- Underfloor heating is compatible with engineered flooring.
- The floating floor can be used with any subfloor.
- Engineered floors are available in a variety of widths and lengths, allowing for different finishes.
Solid hardwood floors are susceptible to warping and drying out when heated by central or underfloor heat. They can also expand and contract more easily under changing humidity levels and temperatures. Engineered hardwood flooring was designed to solve these problems. It is therefore the most popular choice for modern spaces. For Engineered Wood Flooring, contact irwintiles.ie/wooden-flooring/engineered-wood-flooring
Engineered floors are made of several layers of wood that have been pressed together. Each lamina (layer) is adhered to the adjacent layers with an adhesive. The average number of lamina is between three and twelve. However, this varies across all flooring ranges.
Engineered wood floors are divided into three sections:
- The top layer
- The core of the central core
- The backing layer
Three different ways can be used to construct the wear layer of engineered flooring.
- Sawn
- Slices
- Rota peeling
The logs used to produce sawn engineered floors are straight-sawn through into the wear layer. The sawn method produces a similar look to solid wood, the only difference is the thickness of the cut. The final appearance of sawn engineered floors is identical to solid wood.
The engineered wood floor is made from a log that has been divided into segments. Each segment is called a “cant”. The wear layer is formed by slicing the cant at an angle. The finished product is very similar to solid wood flooring. However, there are some limitations to the slicing procedure.
The logs are placed on a large lathe and spun with a blade. The log is then peeled, resulting in a large sheet of wood wearing layer. This process allows the grain pattern and wood’s natural characteristics to be more prominent and produces less waste. This process can only produce thin wear layers.