3 Serious Questions To Ask Before Buying Engineered Wood Flooring
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When properly chosen and installed, engineered wood flooring looks exactly like its more expensive hardwood counterpart. Unfortunately, first time buyers don't have the necessary skills and experience to make the distinction between quality engineered wood and the cheap variety. The issue isn't blindly choosing lower quality goods, but rather paying a premium price for a product that's not only hazardous to your health, but won't withstand the test of time.
Choosing the flooring you want goes beyond looking at nice online stock photos. Everything may appear fine on the surface, and it may even take months for you to figure out that the retailer was less than honest. To help you combat these problems, here are three seriously important questions to ask before purchase:
1. What is the top layer of the engineered wood flooring manufactured from?
There should only be one correct answer to this question: hardwood. Meanwhile, the internal layers of your engineered wood flooring don't contain actual wood, the top layer should be solid and natural hardwood. Of course, the quality of your flooring and how it withstands wear and tear will depend on the thickness of the top layer.
2. What kind of glue was used to sandwich the layers together?
Homeowners can rest easy that for the most part, there are strict guidelines and safety regulations as to the type of glues that can be used in order to manufacture flooring products. With that being said, some unscrupulous people are always bound to slip through the cracks and use toxic glue in order to adhere the different layers of your flooring together. In fact, in some extreme cases, formaldehyde was even used. Before making your purchase, always check for any caution signs or warning notes about the product.
3. Can the flooring be installed over radiant heat?
For the most part, floating engineered wood floors can be installed over radiant heat. With that being said, it's important to refer back to the instructions put forth by the manufacturer as improper installation will completely void the warranty on your flooring. For example, exotic engineered woods and those containing plywood layers aren't meant to be installed over radiant heat.
Asking the right questions will give you the right answers and ensure you purchase the perfect flooring for your home. You may think that all engineered wood is created equal, but that couldn't be further from the truth.
