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How to Choose Between Solid & Engineered Oak Flooring

How do I choose between solid and engineered oak flooring? Not an easy decision if you know little about flooring. This article will remove the mystery. Engineered wood flooring has been with us for a long time but remains a misunderstood wood flooring product. Most who buy engineered oak flooring are completely satisfied with their purchase. Others are skeptical about buying oak engineered flooring because they don’t understand what it is or how it is made.

What is meant by engineered oak flooring and solid oak flooring?

Solid oak flooring is wood flooring made from solid wood. No mystery just solid wood right through the product. Engineered wood flooring conversely is cleverly constructed boards that are effectively layers and layers of plywood bonded together. Then the product is then topped off with a layer of solid wood. The visual effect is the same as solid oak flooring and it will be very difficult to the difference even for experts.

What is your sub floor

There are situations where it might be difficult to decide between solid and engineered wood flooring for your floor. Before buying flooring measure the moisture levels in your sub floor. Moisture levels should not succeed 3%; take readings across the entire floor area. If your sub floor has borderline moisture levels, you’d be safer to go for engineered oak flooring than solid wood.

When installing wood flooring in your home, deciding on whether or not engineered or solid will work, depends on which room in the house you’re looking to re-floor. In kitchens ,lounge room and all living areas including bedrooms, engineered wood flooring comes up trumps every time.

Engineered boards are constructed in a way that they will expand and contract slightly when exposed to rises and falls in temperature and moisture levels. Solid wood will be exposed to considerable environmental changes; it will expand and contract significantly and over a long period of time can cause damage to your floor. This problem won’t occur with a good quality, well-fitting engineered wooden floor.

On a tight budget

Timber flooring is a great solution whether or not you’re on a tight budget. There is lots of competition in the timber flooring market, whether or not you shop online or on the High Street. You can find everything from seriously cheap to very expensive. There isn’t much difference between solid and engineered oak flooring prices, therefore your budget shouldn’t be a factor in your decision-making process because regardless of the amount you have to spend, you should be able to find a flooring solution that suits you and your budget.

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All About Engineered Oak Flooring
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