So it's not exactly the best type of flooring to use in a lot of places even though you might be tempted to use it anyway. In the old days if you wanted to have a hardwood floor this was one of the risks that you have had to have taken unless you lived in a very temperate climate but time has moved on since then and with it so has the hardwood flooring industry.
Now you can get what is called engineered hardwood flooring which is basically indistinguishable from a real solid hardwood floor once down. It's made from a combination of fibreboard or plywood with a top layer of real hardwood and its designed this way to avoid the problems that you get with a real hardwood floor.
The most obvious advantage to this type of hardwood flooring is that it can be put in just about any climate as the bottom layer readily absorbs the moisture in the air allowing the wood to expand but without fear of warping. Excessive heat with solid wooden floors can be just as damaging because the wood dries out causing that horrible situation with warping again but engineered hardwood also counteracts this problem due to the way that it is designed and treated. So this opens up a wide range of areas that engineered hardwood flooring can be used where solid hardwood flooring can't such as in the basement for example.
Another advantage to having engineered hardwood flooring is that you can either glue or nail the floor boards down unlike real hardwood where you really have no option but to use nails. If you take a look at what goes into laying real hardwood flooring as opposed to engineered hardwood flooring you will see that you need a subfloor in which to nail the boards to whereas with engineered hardwood boards, because you can glue them down you don't actually need to take this extra step. As long as the floor is clean and level you can go ahead and lay engineered hardwood floor boards down without too much of a problem. This is especially useful when the surface you're working on is made from something like concrete as it saves a lot of time. By all means you can still nail an engineered hardwood floor in if you like but you will need to put in the subfloor first so it's up to you.
One point to bear in mind is that if you do decide to glue down the floor boards this is more of a permanent option although it is reversible if needed. It's just not as easy to undo as the nail down method. You might wonder why you would want to take the boards up anyway but sometimes floor boards need to be repaired or if you decide to move home you might want to take the hardwood flooring with you. In this instance that is where going to the extra effort with the subfloor and nails has its advantages.
If you're unsure which way to go you would be well advised to contact an expert on hardwood flooring, in Hertfordshire or wherever it is that you live and ask them what would be best.
Now the third advantage to having engineered hardwood flooring is that it's actually a lot cheaper in most cases compared to the solid hardwood alternative which can be extremely expensive when you pick a wood like oak. So for those that are on a budget choosing engineered hardwood flooring really is a no-brainer because you'll save a lot of money.
Engineered hardwood floor boards tend to be pre treated as well so this again cuts down on time as you won't have to finish the boards yourself unlike many solid wooden boards you can buy so that is yet another advantage in using engineered hardwood flooring over the solid hardwood alternative.
There are different types of engineered hardwood finishes and some are more sturdy than others so it's a good idea to bear in mind how much the hardwood floor is likely to be used and get some advice on which type of wood would be best for the top layer.
Finding engineered hardwood flooring suppliers is quite an easy job these days as you can just go online and type in hardwood flooring Hertfordshire for instance and you'll get a number to choose from for that area. You may as well find a supplier as close to you as possible as you may get a discount for picking the hardwood up yourself.
Make sure you order a little extra as well as it's always better to have to much rather than too little. It can be quite annoying if you start laying the floor only to realize that you're not going to have enough wood to finish the job. Also check the wood when you get it to make sure there aren't any defects. It's less likely with engineered hardwood but you never know.
Lots of suppliers also sell other things such as the tools necessary to lay the floor so it's a good idea to make a list of any tools you may be short of before you set off. Doing it this way you will be fully prepared before you start with all the right tools and materials. You can get helpful ideas about engineered hardwood flooring from IndigoFloors.
So as you can see there are plenty of advantages to using engineered hardwood flooring over solid hardwood but it's surprizing how many people don't choose it even though solid wood has several disadvantages. The fact is that a lot of people either don't know about engineered hardwood flooring or they are ill-informed which is a shame because it has proven to be one of the better inventions of the 20th century.
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