Installing a hardwood floor is a great way to enhance a room and increase the value of your home. Wood flooring is also one of the easiest types of floors to install, and you can install it with tools you're familiar with: drills, saws, and hammers.
For flooring, solid wood has many limitations due to the natural characteristics of wood. Expansion and contraction of wood from moisture and temperature fluctuation puts many dimensional restrictions on solid wood floors. Typically, 5" wide and 3/4" thick boards are the largest that can be manufactured from solid wood without compromising the structure of the flooring .
Laminate is a floor covering that appears similar to hardwood but is made with a plywood or medium density fiberboard ("MDF") core with a plastic laminate top layer. HDF laminate consists of high density fiberboard topped by one or more layers of decorative paper and a transparent protective layer.
In many installations, however, engineered flooring can only withstand a limited number of sandings, versus solid wood, which can be sanded many times. The installation costs of engineered flooring are typically lower than solid flooring.
There are several limitations on solid hardwood that give it a more limited scope of use: solid wood should not be installed directly over concrete, should not be installed below grade (basements) and it should not be used with radiant floor heating.
Over the years, hardwood installation techniques have been refined and innovative sealers and finishes have been introduced to the market. The result is that whenever you install hardwood floor, you can be sure that it will last a lifetime when properly installed and cared for. That, combined with a modern day consumer's desire for an easier to clean alternative to carpet, has led to hardwood flooring's popularity.
Tongue-and-groove is the most common type of hardwood installation system. One side and one end of the plank have a groove, the other side and end have a tongue (protruding wood along an edge's center). The tongue and groove fit snugly together, thus joining or aligning the planks, and are not visible once joined. Tongue-and-groove flooring can be installed by glue-down (both engineered and solid), floating (mostly engineered only), or nail-down (not recommended for most engineered).
For flooring, solid wood has many limitations due to the natural characteristics of wood. Expansion and contraction of wood from moisture and temperature fluctuation puts many dimensional restrictions on solid wood floors. Typically, 5" wide and 3/4" thick boards are the largest that can be manufactured from solid wood without compromising the structure of the flooring .
Laminate is a floor covering that appears similar to hardwood but is made with a plywood or medium density fiberboard ("MDF") core with a plastic laminate top layer. HDF laminate consists of high density fiberboard topped by one or more layers of decorative paper and a transparent protective layer.
In many installations, however, engineered flooring can only withstand a limited number of sandings, versus solid wood, which can be sanded many times. The installation costs of engineered flooring are typically lower than solid flooring.
There are several limitations on solid hardwood that give it a more limited scope of use: solid wood should not be installed directly over concrete, should not be installed below grade (basements) and it should not be used with radiant floor heating.
Over the years, hardwood installation techniques have been refined and innovative sealers and finishes have been introduced to the market. The result is that whenever you install hardwood floor, you can be sure that it will last a lifetime when properly installed and cared for. That, combined with a modern day consumer's desire for an easier to clean alternative to carpet, has led to hardwood flooring's popularity.
Tongue-and-groove is the most common type of hardwood installation system. One side and one end of the plank have a groove, the other side and end have a tongue (protruding wood along an edge's center). The tongue and groove fit snugly together, thus joining or aligning the planks, and are not visible once joined. Tongue-and-groove flooring can be installed by glue-down (both engineered and solid), floating (mostly engineered only), or nail-down (not recommended for most engineered).
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