What are the different surface textures for hardwood flooring?
Smooth: Traditional Hardwoods are generally smooth. They don’t have any dimensional surface texture.
Wire-Brushed:This finish involves scraping the wood planks with a hard-bristled wire brush that pulls out the soft grain featured in the hardwood material. This process shows the natural beauty in your wood flooring.
Distressed:Distressed hardwoods are manufactured with a combination of wire-brush and Hand Scraping that gives your flooring a rustic appeal while providing dimensional texture.
Handscraped:Handscraped hardwoods take on an aged, worn look, recreating an old-world look of craftmanship that has much sought-after charm.
The Janka hardness scale, used to determine whether or not a wood species is suitable for flooring, is the primary test measuring wood’s resistance to wear and dentability. How does the test work? The Janka test measures the force required to embed an 11.28mm steel ball halfway into a piece of wood. The higher the amount of force needed, the higher the Janka score and the more durable the wood.
Janka Rating for Hardwood Selection
When it comes to choosing the best flooring options for your commercial or residential project, there are a number of factors to consider: color, style, material, installation methods, the list goes on.
What is a Good Janka Rating?
A good Janka rating for wood flooring is generally anything that is 1,000 lbs. and the industry mean is around 1,200 lbs. An important thing to keep in mind in selecting your flooring material is the needs of your space. For rooms which are typically subject to a high amount of wear and tear, you’ll likely want a material with a high Janka score. For example, Teak which has a Janka score of 1,000 lbs. is more susceptible to denting than maple which has a Janka score of 1,450 lbs.
It’s also important to note that, regardless of the floors Janka score, all flooring is subject to denting and wear given the wrong conditions. And a high Janka score may not be the number 1 factor for you in your flooring decision.
The CALI Difference
The higher the amount of force needed, the higher the Janka rating and the more durable the wood. Every flooring product Cali Bamboo offers undergoes Janka testing to ensure it will not just hold up, but continue looking newly installed for years to come. Cali Bamboo’s Fossilized® bamboo flooring is the hardest flooring in the world scoring an unprecedented 5,547 pounds on the Janka test!
Original source https://www.calibamboo.com/janka-hardness-scale/
The hardness of a wood is rated on an industry wide standard known as the Janka test. The Janka test measures the force required to embed a .444 inch steel ball into the wood by half its diameter. This test is one of the best measures of the ability of a wood specie to withstand denting and wear. It is also a good indicator of how hard a specie is to saw, mill and nail.
There are many things to consider when choosing your wood, including the hardness, natural colour of the wood, the grain and the stability.
HOW STABLE IS YOUR WOOD?
Stability is defined by the level of flux, expansion and “movement” a wood will have when exposed to different humidity levels. Certain woods need to be dried longer in the mill, and some also need to be acclimatized in your home, to create a more stable presence. However, Superior Hardwood Flooring by Herwynen Sawmill Ltd. does not recommend acclimating our products to the jobsite; by doing so you will void the warranty on your hardwood floors. Please note that Maple and Hickory are two species that tend to take on moisture quicker than other wood species so extra caution is to be taken with these two product species. We also highly recommend keeping all of our species within our recommended tolerances.
Posted by Rob Banks on February 16, 2021Engineered hardwood flooring is a product made up of a core of plywood and it has a top layer of hardwood veneer. The veneer surface is adhered (glued) on top of the plywood core. The veneer (surface) comes in many different types of hardwood species. The product thus has the natural characteristics of the selected wood species as opposed to a photographic layer. The “engineered” product has been designed to provide greater stability, particularly where moisture or heat pose problems for solid hardwood floors.
IS ENGINEERED HARDWOOD REAL HARDWOOD FLOORING?
