Available for centuries, Wood and Vinyl flooring have become a classic flooring choice for homes across the country. Over the years, huge developments in the flooring industry led to the creation of Engineered wood and Luxury Vinyl Tiles rendering their previous models less idyllic – and so, the new age of flooring was born.
From Solid Wood to Engineered Wood Flooring
Timeless, naturally beautiful and full of character, solid wood is a highly sought after flooring choice. However, due to wood’s highly reactive nature to humidity and heat fluctuations, solid wood must be avoided in certain rooms in the home and can easily damage if the environment is not relatively stable or it hasn’t been laid correctly.
The introduction of engineered wood and its highly stable structure has created waves in the flooring industry and is becoming an increasingly popular alternative to solid wood. With numerous layers of plywood (or HDF) bonded to a solid wood veneer top, the construction of engineered wood is able to handle environments which solid wood can’t e.g. conservatories and kitchens and highly reduces the risk of warpage or lifting. It also creates a much more durable and hardwearing floor which can be laid as a floating floor – making it easier/cheaper to install and can be taken up if needed.
The solid wood veneer top is available in varying thickness ranging from 2-6mm meaning, like solid wood, it can be sanded and refinished when it begins to show wear and tear. Engineered wood can be sanded every 1mm solid wood layer as long as 1mm remains (E.g. a 4mm veneer can be sanded 3 times) – However, with the resilience of modern coatings and the wood itself, you generally only have to do this every 10 years.
By adding a plywood back to the solid wood top, wide boards, which would be prone to bowing if made with purely solid wood, have added strength eliminating this defect and allowing for ultra wide boards of even 300mm wide to be made!
This innovative blend of authentic solid wood beauty, flexibility and high durability makes engineered wood the premium and undeniable choice going forward. Plus, with the high popularity of this product becoming more apparent, you can now buy it in any finish you would find on a solid wood.
From Vinyl flooring to Luxury Vinyl Tiles (LVT)
With its ease of cleaning and installation, smooth wipeable surface, low price bracket and the huge variety of patterns and colours available, Vinyl flooring has been a staple flooring choice for decades.
The development of vinyl flooring has led to the introduction of LVT, Luxury Vinyl Tile. This highly durable vinyl arrives in singular tiles with highly realistic wood or stone finishes – those with an embossed texture create an even more genuine appearance.
Whether you are looking for a parquet design or a uniform look, the separate tiles allow the freedom of creating your own unique flooring. You can mix different colours of LVT boards together, change their direction and even add feature strips to achieve that natural crevice or grouting look you would get from laying a real wood or stone floor. Plus, this mix of textures makes LVT much more realistic in appearance than Vinyl.
Consisting of around 8 layers bonded together to create a highly durable board, this cost effective flooring has a thicker wear layer than Vinyl and is much more resistant to dents and scratches.
Its moisture resistant nature, means it can be laid in every room in the home including those where water spillages are highly likely e.g. the bathroom. Plus, with its heat insulating properties it is ideal for laying over underfloor heating.
Easy to clean and install, highly durable, realistic stone and wood finishes and relatively low in cost, Vinyl flooring has a strong competitor with its sister product, LVT.
With their strength and durability both engineered wood and LVT have properties and benefits that far outweigh their predecessors. Although solid wood and vinyl still have their draws and permanent place in the flooring industry, there is definite movement towards these new age floors. Check out the great selection of Engineered Wood and LVT at Direct Wood Flooring.
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© Copyright 2016 Antonia, All rights Reserved. Written For: Tidylife
Good post.
Wooden flooring comes in so many different types of styles & finishes it’s sometimes hard to know where to start, there are a lot of factors that will determine what kind of wood flooring you can have in your home and what will look best with your existing furnishings and decor. Great post! Very helpful.