5 Reasons To Choose Engineered Wood Flooring

Our new addition, Liberty the Labrador puppy, has made me rethink many things in our house.  One of those things is the flooring, particularly the downstairs flooring in the kitchen and hallway.  Our kitchen has laminate flooring.  We chose it as it looks a little bit like wooden flooring from a distance and I knew that with four kids, it would last.  To be fair it has lasted well. It has endured the daily rigmarole of muddy shoes, football boots, food, spilt drinks, more food and even bicycle wheels.  What my poor weary laminate was not prepared for was a puppy who loves to chew and who has very sharp teeth.  We now have kitchen laminate with quite a few puppy holes. Not ideal.

Photo by Keith Misner on Unsplash

The hallway is carpet and that is one thing I have wanted to change for a while.  It isn’t ideal as there is constantly a flow of feet going in and out of the kitchen and the front door.  Once again, the puppy hasn’t made any improvements.  We have had a few little ‘accidents’ on the hall carpet and she loves scratching it with her claws. If I thought it looked bad before, it is certainly worse now.

I would like to invest in wooden flooring and not really knowing much about the different types of wooden floor available, I have discovered for a number of reasons, engineered wood flooring is the best option.

It is much more cost effective

Engineered wood flooring is made up of layers with a thin layer of hardwood on top and a thicker layer of high-quality plywood.  Because there is less hardwood, this makes it a lot cheaper to buy which is great if you are working to a strict budget.

Installation is easier

If you are having solid wood flooring, there are only two ways to have it installed; either stapled or nailed in place.  With engineered wooden flooring however, there are lots more options such as nailing, stapling, glueing or the fold and lock method.

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It can be used in a variety of rooms

Another of the main advantages of engineered wood flooring is that it handles moisture a lot better than solid wood. Although it is still advisable to avoid moisture, you could use it in kitchens and bathrooms as it is far less likely to warp or flex if it comes into contact with moisture.

It is more practical

Apart from the fact that it handles moisture better and it is easier to install, engineered wood flooring is more stable and less likely to shrink or expand when exposed to different temperatures. This all means that you can use engineered wood flooring on the ground floor where as solid wood is only recommended for use above ground level.

It looks amazing

You might be worried that engineered wood flooring won’t look as good or might look cheap.  Think again.  As it does have a layer of hardwood on the top, it looks really authentic and is so much better to look at than laminate flooring.  You get the great looking, easy to maintain flooring for a fraction of the cost of solid wood.  What’s not to love?

All in all, I am certainly sold on the benefits of engineered wood flooring and I am hoping that when we change our floors, our new floor choices will be puppy proof.  Otherwise she might have to move into the garden.

Photo by Andrew Neel on Unsplash

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