Solid and Engineered Hardwood

by | Mar 19, 2013 | Home And Garden

Over the years, hardwood flooring has become quite popular in Austin. Despite the fact that the use of wall-to-wall carpeting is a bit more common in America, hardwood is and has always been a fairly trendy flooring option. There are numerous reasons for this, but many people in Austin choose hardwood because of how easy it is to maintain. Many people would prefer not to have to put up with the pressures of taking care of wall-to-wall carpeting because they don?ÿÿÿÿÿÿÿ™t want to deal with things like restretching and stain removal. That?ÿÿÿÿÿÿÿ™s not to say that keeping a carpet in good shape is especially hard, but there are many who simply prefer the ease of having a wooden floor instead. In general, hardwood requires much less care and maintenance, and it has the benefit of making one?ÿÿÿÿÿÿÿ™s home give off an aura of antiquity and sophistication.

Even if you?ÿÿÿÿÿÿÿ™ve decided to install hardwood flooring, however, you?ÿÿÿÿÿÿÿ™re not out of the woods yet, so to speak. There are still a couple potentially tough decisions you?ÿÿÿÿÿÿÿ™ll have to make regarding the precise type of flooring you need. With hardwood, companies in Austin provide two basic options: solid and engineered. Though they might look the same once they?ÿÿÿÿÿÿÿ™ve been installed, these two varieties of flooring truly couldn?ÿÿÿÿÿÿÿ™t be more different than they already are. And unfortunately, you can?ÿÿÿÿÿÿÿ™t just blindly select one without understanding its pros and cons?ÿÿÿÿÿÿÿ”at least, not unless you?ÿÿÿÿÿÿÿ™re prepared to do even more maintenance than would be required if you?ÿÿÿÿÿÿÿ™d opted to go with wall-to-wall carpeting instead.

Solid hardwood is probably the most common variety in Austin. Basically, this type of flooring consists of solid blocks of wood that have been divided into planks, which are then fitted together during installation. Solid hardwood is beneficial because its thickness allows it to be sanded and refinished multiple times throughout its lifespan. This, coupled with the fact that this process only needs to be carried out once every 20 years or so, helps ensure that solid hardwood flooring stays in excellent condition for years to come and always looks just as good as (if not better than) it did when it was first installed.

The problem with solid hardwood is that wood has a tendency to expand or contract depending on humidity levels, so this type of flooring isn?ÿÿÿÿÿÿÿ™t cut out for basements, bathrooms and other such areas. Engineered hardwood panels consist of many different layers of hardwood stacked on top of each other in opposite directions, counteracting this flaw and allowing for use even in areas that are substantially humid. However, unlike solid hardwood, engineered flooring can?ÿÿÿÿÿÿÿ™t be sanded or refinished throughout its use.

Have you been yearning for good hardwood in Austin? Floor King is a company that certainly lives up to its name, providing customers with a variety of flooring options ranging from wall-to-wall carpeting and hardwood to tile and vinyl. In addition to this, Floor King also offers a number of useful maintenance tips to ensure that your floor lasts as long as possible.

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