In short, YES! Engineered hardwood flooring is awesome for so many reasons. It has all the hardwood you need on top, but gives you so much more flexibility and performance benefits. And, the costs often is cheaper as it uses less ‘unseen hardwood’ that you pay for in solid hardwood, and instead you get higher performing, more stable plywood core.Don’t get me wrong, I am a lover of solid hardwood, especially as a Canadian that has been inside and supported many Canadian hardwood mills in Quebec and Ontario over the years. And Eastern Hard Maple in a solid hardwood floor from Quebec is a thing of beauty. But, engineered hardwood is the product for BC. Downtown Vancouver apartment high rises, Kelowna townhomes, beautiful old Victoria homes… engineered hardwood flooring is the premium flooring option in BC.Video to see a cross section of a piece of engineered hardwood flooring:https://www.youtube.com/embed/vZH1uZCbZ8w
WHAT IS THE THICKNESS OF THE HARDWOOD VENEER?
The hardwood veneer, top layer hardwood, can typically be 0.6mm to 4mm in thickness. A quality hardwood veneer will provide many years of wear. The 3mm and 4mm top veneer thickness are premium thicknesses, and the 2mm thickness is common on a 12mm product, 7.5” wide (very popular in Greater Vancouver) and it is popular for a reason, it’s beauty and price point. Regardless is its 1mm or 4mm, the surface finish is usually treated with a premium finish that has a 25 year finish warranty. For price shopping, the thicker the veneer, the higher the price.
CAN I REFINISH AN ENGINEERED HARDWOOD FLOOR?
Yes, if the veneer thickness is enough. First, the elephant in the room… 95%+ of floors are never refinished. You get bored of them and change flooring before you pay for a sand and refinish. Or you move… and the new home owners put in their flooring choice. So remember… everyone asks us if it can be refinished… and 95% of you will never actually do it. Now, to answer the question: it primarily depends upon the thickness of your hardwood layer. Short answer: 3mm and 4mm yes, 2mm and thinner, no. With such durable, high quality finishes the extensive process that refinishing a floor entails, it takes a professional. If sanding is desired, typically, the professional sanding procedure removes 1/32 of an inch. If your floor has a 2mm layer you can sand the floor 1 time, if you have skills. Id the 2mm floor was hand scraped… not that some areas will be less than 2mm due to the original distressing procedure. Therefore, a 2mm hand scraped floor should not be refinished in my humble opinion. Buy a new floor! A new 2mm hand scraped engineered hardwood floor sells for cheaper than the cost to sand and refinish.
HOW THICK IS ENGINEERED WOOD FLOORING?
Engineered hardwood flooring total thickness is typically between 3/8” to 3/4” thick, whereas solid hardwood is 1/2” to 3/4“ thick. Most popular thickness in BC is 12mm (which is just less than ½”). You will find stores in Vancouver, Interior, Fraser Valley, Vancouver Island, etc will have lots of 7.5” wide, 12mm thickness engineered hardwood. So the top layer is 2mm and the core plywood layer is 10mm. Hence total thickness of 12mm. For many 3mm and 4mm products, the total thickness is 14mm or 15mm thick. Plywood factories are pretty standardized, where as factories some times decide to customize their veneer thickness. So I have seen 10mm plywood core with 2mm top, with veneer thickness os all sizes: 2.2mm, 2.5mm, 3mm, 3.2mm, 3.5mm, 4mm, 4.2mm etc. Again, rule of thumb… the thicker the overall product, the higher the price.In my opinion, avoid a 2mm top on a thick plywood core. It seems like a little trick to have you pay more for total thickness while saving money on the hardwood veneer thickness. And the amount of hardwood used is the biggest portion of the cost, that is something to be aware of.
WHAT DOES GREATER STABILITY MEAN?
Solid hardwood can be less stable due to moisture or heat related issues. Under adverse conditions, solid hardwood floors can warp, cup, swell or split apart. Engineered hardwood flooring is more stable and can usually overcome these problems because of being constructed in a multiple-ply plank. This counteracts twisting and remains flat and intact. This makes engineered hardwood flooring a better choice for installation over radiant heat sources, over concrete, and can be installed below grade or above.
