Prefinished engineered wood floors have become extremely popular and offer many advantages over solid wood floors. With advancements in technology these floors are extremely durable, come in a wide variety of styles and hardwood species and can be used in almost any room in the home.

  Engineered hardwood floors are constructed from several thin sheets of wood (called plies) that are laminated together to form one plank. These floors will range from 1/4" to 9/16" in thickness, and from 2 1/4" to 7" in width. The lengths will generally be random and range from 12" – 60" in length. The top finish layer can be cut from a variety of domestic or exotic hardwood species and are generally factory prefinished with a polyurethane finish.

  In the manufacturing of engineered hardwood floors the wood plies are stacked on top of each other in the opposite directions. By having plies reversed they help counteract the natural tendency of wood to expand and contract with different levels of humidity and moisture. Engineered wood planks are much more dimensionally stable than solid wood and can be used over wooden subfloors or concrete slabs. (Note: the concrete slabs must still be dry and clean, see manufacturers installation recommendation for more details.) If moisture is a concern, then you should strongly consider an engineered wood floor versus a solid wood floor.

 The top ply ( finish layer) of an engineered wood floor can be a different wood specie then the plies underneath. This allows manufacturers of engineered wood floors to offer a wide variety of both domestic and exotic hardwood species without driving the costs out of sight. Plus, the dimensional stability of engineered wood floors means you can use these floors in almost any area in the home.

  Most engineered floors can be nailed-down, stapled-down, glued-down or floated over many different types of subfloors - including some types of existing floors. Caution should be used to be certain the existing flooring is well adhered and that your installation application meets the manufacturer's installation recommendations.

  You can also buy engineered floors in varying widths. They generally come in 2 1/4", 3", 5", and 7" widths and widths can be mixed, such as 3-5-7 inch planks installed side by side. By varying the board widths you can change the total appearance of the floor.