Precautions were taken in the form of nailing and gluing planks four or five inch and wider to wood sub floors.

Lets say the job entails 2,000 square feet with a foyer, hall, kitchen, dining and great room. Although some will always prefer solid hardwood and nothing else, examine the below scenarios when it comes to older methods of placing solid inch hardwoods on concrete. Angled walls, kitchen nooks and the like always takes more time. Engineered hardwood can come in different thicknesses but generally, its about the same offerings as solid hardwood. In this example I'll use $ 2.00. The difference here compared to standard trowels is the design allows for a proper moisture barrier membrane. If this is the case, then ideally you should either opt for a thicker board or introduce an additional thin layer of ply (around 0.5cm thick) to stabilize the floor and give you a better laying surface. As wider plank hardwood popularity began changing what goes in new homes, most just assumed if all the precautions were taken, solid hardwoods would be fine. So, does the thickness of your hardwood floor matter? The Difference Between Hardwood, Laminate and Bamboo Flooring, Build With Ferguson: 10 Benefits of Solid Hardwood Flooring. From there, you have #1 common and #2 common, which have color variations and small flaws.

However, they are designed more for higher end where trim moldings are rarely used anyway. Considering the large demand for wider plank flooring today, its also becoming the norm or a more reliable method for use on wood sub floors as well. Engineered wood flooring looks similar to solid hardwood, but it is made mostly from a substrate (or subfloor) of plywood. This can be accomplished with cement backer board (common) for those with wood sub floors up north. They never have been. Solid wood flooring comes in a variety of thicknesses: typically 1/2, 5/8 and 3/4. Parquet with a higher thickness not only withstands the daily stress better, but can also be sanded more often, which is important for carrying out renovation work. These thicknesses may not always be the best choice, even though their life spans are exceptionally long. Just like solid wood, engineered wood flooring is available in various thicknesses (ranging from 15 to 21 mm). Engineered are often glued direct to concrete slabs with specific adhesives. All in all, in the case of a 15/4 thick engineered board, you will be able re-sand the floor 5 times in its lifespan. So if a plank has an attached pad (meaning the underlayment is actually attached to each individual plank), you may see a plank thickness of 14 mm. That means its a 12 mm thick plank with a 2 mm thick pad attached, equaling 14 mm.

The video above explains it best, particularly for those with basement or crawlspace home construction. You'll find many don't think engineered hardwoods offer what solid hardwoods do. The two step process is changing as adhesive manufacturers have developed two in one or three in one options that offer a moisture barrier and adhesive in one. Danielle Smyth is a writer and content marketer from upstate New York. Its list includes Anderson, Armstrong, Bruce, HomerWood, Kahrs, Triangulo and US Floors. A thicker plank is easier to install. Therefore, plank thickness doesnt refer strictly to the core of the plank but instead to the combination of all layers that make up the plank. Engineered hardwood adds an extra wrinkle because it has two separate thicknesses. Its fairly straight forward. In laymens terms, rippled and buckled floors come to mind. Usually, halls, kitchens and living rooms are considered high-traffic areas, while bedrooms and dining rooms are usually referred to as low-traffic areas. A historic look? If youd like help to establish what thickness of boards would work best for your project, why not get in touch? Flooring products like Swiss Kronowill state plank thickness on their packages or in their advertising by measuring the entire plank thickness from the bottom surface that rests on the subfloor to the top of the plank. In most cases, engineered wood is pre-finished, with fewer color options. Once thats all said and done, its time for the actual hardwood installation. Planning is important when it comes to tiled areas that connect where a common T-Molding would find its place. With a concrete sub floor, the important thing is to make sure that your sub floor is dry and level. Its perfectly feasible to fit solid or engineered wood flooring directly over joists, but you need to make sure that the joists arent too far apart (generally speaking, they should be no more than 45cm apart). At the top is 5/8 to 3/4 inch with a 7-to-9-inch ply. They want wider boards, longer lengths or both. So, if you want to choose the proper thickness of your engineered flooring for your flooring project, you need to answer three crucial questions. How to Choose Between Engineered and Solid Wood Flooring. Solid wood flooring is made of a single piece of timber and is made in the species you chose. In reality its not often this type of shimming is necessary especially with thicker pile carpeting. Fir and pine are not the best materials for flooring unless you want to throw down a utility