The Benefits of Engineered Wood Flooring

You have two options when it comes to installing wooden flooring in the home. Firstly there’s solid wood flooring. This is typically created with one piece of timber, offering a natural and authentic wooden effect. The second and often the most popular is engineered wood flooring. The question is how does this differ from solid wood and why does it tend to be a more popular choice?

Understanding engineered wood flooring

Engineered wood flooring is made up of various layers. On the top you have a real, solid wood layer. Then underneath that you have various layers of other timber such as MDF. Each layer runs in a different direction, adding an extremely durable effect to the floor. Only the top layer is visible once it has been installed, which means you benefit from a solid wood effect.

So why not just opt for solid wood? Well, engineered flooring comes with a number of benefits over solid wood. It is these benefits that help to make it one of the most popular types of flooring currently available.

The benefits of engineered wooden floors

This type of floor comes with numerous benefits including:

  • More flexibility
  • Great durability
  • Easy installation
  • Easy to repair
  • Wide variety of finishes available

One of the main benefits is the fact that engineered wood flooring can be installed in areas that solid wood flooring can’t be. For example, it is typically suitable to be installed alongside underfloor heating. You will need to check the manufacturer’s instructions for each floor, but generally it shouldn’t be a problem. It is also able to be fitted over concrete. So this gives you a lot more flexibility over where you can install it.

Thanks to the layered construction, engineered wood is also a lot more durable than solid wood. It tends to come with a long-life guarantee and is more resistant to wear and tear.The planks are designed to be easy to install. Unlike solid wood, you can usually install this type of flooring by yourself. You can also use floating floor installation which essentially lets you lay it down without actually fastening it to the floor. This not only speeds up the installation process, but it also enables you to easily move the planks if needed.

Finally, there’s a huge choice of designs available. With solid wood floors, you are pretty limited to the finish you receive. However, you’ll find hundreds of different styles of engineered wood flooring which makes it easy to find something to perfectly fit your home.

It isn’t hard to see why engineered wood floors are so popular. The only thing you really need to avoid when installing this floor in your home is placing it in a high moisture environment. It isn’t suitable for bathroom installation as it can easily warp and swell when exposed to moisture.

Why not take a look at our engineered wooden floors today? We stock a wide variety of designs from some of the industry’s leading manufacturers.