Why Engineered Wooden Flooring Works Well in Kitchens and Bathrooms
Posted on: 17 June 2020
Many homeowners would love to add hardwood flooring to their homes. That's because hardwood flooring can turn an otherwise average-looking home into a thing of beauty. But hardwood flooring is expensive. This can put some people off. Fortunately, there is a cheaper and in some ways better alternative — engineered flooring.
While hardwood flooring comes in solid wooden boards, engineered wood flooring consists of multiple layers of plywood topped with a layer of natural wood, such as oak. This means that engineered wood flooring looks just like hardwood flooring. But engineered wood flooring also has some unique advantages that make it ideal for kitchens and bathrooms.
Moisture and Temperature Resistant
Hardwood flooring has one particular weakness that makes it difficult to maintain in kitchens and bathrooms. When moisture and temperature combine to create humidity, hardwood boards begin to contract and expand. This can cause them to crack. And the shape of hardwood boards may change over time when exposed to humidity because of warping.
Engineered wooden flooring, on the other hand, is highly resistant to moisture and humidity. The crosswise layers of plywood give engineered wood flooring structural stability, allowing it to resist the warping and cracking that affects hardwood floors in similar environments.
Underfloor Heating Compatible
Two places where you might want underfloor heating are your bathroom and your kitchen. Between hardwood flooring and engineered wood flooring, the latter works much better with underfloor heating. First, because this flooring type is thin but dense, it conducts heat very well, creating a uniform spread of heat.
Second, engineered wood responds well to temperature changes, unlike solid wood, which can crack or warp over time. Because of the way engineered wood flooring is structured, i.e. in multiple layers, it doesn't warp as easily as solid wood flooring when temperatures fluctuate.
Damage Resistant
Bathrooms and kitchen see a lot of action. Both rooms are busy morning, afternoon and night, and so you need to have sturdy and durable flooring in these areas. This is why engineered wood flooring is ideal for these rooms. Its multiple layers topped off with a layer of real wood gives engineered wood flooring a strong level of durability.
And even if engineered wood flooring does get damaged, because the uppermost layer is real wood, you can sand and refinish your flooring whenever you need to, at least until the top layer has worn away.
Are you about to choose new flooring for your home? Then consider engineered wood flooring for your bathrooms.
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