An overview of engineered hardwood

Natural hardwood has been in fashion for a long span of time but engineered hardwood has gained a lot of popularity these days. The way it is manufactured gives it fibers a lot of strength and durability which makes it much stronger and more reliable as compared to the natural hardwood. Moreover, it is cheaper to install in any place and is a good choice for places with damped conditions like basements.

Construction

Natural hardwood and engineered hardwood are constructed using different techniques. The planks of natural hardwood are made up of single wooden pieces while those of the engineered one make use of real wood in the upper most layer only. This is done in order to give the hardwood a natural texture similar to that of a natural hardwood but is more durable and much inexpensive. There are different qualities of engineered hardwood. All of them are available with top layers made up of wood from different types of trees. The most commonly used trees include bamboo, teak, ash, pine, oak, etc. The rest of the layers present at the bottom are constructed using wood from other cheaper and easily abundant trees in order to ensure the cost effectiveness.

The core layers

The core layers are made up of high or medium density fiber board or plywood while the number of these layers depends upon the manufacturer and the techniques used in the process of manufacturing. Most common types of engineered wooden floorings make use of three different wooden core layers. You can also find flooring comprising of as many as 5 to 7 wooden layers in the core. The number of core layers in a flooring greatly affects the durability and strength. So if you are interested in buying engineered wooden flooring for your house, it is recommended to go for a flooring with multiple layers in the core.

Weather changes

Floorings made out of natural wood are very reactive to any sort of water changes. Moisture causes them to contract or expand to a point where they get buckled or wrapped. Engineered hardwood on the other hand comprises of multiple layers in the core. This feature enables the flooring to contract and expand in the inner layers without causing much damage to the rest of the flooring. Due to its ability of adapting different sorts of climatic changes, engineered wooden flooring is a very popular choice to use in a variety of different places.