floor in a shop or maybe an outdoor shed. Engineered flooring also comes in a variety of thicknesses. Engineered hickory floors are among the strongest and most durable options for your home. If they are exposed to a lot of moisture, they can warp or buckle; this is also a problem if the floor is not installed correctly. It features engineered wood flooring crafted in 8 wide boards, up to 12 long and installed directly to a concrete slab. Financial Services Register no. Those are pretty standard thicknesses that serve most needs. The thickness of solid hardwood matters when you install it over a wooden subfloor of questionable integrity. Keep in mind, gluing solid hardwood direct is risky business, regardless of who you hear it from. What is not recognized is the importance of climate control within the home, particularly basements, crawlspaces or whats under the new floor. You will find that engineered wood flooring is often priced lower than solid hardwood. More easily understood, they cannot perform as well as engineered with seasonal change, unless the home is climate controlled (maintaining balanced moisture levels) in its entirety, which also includes basements and crawlspaces; areas many don't focus on. 2022 ESB Flooring - All Rights Reserved. Appliance clearance is another issue and baseboards with lower profiles. The board lengths are also shorter for these, and this information is important for measuring and installation needs. Examined in this scenario is a typical plywood installation that creates a nailing base for solid hardwood. For free help and advice call us 0208 204 8555. Other hardwoods that are a good pick for a very hard hardwood plank include Brazilian Cherry, Hard Maple, White Oak and Black Cherry. Swiss Krono USA uses a superior high-density fiber (HDF) core made of 50% southern yellow pine and 50% hardwood in our laminate floors,no matter what the thickness is. Higher quality building material. It is often assumed that solid wood flooring is not as stable as engineered wood flooring, but depending on the manufacturer, that is not always the case. In which thicknesses is parquet available? Sellers might mention the hardwood flooring thickness but they generally dont offer options. 704348. To them it's more about wanting 'the real thing.'.

What thickness should hardwood floors have? Parquet floors with less thickness are advantageous, for example, in rooms that require a lower height of the overall floor construction. Basically, boards which are e.g. Radiant heat? Wider plank solid hardwoods are more prone to problems associated with changes in moisture with typical home construction of today. There is very little difference in cost between 1/2 thick and 3/4 thick because you start with the same raw material when you make the flooring. Other solid hardwood floors are sold in 1/2-inch- and 5/8-inch-thick planks. As a guideline, parquet floors should be renovated every 10 to 15 years and approx. In some cases, older entry doors had to be replaced as trimming was not an option, unless the threshold was raised. She also runs her own lifestyle blog, Sweet Frivolity. Engineered wood flooring means that each flooring board is made up of multiple component layers, to achieve the desired thickness and wear. Solid wood floor is most commonly found in 15 to 20mm thickness. If engineered wood flooring is to be laid in a high-traffic area, always go for a thicker board. Therefore, the best advice we can give you if you want to install engineered wood flooring over UHF, is to consult your supplier and UHF installer before making the final choice. This is a considerable advantage that requires less work; you may also not want to see the nails in the floor. If you choose a wood floor with a thicker wear layer, you will ensure that your floor lasts longer, can be refinished (if necessary), and will present a lower cost of ownership over the life of your floor! Cracks and gaps werent obsessed over; they were part of the floor. Nevertheless, if youve got under floor heating (UHF), 21/6 thick engineered wood flooring is not a good option for you. An overview of the commercialstrengths and the different structure of parquet floors can be found in this article. On the other hand, a 15/4 thick plank is 15 mm thick and has a 4 mm thick top layer. And it is this 4 mm thick solid oak top layer that determines the number of times your floor can be re-sanded. When we consider nailing hardwood floors punches hundreds of holes in this protective barrier its obvious the barrier has been compromised. Does thickness matter? The next grade is select/better, which is mostly uniform in color without flaws. However, most engineered floors are made with a very thin layer, equivalent to only 3 sheets of paper! 0.3 to 0.5 mm of the parquet surface is removed per grinding process, solid hardwood flooring has a service life of several decades. The way its constructed means that its highly resistant to temperature and moisture fluctuations. If youre in the throws of planning a wood flooring project, you wont need us to tell you that you have plenty of things to think about when it comes to making the right choices. Now floors are being viewed very differently.

