Unfinished hardwood flooring is just one style of flooring for your home. Which style flooring will you choose?
When you’re deciding what type of hardwood flooring to choose, your main options are solid hardwood floors and engineered hardwood floors. There are benefits to each style, so choosing between solid hardwood and engineered hardwood is often decided by taste. Before you make a decision, let’s take a deeper look at each style of hardwood flooring.
Engineered Hardwood Flooring
Engineered hardwood flooring is constructed in an interesting way. It is constructed by bonding three or more plies together with adhesive. This will form one plank, and the top layer will give your hardwood floor its look. Engineered hardwood is dimensionally stable because each ply is stacked on top of the one that is underneath it, in alternating directions. Engineered hardwood flooring doesn’t have the same type of issues as solid hardwood flooring does with moisture, so you can install engineered hardwood on every level. Homeowners love engineered hardwood flooring because it can be harvested from exotic trees. You can find it as prefinished or unfinished options.
Solid Hardwood Floors
Solid hardwood floors are constructed from a single piece of wood that is entirely comprised of the same species of wood. Because it is natural, solid hardwood floors can contract and expand because of the humidity in an environment. This means that solid hardwood should not be installed in places like basements or below grade spaces where it can be affected by excessive moisture. Excessive moisture can cause the wood to cup or buckle. Solid hardwood floors can be harvested from native North American trees, as well as exotic trees. With solid hardwood floors, you can sand them and refinish them many times.
Unfinished Hardwood Floors
After you decide on what type of hardwood floor you want, you will have to decide if you want it unfinished or prefinished. Unfinished hardwood has a protective coat and stain applied to it only after it is installed. This will allow homeowners to have complete customization of the color, and homeowners love this option because they can match it to their trim. Unfinished hardwood will normally cost less for the material itself, but installing it and staining it makes unfinished hardwood more expensive than its initial cost.
Prefinished Hardwood Floors
Before this hardwood arrives at your house, it has been stained and finished at the factory. You will have a ton of different varieties of prefinished wood to choose from, and prefinished hardwood is ready to be used as soon as it is installed. You don’t have to wait for anything to dry like you do with unfinished hardwood floors.
Make the Right Flooring Choice
When you work with John K Eareckson & Co. Flooring, we will ensure you make the right subflooring choice for the beautiful hardwood flooring installed overtop. A great foundation will provide you with excellent flooring for years to come. For a consultation and more information visit us online or give us a call at 410-788-4200. You can also follow us on Facebook, Google+, Twitter, YouTube, and Flickr.