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Engineered Hardwood Floors
Engineered hardwood floors are wood floors that consist of three to seven layers of sealed laminated wood with the top visible layer being that of a desired species of hardwood such as oak, maple, teak, etc. Because of how the layers are placed, the stability of engineered wood floors is more stable than that of solid hardwood floors, meaning that they do not swell or contract as much as the solid hardwood floors. In addition, engineered floors can be installed on dry concrete and below-grade. Many people want the warmth, style, and atmosphere of solid hardwood floors, but are not happy with the limited areas in which they can be installed. Solid hardwood floors cannot be installed in areas that have high humidity on dried concrete slabs or below grade as this can cause them to swell or cup. Engineered hardwood floors are an attractive solution to these environmental changes, in that engineered floors because of their construction are more stable. The only drawback to engineered floors is that because the top layer is thin, they can only be refinished once. Engineered hardwood floors consist of two main elements, which are the top layer and the core. The core is usually constructed of stacked layers of medium or high-density fiberboard. However, the core can also be 3-ply to 7-ply plywood construction. It is this stacking design, which counteract the effects of humidity on the natural wood, by permitting each individual board to expand and contract without warping or cupping. The top layer of the engineered hardwood floors is a thin layer of real wood in the desired species, such as maple, oak, etc. Engineered floors are in fact REAL wood floors; just as solid hardwood floors, are real wood. The only difference is that during the winter when the heat has dried out the wood flooring, with engineered floors, you will not have huge gaps between the planks and in the summer, the floors will not be cupped. With engineered hardwood flooring, you have the beauty or solid hardwood floors with the functionality, and toughness of a stabilizing core system.
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