What is Engineered Hardwood?
Made from real wood, engineered hardwood can be used for a range of home improvements and commercial uses, including a variety of types of flooring. It can be a lot more affordable than normal hardwood, but the quality can vary depending what type you use.
Tailor made wood
Essentially, engineered hardwood is a way to use odds and ends of wood, chippings, scraps, cut-offs and leftovers or pieces of wood that are mis-shaped and unsuitable for other purposes. The method of constructing engineered hardwood gives the material great stability, which is ideal for floating floors or for directly placing onto timber sub floors. Because of this, many DIY enthusiasts choose this as a preferred option for flooring.
Each type of engineered flooring wood comes in different shades and finishes. For example, oak wide plank comes in Sorrento rustic and numerous other shades and patterns. Beech engineered flooring comes in beech finishes and patterns and maple engineered flooring also comes in a choice of finishes. Of course with all the engineered flooring products, the look varies between lacquered and oiled wood finishes. There are also wood protection finishes such as staining.
Because engineered wood is man made, it can be designed for a range of conditions and uses. With the use of engineered wood for floors, several woodpiles are glued together. Ranging from 3 to 7 inches wide and in a choice of hardwood species, some types of engineered hardwood?come with a thin wear layer for added protection. Other brands of engineered hardwood floor can be sanded. The life span of engineered hardwood floors can be up to 100 years.
Engineered hardwood can be manufactured in two ways. The top surface wear layer can be sliced or sawn from the log, giving an engineered hardwood floor that has a more authentic wood look and graining. Engineered hardwood floors can also be rotary cut, with the hardwood wear layer peeled off the log using lathes. This way of making engineered hardwood floors can show much wilder graining.
