Installing any of the hard wood floors Frisco can offer you is an excellent choice for raising the value of and adding beauty to your home. Whether you plan to hire professionals for the installations, or you are a hardcore DIYer, there are a few things to consider about your hard wood flooring options.
True hardwood flooring is available in either solid wood or engineered wood solutions. Both have their advantages and disadvantages, and certain things are required for each. Different locations may require a different type of flooring, so make sure you do your homework before you go out and spend a fortune of flooring you may or may not be able to use.
Engineered Wood Floors
Engineered floors are quickly becoming the favorite around the world. These floors are constructed much like plywood, with layers of wood pressure glued together with the grains alternating. The top or wear layer is a hard wood veneer that is the surface that people will see and use. Engineered floors are available in most, if not all, the same woods as solid floors. The advantages of this type of flooring are ease of installation and durability. Due to the ply construction, these floors handle moisture and temperature changes much better than solid wood floors will. These floors can be installed in places such as basements and garages, thanks to their ability to handle temperatures and moisture. The disadvantage is that you are limited in the amount of refinishing you can do, dependent on how thick the wear layer is.
Solid Wood Floors
For the time being, these are still more popular in North America. These floors are not made like engineered floors, instead, each plank is made of one piece of solid hardwood. Engineered and solid wood floors will look the same because the top layer of and engineered floor is real hard wood. From the side you will notice the different. Solid floor slats or planks are more susceptible to changes in temperature, as well as moisture. This can be bad, or it can give the wood more character as it ages as long as they are properly cared for. The major advantage of this type of floor is that you can refinish it many times and with proper care it will last for more than a century. These floors can not be installed below grade, or in places that are not temperature controlled.
Engineered wood floors are best for DIYers in general, because solid floors require a good amount of know-how. Either solution will give you great looking hard wood floors in Frisco.
Katherine Smith is an author on a variety of topics, including Wood Floors Frisco. She writes to educate and enlighten people so that they can make informed decisions about Hard Wood Floors Frisco related topics. Katherine Smith is a freelance writer who resides in Chicago. More info at http://www.hswfloors.com.