However, this, in fact, depends on the manufacturers instructions. Other qualities to look for include a wide selection of woods and finishes, a high number of finish coats (nine being the best), the ability to be sanded at least two times, and a 25-year or more warranty. Whether or not you have under floor heating.

We do not specify nor warrant our 3/4" hardwoods installed by a staple down method. Check the specifications for any flooring youre considering to verify it is suited to your space, as well bathrooms and bedrooms dont necessarily need the same flooring. 12 inch to 42 or 48 inches long doesn't fit nicely in large open areas. Hardwood is also usually from 5/16 inch to 3/4 inch thick, reports Treadline Hardwood. In professional terminology, cupping and tenting is typically the most problematic condition. The total thickness of the parquet is therefore made up of the thickness of the Will you live in your home year-round or is it a seasonal home? The register can be accessed through www.fca.org.uk. Because the plank is thicker, sound doesnt travel as well. Are you going for something colonial? Ill use $ 3.00 per square foot for prefinished hardwood as it satisfies a national average. A parquet floor is not only versatile and visually appealing, but also convinces with its durability. This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged. The veneer layer ranges from about .5 millimeters to four millimeters. In the same vein, thicker hardwood might affect the efficacy of an ambient heating system. For laminate flooring, plank thickness is measured in millimeters (mm). It doesnt stop there. Carlisle Wide Plank Floors explains that the top layer of engineered hardwood is thin hardwood, or the wear or veneer layer, then beneath that is the backing or core. These thicknesses vary depending on the manufacturer, but it is essential that the backing be thicker than the wear layer. That is because engineered wood does not raise the floor height as much as solid hardwoods do. While it might cost more up-front to invest in higher quality solid wood floors or engineered hardwood flooring with a thicker wear layer, you will be buying a floor that lasts longer and will cost less to maintain over time. And there are staples specially made for this purpose as well. Final labor and material costs for gluing a inch engineered to concrete; $ 4.05 per square foot. This will dramatically improve the overall look of your floor, as in this example of a wide plank Hickory hardwood floor installed in a home in Florida. When I handled plywood on concrete alone, a job this size would have taken five days and that was pushing it. While this might present a very economical solution, these thinner engineered floors dont last long! Parquet is basically available in two versions, which differ fundamentally in their structure and thus in their actual thickness : The classic solid parquet (also known as single-layer parquet) consists of a continuous layer of solid wood, which is first laid in its raw state fully glued over the entire surface and only then sanded and surface-treated. Even more, some metal doors needed complete replacement. It is hard to pick the best from these cream-of-the-crop brands, and your decision will depend on your style, budget and type of hardwood you are looking for. For the best experience on our site, be sure to turn on Javascript in your browser. Wider plank solid hardwoods are actually fine to use, but they need near perfect environmental conditions to remain the way they looked after the installation. If you compare 3/8-inch vs. 1/2-inch engineered hardwood flooring, you will find that the 1/2-inch variety can be glued. Your average flooring store doesnt even know our product is out there. Typically, solid hardwood flooring is between 5/16 and inches thick. Unfinished wood flooring also comes in different grades the best hardwood grade is clear, meaning that it has no knots or flaws and is of a uniform color. The farther down the grades are, the more color variation and flaws you will see. Commercially available prefabricated parquet For all intent and purposes the two in one is included in this example. Most people do not think an engineered floor can be refinished as many times as a solid hardwood floor. This is one reason for the term moisture retarder. She owns her own content marketing agency, Wordsmyth Creative Content Marketing, and she enjoys writing home and DIY articles and blogs for clients in a variety of related industries. The SWISS KRONO products for furniture and interior design offer you safety, stability and durability. At Swiss Krono USA, we see durability provided by the aluminum-oxide wear layer thats on top. An important note about thickness and wear layer: the thickness of your backing and wear layer have a direct correlation to the cost of the product the thinner the wear layer is, the less expensive the floor will be. Granted, few will take notice, but once you get into wider planks they will stand out measurably due to the increased number of seams or bevels. There are so many options. As with most purchase decisions, theres no correct answer for how to choose the best plank thickness. 