Solid Vs Engineered
Thank you for considering an Environmentally Certified hardwood floor but remember, as a natural product,
the flooring comes in random lengths and there will be some variation in color and grain. These variations
are natural and add warmth and character to your floor!
Our engineered flooring is NOT a laminate; It has a 3.2 mm (1/8") layer of SOLID
WOOD bonded to a cross-linked TEAK core for increased stability to reduce
seasonal variation.
Grain Clarity:
Lengths:
Wear Layer:
Dimensional Stability:
Environmental Concerns:
Installations:
Thank you for considering an Environmentally Certified hardwood floor but remember, as a natural product,
the flooring comes in random lengths and there will be some variation in color and grain. These variations
are natural and add warmth and character to your floor!
Our engineered flooring is NOT a laminate; It has a 3.2 mm (1/8") layer of SOLID
WOOD bonded to a cross-linked TEAK core for increased stability to reduce
seasonal variation.
Grain Clarity:
- Engineered tends to be much "clearer"--Less visible knots or sapwood (the lighter portion of the tree)
- By increasing the yield of the tree, we can be more selective and offer a clearer grade
- Solid flooring has much more variation and tends to have a higher sapwood/heartwood percentage
- We offer what the tree gives us!
Lengths:
- Engineered comes in longer average lengths--up to 84 inches (7 feet)
- Solid is currently only available up to 48” due to the smaller sizes of the plantation grown trees
Wear Layer:
- Engineered wear layer is over 1/8" thick and can be sanded and finished 2-3 times
- Even a solid can only be sanded down to the top of the groove!!
Dimensional Stability:
- Engineered flooring is constructed of perpendicular layers which react AGAINST each other to
maintain stability
- The teak "core" is cross linked to the wear layer at 90 degrees -- Any movement from the core
is "front to back" and the wear layer is "side to side" so they hold each other in place.
- Although Teak is the MOST stable wood in the world, even teak can react unfavorably to extreme
conditions
Environmental Concerns:
- More friendly to the environment because the core is a "fall-down" product from the milling so
reduces waste and increases yield from the trees
- The 3.2 mm wear layer increases the yield of the trees by over 400% compared to a solid plank.
Installations:
- Engineered can be nailed down the same as solid BUT can also be "floated" or glued
- Solid is suitable for Nail-down or Glue-down only
| Solid or Engineered: Which is right for YOU? |
| Both of our Solid and Engineered floors are SOLID wood on the top layer! Which is which?? |