HOW TO SEE ‘VALUE’ IN BUYING ENGINEERED HARDWOOD
What drives the pricing?Veneer typeVeneer ThicknessPlywood (Core) typePlywood thicknessWidth of productSpecial features
LET’S QUICKLY HIT ON WHY THESE ARE IMPORTANT:
VENEER TYPE
this is the species of hardwood veneer you are buying. White Oak, Maple, Hickory, some sort of exotic species, etc. They all have different price points. Origin of species is also very important. So American Oak is higher priced than Russian Oak. Canadian Maple is much better than Chinese Maple. Exotic species… many look the same (ie: a deep reddish colour) but huge variation in price points. In BC, be careful of exotic woods. They can split or crack if the MC (moisture content was not carefully balanced for this market). Unless you are well researched on your exotic types and are very aware of your MC / RH (relative humidity) levels in your home / project… then buyer beware. This is your responsibility as the buyer. Wood grown in South America, South East Asia or Africa are not always meant for our climate. Engineered hardwood is safer than solid hardwood for exotics… but be sure! The Home owner is responsible, no installer or supplier will honor a warranty if you install an exotic and it has some hairline cracks emerge over time. That is a site related issue. I had a friend install Jatoba (Brazilian Cherry) in BC near the water and it cracked like crazy.
VENEER THICKNESS
as mentioned, the thicker, the more expensive. The wider, the more expensive. It is a simple as more raw material, higher price.
PLYWOOD (CORE) TYPE
lots of different options used in plywood core. Or it could even be a different material like HDF… which is the same as a laminate flooring core. I have seen so many types of cores, different number of plys, cross plys, butcher block, other unique manufacturing processes. And so many raw material types used: often it cheaper wood for the core, softwood or inexpensive hardwood. This is to keep pricing down. But the professionalism in the plywood making is key. Moisture balancing, and quality of glue, and getting testing done (ie: low or zero formaldehyde emissions called CARB and CARB2). I love a CARB2 multi layer Baltic Birch core… and feel this is the best. Pay extra for the core, it gives stability and installs like a dream. With a 3mm or 4mm top veneer on a Baltic Birch multi layer plywood core… oh baby! Absolute beauty.Watch this short video to see full engineered hardwood planks and a cross section of the plywood with the veneer on top:https://www.youtube.com/embed/uuq5UKYit0g
PLYWOOD THICKNESS
as mentioned, the thicker, the more expensive. The wider, the more expensive. It is a simple as more raw material, higher price.Width of product – The wider, the more expensive. It is a simple as more raw material, higher price. Engineered hardwood is best as a wide product. Solid hardwood rarely comes in wide widths, so this is where engineered hardwood really separates itself. Vancouver loves 7.5” wide product. We even have 8 and 3/5” width. Wow!
GRADING AND SPECIAL FEATURES
As what grade the veneer is. Higher grades, more money. Lower grades (like an A,B,C,D) is often hand scraped and stained dark. I love a character grade floor (Grade A,B,C,D grade mix) I think it looks awesome. Shows knots and natural characteristics of nature. But the cleaner look for an AB grade (Select and Better grade) is very popular in BC now. Clean (no knots) and little colour variation. Stained light brown or light grey. This is on trend right now in Greater Vancouver and all the premium homes are going with this. Usually on a White Oak veneer.Engineered hardwood has endless visual options like stains, various widths, hand scraping, wire brushing, distressing, white washing. The list goes on and on.
WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN ENGINEERED WOOD VS. SOLID HARDWOOD?
When it comes to hard surface flooring, there are a lot of options, and when there are a lot of options to choose from, the questions begin. Such as, what’s the difference when it comes to solid vs. engineered hardwood? An engineered wood floor is constructed of layers of both hardwood and plywood, where solid hardwood is a solid piece of wood with no layers.Hardwood flooring is a great way to create timeless pizzazz to any room! What should you consider when making a choice between engineered and solid hardwood? Let’s learn about engineered hardwood and why you may want this over solid:
Engineered hardwood construction has durable, high-performance qualities (it is stable!!).