21/6 thick allow for re-sanding up to 7 times during its lifetime. Sites like Flooring.org offer lists of common flooring brands and are a good place to learn more about a brand before you buy. No matter what type of wood is used in engineered flooring, hardwood will always be stronger. Novuna Personal Finance a trading style of Mitsubishi HC Capital UK PLC is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority. MON-FRI 08.00-17:30 / SAT 10.00-16.00 / SUN 11.00-16.00 / BANK HOLIDAYS 11.00-15.30. Are: In contrast to the solid parquet, finished or multi-layer parquet consists of several layers glued together. has the following common strengths: total thickness 10 to 16 mm, wear layer 3 to 6 mm, can be sanded 2 3 times, total thickness 10 to 25 mm, wear layer 3 to 8 mm, can be sanded 2 4 times. Spread rate from Taylor is recommended at 30-35 square feet per gallon using their glide on trowel. Recommended Thickness Of Engineered Wood Flooring, solid wood flooring and engineered wood flooring. On the other hand, the thickness of the solid parquet also ensures particularly high resistance and durability. Thebacking of an engineered floor is comprised of multiplethin layers of wood which can include quality plywood, OSB, or other hardwood or softwood configurations. These boards are generally narrower than engineered ones, and also have tighter seams. What is the Most Popular Hardwood for Flooring. For this reason, choose the size based on how high you want the floor to be. Other thinner veneer products on the market today mention the same, but in reality, it is rarely possible. Todays blog post aims to demystify the different thicknesses of wood flooring in order to help you decide which thickness might work best for your project. Costs translate to about $ 1.05 per square foot based on a $145 per four gallon container. If you are considering a floor where the backing and wear layer are of a similar thickness, you can run into problems with stability in areas where there may be excess moisture or seasonal changes in moisture and humidity. The register can be accessed through, under floor heating, then engineered wood flooring, fit solid or engineered wood flooring directly over joists. When looking at engineered flooring options,the backing should be thicker than the wear layer to create the most stable engineered wood flooring plank. But even in transitions, such as at door sills, the strength of the parquet can be decisive. The decisive criterion for the service life is what thickness the parquet has. This wood flooring product is made by bonding layers of ply together and topping those layers off with a top layer, or lamella of solid wood. Basements and crawl spaces, or more important the ambient humidity levels, create the majority of problems with new hardwood floors. Our hardwoods are manufactured, finished and shipped from SE Ohio. Lower grades of engineered hardwood will have less thickness, and this can affect the installation method. Acclimation of plywood can also play a role in the performance of solid and engineered hardwoods. But veneer parquet cannot be sanded down in any other way than the classic finished parquet because the wear layer is less than 1 mm thick. Strength plays a role in the selection of the parquet in several respects: On the one hand, the acquisition costs are usually higher for thicker parquet, on the other hand, the strength has a significant impact on the life span of the floor, which in turn makes the investment quite worthwhile. In the case where the subfloor is uneven, it is recommended to pick a thicker board, which will be better suited to overcoming minor issues as compared to a thin board. The cost advantage still goes to the inch engineered at 12 % less once its all said and done. These are: As regards traffic, certain areas in your home have to put up with much more traffic as compared to others. