Buy Engineered Hardwood Flooring ((LINK))
Engineered hardwood flooring consists of a thin layer of wood on top (veneer), and multiple layers of backing (the core). The thickness of the veneer and the core varies depending on the design and the manufacturer. It is this construction detail that will play the biggest role in how your floor looks, how stable it will be, and how long it will last.
buy engineered hardwood flooring
Most engineered wood flooring on the market is mass-produced. Even if you order the flooring all at the same time, mass production methods result in flooring boards in varying widths, lengths and thicknesses which can make for a very difficult installation. Even the color and finish of the floor can be completely different because the flooring came from a large batch, rather than made per order.
Shopping Tip: Ask the manufacturer (or supplier/retailer) where the flooring is manufactured, or what brand it is, then you can do some research to find out where their floors are made. You also want to verify if the flooring meets CARB2 and VOC content guidelines.
Hardwood flooring, also referred to as solid wood flooring, is often made of a hardwood species. Popular species include maple, walnut, oak and cherry. Solid flooring comes from a solid piece of milled wood, hence the name. Hardwood flooring installation involves nailing the wood planks to the subfloor, a project that requires some skills. Because it is solid wood, it can easily be sanded and refinished several times over its lifespan to maintain its appearance.
Hardwood FlooringHardwood flooring planks vary in width, ranging from 8 inches to 12 inches wide. Once installed, solid flooring tends to have tighter seams between boards. It is available in a wide range of colors and species in pre-finished and unfinished panels for more personalization.
Engineered Wood FlooringLooking almost exactly like hardwood, engineered wood flooring offers more flexibility in terms of width. Because of the veneer layer, engineered wood flooring could easily be mistaken for solid wood once installed. Engineered wood flooring is almost always sold prefinished and there are fewer options for colors and styles than hardwood.
Hardwood FlooringSolid hardwood is relatively easy to clean and maintain. Most floors only need sweeping and vacuuming, with the occasional mopping with a special wood cleaner to treat stains. Just avoid using water or steam to clean wood floors.
Hardwood FlooringHardwood flooring has a significantly longer lifespan than most types of floorings available. Hardwood flooring can last anywhere between 30 to 100 years with the proper maintenance and care. This is why we still see some houses with hardwood floors from the 1850s.
Hardwood FlooringThe standard size for hardwood flooring planks is 3/4 inch thick, 2 1/4 inches wide and can vary in length from 12 to 84 inches. There are some other widths and thickness available, however, hardwood flooring plans are usually never more than four inches wide.
Hardwood FlooringOut of the many types of flooring in the market, hardwood is among the most expensive ones. Prefinished hardwood flooring can cost $8 per square foot. On average, you can find hardwood flooring going for prices between $8 and $15 per square foot.
Engineered Wood FlooringOn the other hand, engineered wood flooring is a more budget-friendly flooring option. Engineered wood floors range between $2.50 and $10 per square foot. But, most styles are available at $4 to $7 per square foot. Advertisement THIS IS AN ADVERTISEMENT AND NOT EDITORIAL CONTENT. Please note that we do receive compensation for any products you buy or sign up to via this advertisement, and that compensation impacts the ranking and placement of any offers listed herein. We do not present information about every offer available. The information and savings numbers depicted above are for demonstration purposes only, and your results may vary. Using your home's equity is an easy way to fund your new floors!
Hardwood FlooringWhen it comes to water and the environment, hardwood flooring is more sensitive than other flooring options. Hardwood is not recommended for installations where humidity or moisture can go through because it causes swelling and warping.
Hardwood FlooringWhen it comes to selling your house, hardwood flooring is often considered a premium add-on that can increase the resale value. The longevity benefit of hardwood flooring and the premium quality are often a selling point for potential homebuyers. On average, installing hardwood floorings can boost the price of your home by as much as 2.5%.
Engineered wood flooring is a better choice in high-moisture environments than solid hardwood, making it a better option for kitchens, bathrooms and basements. But, for whole-house installations, both flooring options offer a wide range of style choices. It boils down to your budget (hardwood flooring is more expensive) and style preferences.
The best places to buy hardwood flooring are big box stores, trusted online retailers, and your local flooring specialists. Big box stores are best for budget flooring, online retailers are best for convenience (and prices), and local flooring stores are great for advice and a greater selection of products.
Finally, for the largest choice of wood flooring, you can browse major manufacturers online and then find a local small flooring retailer to order from. Prices might be slightly higher but you often get better, more personalized service from a small family run local retailer.
Wayfair is a very interesting online retailer that you should take a look at, they sell over 7 million products for the home from over 7000 suppliers, including of course hardwood flooring. We saw close to (a staggering) 2200 hardwood products on offer, including all the most popular brands and styles, with prices ranging from $2.87 to $20.45 per square foot. A great place to start your research if nothing else!
If Eco-friendly flooring is important to you then one of the best places to find green and sustainable harvested hardwood is Green Building Supply. They sell three quality brands, EcoTimber, Kahrs and US Floors and while the selection is quite limited the options are attractive and reasonably priced between $5 and $10 per square foot.
South Cyprus is another online flooring retailer that we really like. Their website is a pleasure to browse with a great layout and great images that will definitely get your design inspiration juices flowing! They have a good selection of hardwoods from established brands like Anderson, Columbia, Mannington, Mohawk, Mullican and more. And what they lack in quantity they make up for in quality choices with prices between $2.70 to $12.79.
This is a dedicated flooring retailer we like, with 54 stores nationwide and with new stores to come. Their physical stores are complimented by a website that is easy to use and easy to navigate. More importantly their focus is on delivering flooring products at wholesale prices to homeowners and contractors alike. At the time of writing they were offering 210 different solid and engineered hardwoods ranging in price from $1.69 to $7.20 per sq/ft
You can get both solid and engineered hardwood from Home Depot along with everything else you need from underlayment, molding and trim through to tools if you plan to do the work yourself. You can schedule a pro to come and measure your project and they provide installation services. However installation is outsourced to local contractors so why not approach local contractors yourself for free estimates and control the business relationship. The range of brands is good while not exceptional, Bruce, Mokawk, Shaw and Home Legend are among the better known names.
There are still thousands of small local and family run retailers too numerous to mention here, but later in this article we show you how to find the ones that stock the hardwood flooring brands that you like the most. The number of national retailers that specialize solely in flooring, as opposed to the general home improvement stores, is much more limited, in fact here we offer just three retailers.
Yes, for quite some time now the well-known national carpeting store has been selling all kinds of home flooring including wood, laminate, vinyl and tile. Like quite a few flooring retailers they work exclusively with their own store brands (Invincible, Rustic River and Voyager). They have a decent and very varied range of products covering many different species and installation types. Prices are higher than some others with most hardwood costing between $5 and $12 per square foot.
You can learn more about engineered hardwood floors in our core guide which covers buying, installation prices and maintenance. And click here for our reviews of the best engineered hardwood flooring brands.
Our goal is to deliver high-quality information to help homeowners decide which type of flooring to install in their homes. We work closely with qualified flooring contractors throughout the USA to provide installation and repair services for home flooring products.
All of our discount flooring products sold at ReallyCheapFloors.com are 100% made in the United States. For more than 40 years, we have provided outstanding flooring products ranging from engineered hardwood flooring to utility grade flooring, as well as area rugs. Browse all of our products to find the best flooring for your space.
If you have the space to store the planks for acclimatization, this might not be much of a drawback. However, if space is tight, have a large stack of flooring planks acclimatizing in your living space can be very inconvenient.
As we just mentioned, engineered hardwood is vulnerable to moisture and water damage. Not only does this mean you need to dry up mopped areas quickly, but it also limits where you can safely install it. 041b061a72