Things you may not know about selecting engineered flooring

Things You May Not Know About Selecting Engineered Flooring

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.

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.

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

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.

2 1/4 inch is not the only size available 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".

Have fun! Make your home unique! The wider the floor the more seasonal separations between the flooring planks can occur.

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.

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.

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.

Prefinish warranties 50 year warranty - WOW! Lifetime warranty - fantastic! Oh really? These are wearthrough 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.

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.

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.

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.

Bella Cera Hardwood Floors 400 Oyster Point Blvd, Suite 115 So. San Francisco, CA 94080 Tel.866.599.7999 Fax.650.873.4316 www.bellacerafloors.com/buy-Bella-Cera-hardwoods/E ngineered-Hardwood-Flooring.aspx