Engineered wood flooring products are, by far, the best choice as there are far less expansion and contraction due to changing moisture levels between heating and non-heating seasons.
6′ multidirectional plywood cores substantially reduce the normal movement of wood products. This eliminates gapping of floorboards.
All of the products Heritage Hardwood carries have a dry sawn surface, as rotary peeled or sliced wood faces will tend to split, check or blister top coats of finish.
The Benefits of Engineered Hardwood
Engineered floors are also versatile as they can be installed in basements or over in-floor heat and can be nailed, floated, or glued. We feature real wood layers from 2-6 ml. Thicker wear layers can be refinished over time. We carry dozens of colours and styles. Heritage Hardwood Floors begins the installation of engineered oak hardwood floors in a residential home by removing the existing carpet and base and preparing the floor.
Wood flooring from forest to floor must go through several processes to ensure compatibility with the interior conditions of your home.
Firstly, the product is kiln dried slowly to reduce cracking and checking. Depending on the species, it is usually dried to 7 – 9% moisture content which is compatible to interior conditions.
With solid wood flooring these conditions must be maintained. Too dry and the wood may shrink and crack. Too wet and your floor may swell causing expansion, warping, or cupping.
With engineered flooring many of these problems have been solved using multi directional plywood cores. Engineered flooring is 6 times more stable than solids, which means it can be installed in conditions where solids would fail. It can be installed in below grade rooms or over in-floor heating. It can be nailed-glued or floated. It can also be milled in wide planks and maintain stability.
Solids are problematic if more than 4 inches wide and can only be nailed; they can’t be installed below grade or in direct sunlit rooms; they can’t be floated.
The benefits of engineered greatly outweigh solid wood. Furthermore, we can now produce 3 – 5 times more flooring, which reduces environmental impacts on an already dwindling resource.
Surfaces come in a wide variety of choices:
- Lacquered
- Hard wax-oiled
- Oxides
- Stained
- Urethane
- Hand scraped
- Textured
If you don’t like beveled edges, it is also available unfinished. There are several choices from budget to high-end.
Come on in to Heritage Hardwood and see our choices and pricing!