It is constructed with multi-layers of wood; each layer is positioned in a different direction. This construction prevents the engineered hardwood from warping and bowing the way a hardwood floor might in extreme moisture content areas.
Engineered over solid hardwood is that the construction allows for installation in most grade levels of the home, including below ground with a protective moisture barrier installed.
A hardwood veneer gives the natural beauty and look to the engineered floor just as a solid hardwood floor does.
Engineered hardwood offers easy care and maintenance.
Engineered hardwood has endless visual options like stains, various widths, hand scraping, wire brushing, distressing.
WHAT IS THE STYLE OF ENGINEERED HARDWOOD?
Engineered hardwood can offer a variety of style for your home:
Available in today’s hottest species; hickory, oak, maple and more.
There are multiple finishes available in matte, semi-gloss, and high-gloss.
To add visual interest to your floor, engineered hardwood comes in a variety of surface effects such as hand scraped for a time worn appearance, distressed for a slightly rustic appearance, or wire-brushed.
Due to innovative manufacturing techniques, engineered hardwood can be installed in any room in your home, including your basement and bathrooms; as long as there are no extreme moisture issues and a protective moisture barrier is installed. Less expensive than hardwood, selecting engineered hardwood will allow you to install this excellent flooring style in multiple rooms.Lets restate that: Location, Location, Location The location of your flooring basically falls into three categories:· On Grade – at ground level· Above Grade – any second level or higher· Below Grade – any floor below ground level, including basements or sunken living rooms.Traditional solid hardwood flooring is not well suited for below-grade installations, because of the possibility of moisture issues. The construction of an engineered hardwood gives it enhanced structural stability that allows it to be installed at any grade level when a moisture barrier 3 in 1 underlayment is used during installation.I am on a roll, so another recap of Advantages (and a few disadvantages to balance the argument)
ADVANTAGES OF ENGINEERED FLOORING:
Does not require a plywood subfloor. So, if you have a cement floor, you can easily glue or float this floor. That flexibility makes engineered really popular in all parts of BC
Because of the layers of wood much of the expansion and contraction that you see in solid hardwood is reduced, so the planks are typically a tighter fit
many engineered hardwoods are stronger and more stable than their solid hardwood counterparts. And, because of this strength, it’s easier to go wider in the planks (which is more in style and makes the room look larger). I keep saying that Greater Vancouver is in love with wide planks, so engineered hardwood flooring is a perfect solution for most BC homes
It can be installed below grade (i.e. below the ground level, so it could go in a basement…provided, of course there are no moisture issues).
Some engineered hardwoods can be installed over radiant heat. (Always be sure to check this); most solid hardwoods can’t.
There’s more flexibility from an installation perspective. With most engineered floors you can nail it (if there’s plywood), or glue it (if there’s cement) or float it.
Some engineered hardwoods are less expensive; and, if you don’t have a plywood subfloor, these will also be less expensive from an installation perspective.
DISADVANTAGES OF ENGINEERED HARDWOOD:
Some engineered hardwoods can not be sanded & refinished. If you just need the hardwood for a short period of time, this may not be an issue; but, over the long term it can be. Check the wear layer – some engineered hardwoods are top notch and can be sanded 2 or 3 times; others once, and others can’t be at all.
Some engineered hardwoods are in fact very cheap/flimsy products, so be careful and do your homework here. I mentioned above that hardwoods are real through and through – they are just layers of wood. That is usually the case, but there are a few cheap ones out there that have wood filler in them or cut corners on manufacturing process. If you want to be really price sensitive, consider laminate
Some engineered hardwoods (the less expensive ones) look a bit fake because they are rotary sawn veneer (visualize peeling an apple and the wood keeps spinning). This is a cheaper way to create a thin veneer and it doesn’t always look great.
WHAT IS THE JANKA HARDNESS TEST AND WHY SHOULD I BE AWARE OF IT AS A CONSUMER?
