet squares or triangles. Traditional 2 ¼ inches wide oak strip is by far the most popular type, but 5 to 6-inch wide planks are more common than ever before, especially in large rooms, such as living rooms, family rooms, and great rooms. Parquet flooring comes in the shape of tiles or can be custom-made from individual strips of wood. Parquet flooring is a type of wood flooring made from small blocks or strips of wood. It is a geometric mosaic of wood species used for decorative effects in flooring. Parquet is ideal for creating eye-catching geometric patterns, weaves, and herringbones.

Exotic Woods Floor & Classic Old Looks

In recent years, hand-scraped, rustic, and classic old-world looks are becoming increasingly popular. Deeper, richer colors such as cinnamon, toffee, and caramel are popular, too. Exotic woods with unusual grain patterns and colors continue to appeal to many homeowners.

Engineered Wood Flooring

Prefinished engineered wood flooring was introduced to North America in the mid-1980s and quickly became the most popular type of wood flooring due to easy installation and availability at a lower price. It’s composed of three or more wood layers that are glued together into long planks. The top layer is a thin solid-wood veneer, which comes in nearly 20-25 species. Laminated construction creates a floor that’s much more dimensionally stable than solid wood flooring, so it’s less likely to cup, split, shrink, or warp.

Vulnerability to Damage

Engineered wood flooring is also less vulnerable to damage from moisture than solid wood. It can be installed virtually anywhere, including below-grade rooms and directly over a concrete slab. However, it’s important to lay the flooring over the appropriate underlayment. Check with the flooring manufacturer to ensure you’re using the correct underlayment for the subfloor or slab.

Prefinished Engineered Wood Planks Sizes

Most engineered-wood planks measure between 3 – 7 inches wide and 7 – 8 ft. long, and come in thicknesses ranging from about 0.37 in. – 0.75 in. However, it must be kept in mind that although a vast majority of engineered wood flooring comes prefinished, in some parts of the country you can find unfinished planks.

Top Veneer Thickness in Engineered Wood Flooring

While going for engineered wood flooring, make sure that the top veneer is at least ⅛ in. thick, which will allow sanding and refinishing, if necessary. You’ll also notice that the flooring comes in three basic styles: one, two, and three-strip planks. These descriptions refer to the number of veneer strips visible in the top layer. A one-strip plank resembles a single, wide board. A two-strip plank looks like two narrow floorboards. The three-strip plank most closely resembles a traditional hardwood-strip floor; each plank appears to be three narrow boards.

Easy Installation of Engineered Wood Planks

The planks have tongue-and-groove joints milled along all edges and ends. The reason most people love engineered wood flooring is that the planks snap together and “float” over a thin underlayment/subfloor. There’s no nailing or gluing, so installation is quick and neat. And above all, the planks can be laid directly over an existing floor, as long as it’s hard, flat, and in sound condition.

Wood is a renewable resource, but some species take so long to grow and are being harvested so quickly, they are no longer considered sustainable. The best way to ensure that you are buying responsibly harvested wood is to visit Wild Edge Woodcraft. Most of our trees come from the urban forest. The trees that are damaged in neighborhoods either by disease or by storms and occasionally trees that are aged and need to be taken down for safety reasons. We take those trees, bring them to our farm, mill them and make the wood available for your flooring and other projects.