Things You May Not Know About Selecting Engineered Flooring

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Things You May Not Know About Selecting
Engineered Flooring
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When shopping for hardwood floors, there are many
choices in plank width, wood species, colors and
the way in which each of these hardwoods are
manufactured. Making a choice of the perfect fit
for your home can seem overwhelming. Simplify
your decision with one of the most versatile
types of hardwood flooring available today.
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• Engineered hardwood flooring can be installed in
  almost any room in your home, even those with a
  moisture exposure of up to 4. Traditional
  hardwood is usually installed in moisture-free
  areas such as family rooms, dining rooms or
  living rooms.

With engineered hardwood, one can now have wood
floors installed in kitchens, master bathrooms,
and guest bathrooms or in basements. One note
however, would be to avoid installing any type of
hardwood in a child's bathroom, as there are
ample instances for accidents near the toilet or
overflow from the tub/shower.
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1) Red Oak is not the only choice
2) 2 1/4 inch is not the only size available
3) All flooring is not select (clear) grade
4) Prefinished flooring is convenient
5) Colors can be cool - but mother nature is hard
to beat
6) Prefinish warranties
7) Not all flooring is smooth - texture is popular
8) In a basement use engineered flooring
9) Laminate flooring is not Hardwood flooring
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Red Oak is not the only choice
If you want your home to look like everyone
else's, this is a great choice. If you want your
home to be unique try hickory, cherry, walnut,
white oak, maple or many others. Go to flooring
retailers or search the Internet and see what is
available. If you really want red oak try using
wider widths or character grade for variety and
uniqueness.
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2 1/4 inch is not the only size available
Have fun! Make your home unique! The wider the
floor the more seasonal separations between the
flooring planks can occur.
If all you ask your builder for is a hardwood
floor - you are going to get a 2 1/4 inch red oak
floor. Why?
It is the most common, most produced, most
stocked, cheapest option available. You can buy
sizes in 3" through 12". You can put down a
single width for a uniform look or multiple
widths for a more random look. Typical random
flooring patterns are 3"-4"-5", 3"-5", 4"-5"-6".
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All flooring is not select (clear) grade
The most common floors are select grade. These
floors contain none of woods naturally occurring
character marks. Look around your flooring
showroom, almost every display is showing clear
flooring. There are warm and inviting options.
Look at a character grade or other grades. Make
sure to see a photo of what the floor looks like,
not just one piece.
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Prefinished flooring is convenient
A professional flooring contractor will leave
your home spotless, others can leave dust on all
your furniture. Today's factory finished flooring
can be installed today and entertained on tonight
with very little mess. With prefinished flooring
each plank is allowed to move independently with
humidity changes in your home.
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Colors can be cool - but mother nature is hard to
beat
Some species of flooring are so beautiful in
their natural color, they do not require any
added color. Look up hickory, cherry or walnut
flooring on the Internet and you will see what I
mean.
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Prefinish warranties
50 year warranty - WOW! Lifetime warranty -
fantastic! Oh really? These are wear-through
warranties only. Your floor will loose its
"sheen" or luster and require refinishing long
before you ever wear through the finish. The best
way to make a floor last is to vacuum it often to
keep away abrasive material that might scratch
your floor. Remember a lower sheen floor shows
less wear.
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Not all flooring is smooth - texture is popular
Hardwood flooring does not have to be smooth.
Many companies are offering hand scraped,
distressed and reclaimed flooring. These floors
have a classic look and add great value to
upscale homes. They do not show much wear or
scratches since they have a great deal of
character interest to draw attention to different
parts of the floor.
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In a basement use engineered flooring
Most people use engineered flooring to glue down
to concrete or in higher moisture areas. This
flooring has a thin layer of hardwood with a
cross banded plywood base. This makes the
flooring more stable and does not require nailing
like a solid hardwood floor.
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Laminate flooring is not Hardwood flooring
A great steak does not taste the same as a
picture of a great steak. If you want the beauty
and warmth of hardwood flooring in your home -
buy the real thing, not a cheap imitation.
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Bella Cera Hardwood Floors400 Oyster Point Blvd,
Suite 115So. San Francisco, CA
94080Tel.[phone]Fax.[phone]
www.bellacerafloors.com/buy-Bella-Cera-hardwoods/E
ngineered-Hardwood-Flooring.aspx
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