0
Still curious? Ask our experts.
Chat with our AI personalities
Blake
Maxine
Vivi
Add your answer:
Earn +20 pts
Engineered Flooring vs. Solid Hardwood Flooring?
In recent years, a trend in home design has been to rip up old carpets and tile and to install hardwood flooring. Hardwood floors create a warm and cozy look because of their rich colors. Not only this, but they will stand the test of time, being both elegant and timeless. They will fit into any decorating style and will last a lifetime if cared for properly. When purchasing hardwood flooring, homeowners will be confronted with two choices: solid hardwood flooring and engineered flooring. Solid hardwood floors are made from solid planks of various hard woods. They are cut to size and must be either glued or nailed to a subsurface. One good thing about solid hardwood floors is that they can be refinished over the years many times. During the lifetime of the hardwood floor, the surface may develop scratches or fade. Once every decade or so, depending on the wear, a hardwood floor can be sanded and refinished to restore its former glory. Engineered flooring may sound like fake hardwood flooring, but it is every bit as real as solid hardwood. Engineered flooring is constructed from real wood, however, instead of being a solid plank, these pieces of wood are manufactured in such a way that wood and a high strength resin are layered. When compared side by side, it is almost impossible for the naked eye to deduce which surface is engineered flooring and which surface is solid hard wood. This is because the top layer of the engineered flooring is made up a thin strip of wood that looks exactly like solid wood. Engineered flooring has a few advantages over solid hardwood flooring. For one, it is more durable than solid hardwood. Next, engineered flooring is able to handle humid conditions more easily than solid hardwood flooring. The many layers prevent it from buckling when exposed to water and moisture. Finally, the many layers of engineered flooring make it an excellent insulator that can help to keep a house warm in the winter and cool in the summer. Although it may seem like engineered flooring would cost less than solid hardwood, this is not the case. In almost all situations, engineered flooring and solid hardwood flooring cost about the same, making engineered flooring an excellent choice for new homes and renovations.
What is the difference between laminate wood and engineered wood floors?
Laminate Vs VinylLAMINATE: is a relatively new creation, introduced about 30 years ago by Perstorp in Sweden. It is basically a Formica type Melamine surface laminated (Glued) to a very dimensionally stable and harder than hardwood; fiberboard substrate.Usually shipped in + or- 25 sq ft boxes of planks about 8"X49" depending on the vendor.Today the edges are finely micro milled to fit/click together without glue or nails. The floor is pieced together at the jobsite much like Tongue & groove hardwood has been for centuries. But the laminate needs no nails & just lays in place held down by Gravity & the edge trim like quarter round.The surface is actually a photograph of whatever you want the floor to look like. Walnut, tile, oak or butterflies if it would sell.The surface is covered with an extremely hard gel coat, which usually includes minerals such as Aluminum oxide to make it very hard.The term Floating floor is often used to explain the way Laminate is installed..VINYL: is a next generation product that replaced Linoleum back in the 60sthe Vinyl process is very simple by today's tech standards. It starts as a high-density paper and it then goes through a 4 color printing process just like a magazine. any pattern & any number of colors.Most of today's US production is 12' wide rolls by whatever length they want to inventory. In Europe they produce mostly 4 meters wide (13'2 or about). (some very limited production up to 15' is available.After the print process a PVC coating is applied to the printed-paper to protect and make the product tough & easy to care for.Laminate is much harder than vinyl or even real hardwood, easier to install, easier to maintain, tougher to take abuse and easier to repair. Vinyl is seamless up to 12', comes in more patterns and is price competitive with Laminate.o Hardwood: Long considered the "gold standard" in fine homes, a hardwood floor is one of the few floors that really adds to the appraised value of a home as well as the beauty. There are a lot of "species" of wood used and today there are both solid wood floors and great engineered multi-ply wood floors. Not all "hardwood is" truly "hardwood." Pine is a soft wood and Bamboo is technically a "grass." Oak and walnut, cherry and maple are all traditionally used hardwoods. So here's a primmer on the terms used in hardwood.§ Strip vs. Plank: A board wider than 3' is called a plank, and boards under that are called strip. Wide boards give a casual homey look and strip gives a more formal look.§ Solid: Refers to wood that is just that one piece of wood from top to bottom. Usually 5/8" to 1 ¼" with a tongue & groove arrangement to fit the pieces together.