
Nothing equals wood when it comes to injecting cozy homey warmth into a space. Wood floors immediately give a sense of home into a space. There are scads of wood flooring options out there. They look different from each other — some dark, some light, some come in larger pieces than others, and they also vary in terms of grain and texture.They also use actual wood in varying degrees. Other variations include hardness, durability, and installation modes. But despite all the variety of choices, essentially, there are only two types of wood flooring: solid wood and engineered wood.
Solid
Wood flooring planks or tiles that are carved fresh out of freshly sawn timber are classified as solid wood. A lot of different tree species can be used for timber, although bamboo too (which is technically a grass species) has been considered a type of solid wood flooring. Solid wood flooring is typically ¾ inch and usually have a tongue-and-groove system carved into the planks for easy installation. The old school flooring would be made from hard wood species, but today the more conscientious home renovator would only use wood planks from more sustainable, fast-growing speicies. The advantage of solid wood flooring is that you’ll have the freedom to resand and refinish your floors.
Engineered
Engineered floors are just that — engineered. They are fabricated to look like wood on the outside, but on the inside, they are manufactured for utility and efficiency more than anything else, using materials that bring toughness, stability, and versatility to the picture. They are usually much easier to install than solid wood. They also have the advantage of lasting through wear and tear, with the minimum amount of shrinking and fading.