Engineered wood is a popular flooring material used in residential and office spaces. Many architects and designers are choosing engineered wood over the traditional hardwood for their flooring needs. While hardwood has a natural and premium look, it suffers from problems of swelling and warping which demands high maintenance. Engineered wood flooring material, on the other hand, offers great resistance to humidity and water spills at reasonable prices. It is a manufactured wood made up of layers of real wood and sawdust or wood fibers, binded together with adhesives. Engineered wood is designed to look like wood but is far less expensive than solid wood. So if you are planning to design a new space or remodeling an old one, here are a few things you must keep in mind before you buy engineered wood flooring.

1. Wood Species

Engineered wood flooring is made from natural wood species such as teak, maple, walnut, white oak, red oak and hickory. You should choose an engineered wood depending not only on the design and color scheme but also the type of traffic in the space. For example, if you want to install the flooring in a high traffic area such as an entrance or hallway, you should go for a robust species of engineered wood like maple or hickory. A softer walnut engineered wood flooring option will be sufficient for a low traffic area.

2. Thickness of Wear Layer

The top layer of an engineered wood flooring is referred to as the wear layer. This layer is made out of real hardwood. It is the wear layer of an engineered wood flooring which gives the appearance of solid wood. The thickness of the wear layer varies anywhere between 1 to 4 millimeters. A thicker wear layer will be more capable of withstanding more sandings and refinishes. Choose engineered wood flooring with thicker wear layers for high traffic commercial spaces or homes with kids and pets.

3. Dimensions

Engineered wood floor planks are available in a variety of sizes. You need to be very careful when choosing the dimensions (length and width) of the engineered wood floor plank as it plays a major role in the way your room would look. For instance, planks with uniform length and width gives a traditional and classic look whereas experimenting with alternating plank width and length like a chevron or herringbone pattern gives a more contemporary look to the flooring.

4. Installation Method

The installation method is another important factor that you should consider when installing engineered wood flooring. The traditional installation methods for wooden flooring include nailing, floating, gluing and stapling. You can even choose engineered wood flooring manufacturers offering premium engineered wood with Plankloc technology. It involves locking of planks without the use of adhesives. Plankloc system makes the installation process easy and allows for spot repair in case a single plank is to be replaced without damaging the rest of the planks.

Last Words

Engineered wood flooring is a great flooring material offering stylish looks at reasonable prices. It is fairly low maintenance and easy to install. So whether it is for commercial or residential spaces, we suggest you get in touch with the best engineered wood flooring brand in India to get options in colour, size, species, texture, finishes and edges.