Engineered wood flooring is a type of floor that comprises several layers of high-density fibreboards (HDF) or medium-density fibreboards (MDF). The core layer is made of real hardwood, usually pine or spruce. This allows the planks to be stronger and much durable.
Engineered wood or artificial wood was developed as an alternative to real hardwood floors. For years, due to their various benefits, engineered floors have become very popular in the U.K.
For some homeowners, this flooring works better than solid wood floors. And to be honest, they have quite a few reasons.
An affordable alternative
Despite having the look of a typical solid wood flooring, engineered wood is a far more affordable option. In fact, the budget was the primary reason for introducing this alternative hardwood floor.
Some woods like Mahogany are quite expensive. But mahogany engineered wooden planks is a much budget-friendlier option. So, it allows people to have exotic floorings in their homes without spending all their savings. Along with this, most of them comes with a warranty of 20 years giving you the excellent value of money.
Easy to install
Solid wood floors need professionals to install. Whereas, engineered floors can be easily installed using a tongue and groove system.
They don’t need subfloors to install thus making the process much quicker and convenient.
Works better in moisture-prone area
Another huge benefit of engineered wood is that they are better suited for moisture-prone areas like the kitchen or balcony.
With solid floors, they easily warp or swell when exposed to moisture change. But with engineered wood, due to several layers, they are ideal for spill-prone areas. Some of them also have water-resistant properties.
However, most engineered wood flooring doesn’t work well in water-prone areas like the bathroom or outdoor deck.
A sustainable choice than solid wood
Most engineered floors like oak engineered flooring or white engineered flooring come from pine wood, resourced from sustainable forests.
The top layer of these woods is created from solid wood. Thus, engineered wood use 75% less wood than hardwood floors.
With so many exotic woods becoming more and more extinct, engineered wood flooring is a much responsible choice.
Comes with underfloor heating options
This is a big reason why engineered floors are preferred in the U.K over solid wood floors. Engineered wood can be installed with underfloor heating systems.
These heated floors come in very handy during the bitter cold months. But, to successfully install a heating system under the floors, check the guidelines to ensure your underfloor heating system is compatible with the wood.
Variations
Earlier, artificial woods didn’t have many variations in terms of textures, colours and finishes of real hardwood.
With technological advancement though, engineered floors come in all shapes and forms. From traditional and warm oak engineered flooring to sleek grey herringbone engineered flooring, you have so many options. You can install cuts, finishes, surface textures to make it look like hardwood floors.
Added benefits of hardwood
Modern engineered wood flooring has many of the similar benefits of traditional hardwood floors. This is because of the fact that it has solid wood. Thus, it can effortlessly mimic the gorgeous, rich appearance of natural wood textures. It is as sturdy as hardwood allowing to enhance the resale value of the house.
Due to its beauty, versatility and composition engineered wooden flooring has become a preferred choice among homeowners. Some of the added advantages like moisture resistance and the cost gets it more points than solid wood flooring.
So, no matter what type of engineered wood you are looking for in your home, Floorsave has it all. It has one of the largest collections of engineered wooden floors in the U.K. that matches your preference and budget.