As a consumer of quality wood flooring, you naturally want to know how the product you are thinking about purchasing will withstand wearing and dents. The Janka hardness rating is your standard measurement for this purpose. The Janka test is conducted by measuring the force needed to lodge a .444-inch steel ball in the wood species to a depth of half the ball’s diameter. The higher the rating, the harder is the species of wood. Of course, the Janka hardness rating is also useful when assessing how easy or difficult it is to hammer a nail into the hardwood or cut it with a saw. Is there a benchmark for comparing the relative hardness of other wood?White Oak is a very popular, durable species. It has a Janka rating of 1335 and is considered on the harder side of common domestic species. Red Oak serves as a benchmark for comparing the relative hardness of other wood species, and this is ~1220 on the Janka scale.
IS THE JANKA RATING USED FOR ENGINEERED HARDWOOD FLOORING?
Yes, Janka ranting is used for engineered hardwood, as Janka is a hardness test for all hardwood products. It is good to keep in mind for engineered hardwood flooring as well as solid hardwood, especially if durability is a key selling feature for you. The Janka hardness rating of the hardwood used for the veneer on your engineered flooring will guide you to the best choice for your intended flooring use.
WHAT DOES IT MEAN WHEN HARDWOOD IS SOLD IN RANDOM LENGTHS?
Lengths will vary from supplier to supplier depending on the manufacturer. Some will include boards of all one length, generally at a higher cost because of the quality required. Others will include boards of random lengths, while indicating the shortest board and the longest board lengths on the box. With random board lengths, all the boards in the box will fall in between those two lengths. You can also get Fixed Random. Often, you’ll see something like 48” RL on the product specification. That means 75% of the boards are 48” long and 25% are shorter. RL stands for random length.
HOW SHOULD I INSTALL MY ENGINEERED HARDWOOD?
Engineered flooring can be installed in three different ways: (i) nail down if over plywood subfloor; (ii) glue down if over plywood or concrete subfloor, and (iii) float if over plywood or concrete subfloor.For nail down installation, ideal plywood subfloor should be ¾” thick, and a 15lb roofing felt should be placed underneath.If gluing the floor directly on the subfloor, use 100% urethane based adhesive with an integrated vapor barrier.For float installation, use an underlayment with a vapor barrier (and sound barrier if you wish). Usually for floating, the seams will still need to be glued together using regular wood glue.Please refer to your supplier’s installation instructions for details. The above is just a general guideline. From Vancouver to Victoria, Kelowna to Kitimat, Kamloops to Coal Harbour, Richmond, Langley, Surrey, North Van, Abby, Burnaby, Coquitlam and White Rock… all over BC we can send you samples and do deliveries. Our showroom is in Richmond BC and we’d love to have you visit or drop us a line, email or connect on social channels. Take care, thanks for reading!
Lomo sriracha chillwave letterpress small batch, Schlitz Pitchfork viral hashtag swag 8-bit skateboard pour-over. Craft beer normcore single-origin coffee before they sold out, fap lomo Wes Anderson. Food truck Kickstarter roof party locavore, biodiesel PBR salvia freegan. Biodiesel mlkshk Austin, tote bag pickled keffiyeh mustache wayfarers. Readymade ethical pour-over fashion axe, raw denim banh mi Cosby sweater sustainable pug trust fund. Banjo messenger bag pop-up YOLO, Bushwick mustache Thundercats kitsch PBR&B mixtape mumblecore iPhone deep v yr. Keffiyeh whatever Etsy normcore tofu mumblecore.
Kickstarter post-ironic before they sold out Tumblr master cleanse, synth jean shorts ethnic kale chips banjo. Chillwave literally Wes Anderson tousled jean shorts. Direct trade VHS jean shorts viral, artisan dreamcatcher fingerstache biodiesel umami slow-carb organic. Normcore ugh authentic mlkshk hoodie leggings. Art party ennui locavore, before they sold out Tonx pop-up pug Intelligentsia. Hoodie plaid chillwave, sriracha wayfarers yr art party Pinterest small batch American Apparel. Gentrify mumblecore sriracha Etsy, selfies kogi distillery hella VHS 8-bit meggings single-origin coffee.
