| With a little basic understanding about the
different types of wood floors you can be better prepared and more
confident in your selection. Wood floors are produced in both solid and
engineered planks and strips and come in a wide variety of wood species.
To help determine which type of floor will work best for your situation
depends upon the location within your home and the type of subfloor.
Solid Wood Floors
Solid wood floors are one solid piece of wood and are generally 3/4"
thick. Mohawk Solid Hardwood Floors are produced from the finest
American and Canadian hardwoods including red & white oak, ash, American
cherry, hickory and maple, and are available in several widths. Because
solid hardwood floors are more susceptible to moisture than engineered
wood floors they should only be installed above grade over approved
wooden subfloors and must be nailed-down. Solid wood floors can
generally be recoated and refinished several times.
Engineered Wood Floors
These floors are produced by laminating several hardwood plies together
to form the planks. Most engineered floors can be glued-down,
stapled-down or floated over a variety of subfloors including wood, dry
concrete slabs and some types of existing flooring. Engineered hardwood
floors have cross-ply construction which reduces the
expansion/contraction of planks caused by variations in humidity and
allows these floors to be installed anywhere in the home. Mohawk
Engineered Hardwood Floors come in a wide variety of widths, thicknesses
and colors in both North American and Exotic hardwoods.
Exotic Wood Species
Today wood flooring is also offered in a variety of hardwood species
that are not found in North America. Mohawk Engineered Hardwood Flooring
Collections include some of the finest exotic hardwoods from all over
the world. These floors offer many unique and visually striking
appearances that are distinctly different from the North American
hardwoods.
Prefinished versus Unfinished
Unfinished floors require several days to install, stain and finish the
flooring. Prefinished floors are less messy and can be installed and
completed the same day. A factory-applied finish like Mohawk's exclusive
Crystalshield finish with aluminum oxide is extremely durable and could
not be duplicated with a job-site finish.
Where is the room?
Knowing where the floor will be installed is essential. Before choosing
a floor determine if the room is above, on or below ground level. Mohawk
Engineered Hardwood Floors can be used in most areas in the home
including rooms below, on or above ground level. Solid wood floors are
recommended for above ground-level installations and must be nailed-down
to a wood subfloor. These floors perform better in humidity-controlled
environments.
Is your sub floor concrete or a type of wood
substrate? Engineered floors are ideal for concrete slabs. For remodel
projects you may want to consider Mohawk Engineered Hardwood floors that
can be floated directly over the existing floor which eliminates the
mess and additional costs of tearing out the old floor. |