When choosing a flooring material, one is spoilt for choice. Hardwood flooring is a classic choice. It is a popular choice amongst homeowners. However, its high price can act as a deterrent. If you want hardwood flooring but aren’t sure, you should consider engineered hardwood flooring. Wide plank white oak engineered flooring is one of the best choices. It looks exactly like solid wood flooring. But the price is less than half of it. Engineered wood flooring is the affordable choice when it comes to real wood surfaces. Choosing the right option can be quite a task. Following are some of the choices that you would have to make.
Type of Wood
This type of floor is available in a wide selection of real wood species. Following are some of the main wood species that you could choose from.
Oak: When it comes to solid wood flooring, oak is a popular choice. It has medium hardness with a slightly reddish tone. If there is going to be an average amount of wear and tear, oak is a great choice.
Maple: This type of wood has an attractive natural colour. It is highly durable as it is one of the hardest wood species. Maple is an ideal choice for rooms that have a lot of foot traffic.
Hickory: Highly resistant to moisture and hard, it is a perfect option for those rooms which face a significant amount of temperature fluctuation.
American Walnut: American walnut flooring has an attractive flowing grain pattern. It fits well with almost all kinds of interiors and is available in opulent colour options.
The thickness
The planks are available in various thicknesses. Some of the planks are available in over seven layers. Planks of lower quality can be as thin as 3/8th of an inch. The high quality engineered wood flooring has several layers with about 3/4th of an inch depth. Though each layer is equally important, it is the topmost layer that is the most important. The more the thickness of the top layer the better it is.
The Core
It is the core of the plank which helps to determine how durable the flooring will be. It provides support to the top layer and keeps the whole structure together. There are various options of the core that you can choose from:
Plywood: The material provides great support and is highly durable.
HDF: It helps to create a highly durable and stable core when alternated with layers of plywood.
Fibreglass: Also known as fireboard, it is not highly durable and can easily compromise the flooring.
Different Finishings
The last choice that you need to make is the finish of the planks. Finishing seals the wood and increases its lifespan There are three main finishes you could choose from.
High Gloss: It is the perfect option for a shiny finish.
Matte: An ideal choice for rooms with high footfall as it perfectly hides the scratches.
Semi gloss: This finishing is somewhere between matte and shiny and looks absolutely great.