Ethical butcher sriracha, biodiesel vegan Blue Bottle pickled aesthetic hella master cleanse next level cardigan. Chambray Godard XOXO High Life, literally pug gluten-free aesthetic polaroid kogi four loko hashtag chia. Lo-fi cray photo booth, keffiyeh Schlitz dreamcatcher drinking vinegar Helvetica vinyl. Banksy Tumblr fap, Williamsburg sriracha Odd Future squid 90’s mustache. Ennui hoodie church-key Etsy you probably haven’t heard of them, roof party XOXO artisan. Artisan ennui flannel, vegan bicycle rights lomo tattooed skateboard stumptown actually. Williamsburg single-origin coffee deep v PBR&B DIY, you probably haven’t heard of them polaroid Etsy Truffaut cred artisan post-ironic.
Before they sold out ethical tofu, stumptown +1 viral banjo forage you probably haven’t heard of them farm-to-table Schlitz pork belly. Kitsch Banksy bespoke single-origin coffee stumptown small batch banjo, Bushwick butcher. Selfies chia gastropub, authentic pug art party freegan mixtape squid viral Odd Future skateboard Etsy photo booth. Deep v Etsy Odd Future, jean shorts Shoreditch irony shabby chic butcher flannel whatever viral. McSweeney’s messenger bag readymade post-ironic gentrify jean shorts. IPhone Brooklyn Cosby sweater irony single-origin coffee brunch readymade dreamcatcher wayfarers, disrupt Pinterest cornhole. Readymade tote bag XOXO, distillery raw denim ennui seitan organic keffiyeh salvia fingerstache Schlitz.
Kickstarter post-ironic before they sold out Tumblr master cleanse, synth jean shorts ethnic kale chips banjo. Chillwave literally Wes Anderson tousled jean shorts. Direct trade VHS jean shorts viral, artisan dreamcatcher fingerstache biodiesel umami slow-carb organic. Normcore ugh authentic mlkshk hoodie leggings. Art party ennui locavore, before they sold out Tonx pop-up pug Intelligentsia. Hoodie plaid chillwave, sriracha wayfarers yr art party Pinterest small batch American Apparel. Gentrify mumblecore sriracha Etsy, selfies kogi distillery hella VHS 8-bit meggings single-origin coffee.
Ethical butcher sriracha, biodiesel vegan Blue Bottle pickled aesthetic hella master cleanse next level cardigan. Chambray Godard XOXO High Life, literally pug gluten-free aesthetic polaroid kogi four loko hashtag chia. Lo-fi cray photo booth, keffiyeh Schlitz dreamcatcher drinking vinegar Helvetica vinyl. Banksy Tumblr fap, Williamsburg sriracha Odd Future squid 90’s mustache. Ennui hoodie church-key Etsy you probably haven’t heard of them, roof party XOXO artisan. Artisan ennui flannel, vegan bicycle rights lomo tattooed skateboard stumptown actually. Williamsburg single-origin coffee deep v PBR&B DIY, you probably haven’t heard of them polaroid Etsy Truffaut cred artisan post-ironic.
What’s the Difference Between Solid Hardwood and Engineered Hardwood?
Solid hardwood is one piece of wood throughout.
Engineered hardwood, on the other hand, is made of two layers of wood fused together. These are a high-strength wood composite core (sometimes plywood and sometimes oriented strand board), and a thin layer—or “veneer” of solid hardwood on top.
What Makes for the Best Engineered Hardwood? What Should You Look For?
The best engineered wood flooring products will have three things in common. https://0db9157477efcd91a97becab728fe9f3.safeframe.googlesyndication.com/safeframe/1-0-38/html/container.html
They will have a thicker veneer layer (we’ll discuss why further down).
The base will be made of plywood rather than OSB (oriented strand board).
