 | Patrick Goebel has been involved in the home improvement industry for over 10 years and is currently director of retail flooring of the Flooring & Decorating Division of Star Lumber & Supply Co., Inc. You may contact Patrick by email at pgoebel@starlumber.com or by phone at (316) 942-2221. |
Carpet, Tile & Floor Covering
2006-05-01 16:01:00
Engineered vs. laminate flooring
Question: What's the difference between engineered flooring and laminate Flooring? Can I have a solid 3/4" hardwood glued to concrete? What kind of hardwoods can I place on concrete sub floors then? In one room, I have a particleboard subfloor. Can I have nail down hardwoods installed?
ANSWER: Whew...that's a lot of questions. Let me try and answer each of them.Engineered flooring and laminate flooring are two different options entirely.Before laminate flooring came into the market in the early 90s there was engineered wood flooring. Wood flooring manufacturers created engineered flooring by gluing layers of wood together to create the plank. This process increases the stability of the floor and allows for the floor to beglued, nailed or floated on the floor. Most of the time these floors are pre-finished in the factory making for a very durable consistent finish.Sometimes this floor scares people because the top layer doesn't appear to be as thick as solid floors. However, this is not an issue as there is enough thickness to sand the floor completely several times and the layers actually make it less likely to dent.Laminate flooring was first popularized in the United States by Pergo and is made by compressing a protective outer layer, a high quality photograph and a fiber board together to create the planks. This creates a durable scratch resistant economical flooring choice that has become quite popular. This type of flooring clicks together and must be floated over a cushion to deaden sound and provide a moisture barrier.The other option for your home would be a solid wood floor. Traditionally, these come in ¾" thickness in varying widths. These floors can either come pre-finished from the factory or job site finished. ¾" floors must be nailed down and cannot be placed on a concrete floor. However, there is a method of prepping the sub-floor by installing plywood first and then nailing into the plywood. However, this is an expensive method that requires expertise and creates height issues if you are doing a remodel. It will add at least 1 ½" to the height of the floor. If the moisture content of the concrete is low and stable there is an option of gluing Bruce Natural Choice 5/16" solid floor to concrete, however, only above grade (not in the basement).Each manufacturer outlines their warranted installation options and a good flooring salesperson should be able to walk you through the choices to make sure you choose the right floor for your home. The right floor for you is one that can be properly installed over your particular sub-floor, provides the beauty and style that you desire and fits your budget!
