Solid or Engineered Floors
The Right Floor for the Right Application.
Hardwood Floors are made for almost any application, but is extremely important to remember that all floors have certain limitations. The Artisan Collection is our exclusive line of custom milled floors, both available Solid or Engineered. The Solid floor is a 3/4" thick product that can be milled from 1 1/2" up to 12" wide. The Engineered floor is a 5/8" or 3/4" product, also available from 2 1/4" up to 12" wide. It is important to realize that our Engineered product has a 5 mm Sawn Wear layer which gives you the same wear layer and life as a Solid wood floor. It is built with a 9-ply Baltic Birch core. This is significant for several reasons. In no situation should a Solid Wood floor be installed over a concrete floor. There are systems recommended by the NWFA for installing Solid wood over a concrete slab, but it is unnecessary because these methods will be more expensive as well as giving a customer a floor that is still not as stable as a solid wood floor.
We can recreate any of the Solid wood floors in the Artisan Collection as an Engineered product. A common example of this application would be a finished basement. On the main and second levels a customer would like a Solid 6" French Country Walnut, but they would also like a matching floor in their finished basement. Never fear, we have that same floor in an Engineered, which will be identical as well as having the same wear layer as the solid wood floor.
Solid wood floors have been the staple of the flooring industry for hundreds of years. However, it is important to be realistic to limitations of various species, while keeping in mind the customers' expectations. Some woods are more dimensionally stable than others. A wood that is more unstable would not be the best candidate for an 8" wide floor. In this situation, it is recommended the floor be constructed in an Engineered format.
In an environment where relative humidity levels fluctuate significantly, it would be a good idea to specify an Engineered floor instead of a Solid floor. It will be more stable in changing seasons, and possibly prevent potential problems. It is always important to stress to your customers that the key to their beautiful floor remaining beautiful is to control the environment to the best of their ability, keeping humidity levels stable throughout the year, keeping the floor clean, and properly following cleaning procedures.
Just remember, we are here to help! If you have any questions about a project and the proper floor for your unique situation, ask us and we will be happy to help you in finding the right floor for your application.
