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Engineered Or Solid?

Engineered or Solid?

Engineered Oak Flooring was introduced in the 1970’s making it relatively new in the world of wood flooring and is foolishly dismissed by many as not being ‘real’ wood. At UK Wood Floors, we’re in no doubt that for us, engineered wood IS real wood!

While engineered wood flooring isn’t made entirely from solid wood, it is made from a high degree of real wood and boasts a quality.
If you’re one of the doubters when it comes to deciding between solid wood flooring and engineered wood flooring, let us reassure you. In this blog, we’ll briefly describe how engineered floor boards are constructed, why they’re such an attractive alternative to solid wood flooring and why you should completely dismiss any thoughts that they’re not REAL wood!

Engineered wood flooring – in a nutshell!
Engineered wood flooring is a relatively new addition to the wood flooring range of options available and has truly revolutionised how and where wood flooring can be used. Although it’s a man-made product, it is still made of real wood. Made by bonding together layers of different woods and topping them off with a solid wood top layer, it has all the great looks of solid wood but a whole host of additional benefits.
Engineered oak flooring is specially designed to provide maximum strength and durability. Each plank is constructed of a hardwood top layer, multi-plywood core and a supporting layer – which are bound together under extremely high pressure. Once installed, this results in a floor which has the appearance, sturdiness & longevity of a solid oak floor, yet has improved support from beneath, providing greater stability. This is particularly beneficial when used in conjunction with underfloor heating systems, or where a ‘floating’ floor installation is preferred.
Why is engineered wood flooring so sought after?
Engineered wood flooring is highly sought after because it can withstand temperature and moisture fluctuations in a way that solid wood simply can’t. The construction of the core board of engineered wood flooring means that it hardly bats and eyelid when temperatures and moisture levels rise and fall.
When wood is out in its natural environment it can expand and contract to its heart’s content, but when it has been cut into flooring planks, this expansion and contraction can cause havoc.
The very fact that engineered wood flooring doesn’t expand and contract in the same way that solid wood flooring does, means that it can safely be used in bathrooms and kitchens, as well as over under floor heating. Normally, any of these environments would be out of bounds for solid wood flooring, but engineered wood flooring can not only deal with them, but will stand up to them with pretty much no problem at all.
Why this stuff is better than Solid?
So, what all this means is that “Yes!”, engineered wood is real wood and more than that, it not only looks the part, but it behaves in such a way that you can use it with confidence that not only will it look great, but it will stand up to more or less everything you choose to throw at it.
• Choice of species. You get the species you want. There’s a whole range of species of engineered wood available so you can choose the species that suits your project best of all.
• Selection of grades. You get the grade of wood you want. Again available in a range of grades, you can choose the grade that suits your desires and your budget.
• Great range of colours. You get the colour you want. No matter whether you’re seeking a light and airy washed white look or a Nitro Ebony, sultry look, with engineered wood you can have it.
• Plenty of different finishes. You get the finish you want. From natural looking brushed and oiled, to highly polished lacquer, when it comes to finish, the choice really is yours.
• A long lasting flooring solution, real engineered wood lasts for years and years if you treat it right. In fact, you can even re-sand and re-finish it if you find it’s starting to look tired after a few years.
• Great looks. With styles to suit every taste, there truly is an engineered wood flooring solution for everyone. Why not take a few minutes to browse our range?
• Great prices. With prices at every level of the wood flooring price spectrum, there is no need to ignore engineered wood flooring because you think it might be expensive.

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