People who love the look of hardwood floors may want to have their entire house redone with wood flooring. However, they may feel concerned about whether the material is suitable in the kitchen and in bathrooms. Moisture issues from humidity can be a problem.
Water spills can easily occur in bathrooms, and people can track water from the shower to the floor. Kitchens pose the risk of dishwashers and refrigerators springing a leak, and people spilling beverages and food. Is Engineered Wood Flooring in Nassau County a better option than solid hardwood for these rooms?
Solid vs. Layered
Standard hardwood flooring is made from single planks of the material, usually about 3/4-inch in thickness. Engineered Wood Flooring in Nassau County consists of layers of material that have been bonded through high pressure and temperature. The planks have a layer of hardwood on top of plywood; there may be up to five layers altogether. It is still classified as true hardwood even though the product has gone through more processing than solid planks.
Humidity Considerations
Because of the layering, this kind of wood is better able to manage the type of humidity that can be a problem in rooms with showers and bathtubs. Humidity also can be higher than normal in a kitchen where people like to cook steamy foods on top of the stove and open the dishwasher after the wash cycle to let drying occur naturally.
Appearance
Engineered wood is just as beautiful for floors as solid planks are. The layered flooring has become increasingly popular as manufacturers learned to make it in ways that look exactly the same as solid hardwood once installed by a professional company. Nobody who looks at the flooring will be able to tell the difference without making assumptions.
For instance, planks wider than three inches may indicate an engineered floor, but that’s not always the case. In fact, people who are considering buying a home with wood floors with no details about installation history have to pry up a piece of the material to figure out whether it is solid or layered. Click Here to learn about one particular wood flooring installation company.