§ Engineered: Is basically high tech plywood cut into strips or planks with the top layer of high quality hardwood veneer. Engineered "hardwood" is very moisture tolerant and easier to install. It also will save you a lot of money over solid hardwood. If you are environmentally concerned, engineered flooring uses much less wood and much less of the slow growth trees.§ Pre-Finished: Putting a finish on a hardwood floor was an art in days gone by. Multiple sandings and filling the voids in the wood, then applying the stain and varnish could take weeks. Today the manufacturer applies high tech urethane finishes in a clean room environment worthy of a computer assembly facility. The tint and clear finish are carefully matched to each batch of wood and the finished product is tough as nails, uniform, and ready for installation.§ Grading: Be very careful to check the boxes you get when the wood. Most dealers will price you and deliver "SELECT" flooring others will offer better prices but then delivers a lower grade product.The grading terms may change a bit from manufacturer to manufacturer. Here are the grades in descending order SELECT is the best! Then BETTER, COMMON#1, COMMON #2, CABIN GRADE, and TAVERN GRADE at the low end of the quality scale. The grade is usually stamped right on box so be sure you get what you paid for!§ Don's helpful hint: Pre-finished, engineered is great hardwood and much easier to install and live with than solid flooring. Some consumers think thicker solid hardwood will wear longer but a hardwood floor will likely outlive all of us so I wouldn't be too concerned about how many times it can be sanded & refinished, let the grandkids worry about that. Common & even tavern grade can be great values, if you are a value shopper look into the difference in price, it might be worth a few "knots or a mineral streak" they add to the character of a floor. Just for the record every flooring dealer I know uses common or cabin grade in their own home!o Getting it installed: Carpet is the least expensive product to get professionally installed and ceramic is the most expensive. The cost of installation is money well spent on most flooring unless you are a very handy do it your selfer. The tools for flooring are unique and as every "honey-do project engineer" knows it is all about the right tools for the job. Be sure to look at the whole project when you are comparison shopping. Ask one dealer what the labor rate is and they will give you an all inclusive, ask another and the may quote just the minimum service and nickel and dime you to death with add-ons. Most reputable dealers will provide a written estimate, (YOU WANT A WRITTEN ESTIMATE!!), and an on site measurement at no cost. For small jobs or extra trips expect a minimum or trip charge of about $100.o Here's what you should expect to pay for installation and normal extra charge items:§ Carpet: about $.50-.60 cents per sq foot.· Extras for removal of the old flooring, steps, and furniture moving.§ Vinyl: About $.65-$.80 cents per sq foot.· Extras for removal of the old, sub floor prep, sub floor materials such as luan, and furniture moving.§ Laminate: About $2-$2.50 per sq foot.· Extras include trims, transition molding, and quarter round.§ Ceramic: About$3.50-$4.00 per square foot.· Extras for base molding, floor prep, grout, trip charges for the extra trip to grout, patterns, installing cement board underlay, and furniture moving.§ Hardwood: About $2.00-$3.00 per foot for pre-finished floors.· Extras include floor prep, custom patterns, transitions, glue, trim moldings, and steps.Flooring installers are specialists these days. Don't assume that they will unhook plumbing or do carpentry work, like cutting off doors. Most will move furniture and appliances for a fee, they won't unhook electronics or move pool tables or waterbeds make sure your installer knows what you think was agreed to & get it in writing. No one likes a costly surprise. Most installation contractors will do just that they install floors.
What is the relation between Hooke's Law of Elasticity vs Newton's Law of Viscosity?
These two laws they are similar. But Hooke's Law is a law which is used in Solid Mechanics, and Newton's Law of Viscosity is the one which is used in Fluid Dynamics.
Synthetic marble shower vs tile shower?
Tiles and marble both are popular materials. In this article difference between tile flooring and marble flooring will be considered. You will make the best flooring choice for a home. Tiles come in a large variety of designs, colours, patterns and textures. You can design tiles to natural materials such as wood. Suitable for both interior and exterior use, Tiles are available in glossy, matte and anti-skid finishes. Marble is a very popular natural stone that is cut into slabs for a variety of temples, hotels and countertops. Marble is available in different colours including white, brown, black, and pink.
Fuel limited vs ventilation limited fires?
range fires vs. underground seam fires.
