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ENGINEERED HARDWOOD Why Choose Engineered Hardwood Flooring? Engineered flooring has properties that make it a preferable choice over solid hardwood flooring in some situations. Engineered floors can be installed on concrete or below grade in basements (where moisture is often higher thus unsuitable for solid hardwood), can be installed by glue-down, staple, or float, and are more dimensionally stable than solid flooring. The greater dimensional stability is due to the grains of each layer going in different directions. There can be three to five layers in an engineered floor. The top layer (called the wear layer) is the same high-quality wood used in solid flooring, but is thinner and is glued to a core of plywood, hardwood, or HDF (high density fiberboard). Engineered flooring is predominately offered prefinished, but there are unfinished engineered options available. Engineered floors can usually be sanded and refinished if desired - but it is dependant on the thickness of the wear layer, which can range from 0.6mm (1/32”) to 5mm (3/16”) thick. Sanding a floor typically removes 1/32” from the floor. A solid hardwood floor can be sanded and refinished around seven times. However, the finishes available on engineered floors are often very durable and many owners never need to sand and refinish over the life of their engineered floor. Engineered floors can last anywhere from 10 to 100 years depending on the thickness of the wear layer. The thicker the wear layer, the longer the floor will last. Floors with a wear layer 3mm (2/16”) to 5mm (3/16”) thick will last the longest and can be sanded and refinished several times. Products with less than 2mm (5/64”) layer are not able to be sanded and refinished and will last approximately 10 years. Pros - Can last as long as solid hardwood - Can be installed almost anywhere - More dimensionally stable than solid Cons - More hollow sounding than solid - Limited sand and refinish capability - Can be more expensive than solid hardwood - Limited water resistance

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