Of the many types of flooring on the market, wood flooring has a special place in the hearts of its fans. It is the best choice of building base for a dwelling because of the various advantages it has.
What is Wood Flooring?
Hardwood floors are products made from logs, which are designed to be used as a building base for both structural and aesthetic purposes. It has various styles, colors, shapes, and types. An interesting fact about this part of the building is that, although it is made of bamboo grass, the bamboo floor is apparently often considered part of the wooden floor.
Wood Floor Type
In general, there are two types of wooden building bases. Pool table games is the full explanation:
Solid Wood Floor
Solid wood flooring is made of planks ground from a single piece of wood. Initially, these floors were used for structural purposes. It is installed perpendicular to the wooden support beams of a building, known as beams or bearings.
The increasing use of concrete as a foundation in various parts of the world has made engineered wood baseboards more popular than solid wood baseboards. Even so, this floor is still gaining popularity.
This floor has a thicker wear surface, can be sanded, and requires more finishing. However, homes in America and Europe tend to rarely use this type of floor.
Engineering Wood Floor
Engineered wood flooring consists of two or more layers of wood joined together to form a plank. Usually, the base of this building uses a thin layer called lamella, from wood which has a more expensive price. This layer is tied to a core made of wood which tends to be less expensive.
The stability of this building base makes it a universal product that can be installed on a variety of building foundations. In addition, this floor is also a building base that is commonly used in homes in Europe and America.
Laminate flooring and vinyl flooring are often referred to as engineered wood flooring, when in fact they are not. Laminate building mats use wood images on the surface, while vinyl building mats are plastic that is shaped to look like wood.
Comparison between Solid and Engineered Wood Flooring
It is not easy to compare these two floors. This is because the quality in both categories varies and each type has its limitations.
Solid wood building base is more vulnerable than engineered wood building base. Vulnerabilities that may occur in solid wood building bases are:
• Gapping is the excess space created between the boards
• Crowning is a bend that is created when the moisture in the wood increases
• Cupping is the appearance of a concave board like a plate with the height of the board at the edges being longer and higher than the center
The patent-pending mounting system for engineered wood makes this type of building base a faster installation process. In addition, the replacement of the board is much easier. Engineered wood also allows for “floating” installation, where the boards are not attached directly to the foundation, but are attached to each other. This means that the heating system can be installed under an engineered wood plinth, but not under a solid wood plinth.
A common characteristic of solid wood building plinth is that it is more often finished on site, always comes in plank format, is generally thicker than engineered wood baseboards, and it must be nailed.
Meanwhile, the general characteristics of engineered wood building plinths are that they tend to be more pre-finished, rarely finished on site, and are installed by “clamping” or “floating”.
Advantages and Disadvantages of Wood Flooring
Here are some of the advantages and disadvantages of wooden building bases based on both types:
Advantages of Solid Wood Floor
Building pedestals made of solid wood have the following advantages:
• It is durable and has stood the test of time. Houses that are even more than 100 years old can still have the original solid wood base if they are cared for properly. All homeowners need to do is sweep or vacuum. Occasionally, cleaning can be done by using a special cleaner for wooden building mats.
• Have a higher score. The durability of the solid wood building base makes it have a higher value than the engineered wood building base.
• Suitable to be combined with various interior styles. Solid wood building base is suitable to be applied in homes with any interior design. It also has many styles that you can choose for your home.
Disadvantages of Solid Wood Floor
In addition to the advantages, solid wood building mats also have the following disadvantages:
• The price is expensive. Solid wood building bases have a fairly expensive price compared to engineered wood building bases. Installation also needs to involve someone who is an expert with work costs that are certainly more expensive.
• Requires refinishing. This floor requires re-polishing if there are scuffs or scratches. The softer the wood, the easier it will be to scratch and stain. If this floor is installed in a high-traffic area such as kitchens, living rooms, etc., it will be susceptible to damage. Especially if there are children and pets in the area.
• Sometimes noisy. If we walk across this wood, sometimes it produces quite a noise. This noise can be heard to the lower floors, if you install this floor upstairs. Therefore, the installation of carpet is needed to be able to muffle the sound and provide additional warmth to the room.
Advantages of Engineered Wood Flooring
Here are some of the advantages of engineering building mats:
• They tend to be cheaper. This building base has a price that tends to be cheaper than those made of solid wood. Although it is more expensive than laminate flooring and vinyl flooring, this building base has the distinctive advantages of solid wood flooring but at a lower price.
• Looks very stylish. Because it looks almost similar to a solid wood building base, this building base has a very stylish appearance. Plus, it has a variety of finishes. The appearance of this floor is also timeless and it has various color variants.
• Has better temperature resistance. This floor has better resistance to humidity and temperature changes. It does not shrink or swell easily like solid wood building bases. It is suitable for installation with underfloor heating.
Disadvantages of Engineered Wood Flooring
• Excessive maintenance. This floor requires a lot of maintenance to keep it shining and shiny. Therefore, this floor is not suitable for homes with pets and small children, unless you are prepared to take care of them regularly.
• Weak and less stable. There are several engineered wood building bases made of cheap and weak materials. It looks good on the surface, but is unstable after installation. Make sure you do your research before buying this type of flooring.
• Faded. Another disadvantage of this floor is that it fades easily when exposed to too much UV light. This problem cannot be solved easily. To minimize the fading of the floor color, you can cover your floor using a carpet.
Those are some things you need to know about hardwood floors. The two main types have their own advantages and disadvantages. Before deciding which floor you will choose, make sure it matches the characteristics of your dwelling and the costs you have. Perform regular floor maintenance, so that the base of your dwelling remains durable with all its good qualities.