The plywood base will have more plies for extra durability. Some products have as few as 3 plies, but we recommend at least 5–7. Some of the best engineered wood flooring brands feature 10 plies or more.
What Does Engineered Hardwood Flooring Mean?
Engineered hardwood flooring planks are literally engineered—aka manufactured—from different types of wood.
Together, they create one full flooring plank. Yes, it is manufactured—but all the components are natural and organic. They are 100% wood. That’s it. No additives or imitation flavors here.
Pro tip: in the flooring world, the word “engineered” usually just means “made out of more than one material”. For example, EVP flooring (aka engineered vinyl plank) is simply vinyl flooring that has a rigid core (which is often infused with some other material). SPC flooring, for example, features a limestone-infused core for extra durability.
Once Again: What is Engineered Hardwood? It’s Real Wood
We can not stress this enough. Engineered hardwood is notfake wood flooring. It is made from real wood. But instead of one solid plank, it’s two layers of different woods fused together.
There are many hybrid flooring options that “look” like wood but aren’t actually made of any natural wood. This has created some confusion around the different products available, and lead some to believe if it’s “engineered” it’s fake. In order to remove the stigma, we want to provide an overview of the different types of engineered wood available, and how this product features natural wood throughout its composition.
Pre-finished Engineered Wood
Engineered is just a term to describe the construction of specific hardwood flooring. Instead of milling a solid piece,
usually 3/4” thick and containing a tongue and groove milled into the sides for installation, engineered wood is made from alternating layers of thinner slices of hardwood to achieve a dimensionally stable and more indentation resistant plank.
Wood is a natural substance and has pores that will allow it to expand and contract with humidity and temperature changes. In solid wood, it is difficult to install wood planks that are over 4” wide because the expansion and contraction will cause gapping and “cupping” when the seasons change. The wider the wood, the more expansion and contraction you can expect. That’s where engineered wood is beneficial.
Using Engineered Wood Flooring
Engineered wood is constructed by layering wood sheets, alternating the direction of the grain so that each layer is perpendicular to the other, which is the same method used to make plywood. What this does is balance the forces of expansion and contraction to create a dimensionally stable plank, even as the humidity and temperature change with the seasons.
After the layers are assembled, the planks are milled and can be produced in many widths without sacrificing dimensional stability as long as the platform was balanced to start. With the preference for longer and wider planks coming into fashion, the sale of engineered products has exceeded solid wood in the overall market in recent years. All engineered hardwood features a real wood face, but there are differences in the materials used underneath the plank in the other layers.
Types of Hardwood Floors
All Wood Veneer Hardwood Floors
Veneer is just another word for sheet. We get wood veneer by either rotary peeling or by slicing/sawing the sheet out of the log. You get rotary peeled veneer through a process of pressing a knife blade or “lathe” against the length of the log and spinning it so that the sheets come off just like a roll of paper towels. Sliced or sawn face veneer is cut down the length of the log horizontally and can be cut in thicker faces and typically has more linear grain than rotary veneer. You would typically have sliced/sawn cut veneer only on the face layer. The other layers underneath in an all wood construction would be rotary because it is less expensive due to the higher yield per log. This still equates to a 100% wood plank.
Hybrid Plank with Real Wood Face
Hybrid plank featuring composite core with real wood face are becoming more popular as they feature a combination of the best parts of both hardwood and laminate. You always want an actual wood face layer because the visual is natural and random. But laminate products contain a core material that is made from high-density fiberboard that is a wood composite. As long as the “HDF” core is of high quality, the indentation resistance usually increases in these products, and the dimensional stability is the same as with a veneer core hardwood.
Products that look like wood but are made from a printed visual that will have pattern repeat are found in Laminate, LVT, and WPC or Rigid core. Additionally, we are seeing ceramic tile be offered in wood looks! No doubt wood is a very popular visual, but just because it says “wood-look” doesn’t mean it’s the real deal. And just because it says “engineered” doesn’t mean it isn’t 100% “real hardwood.”
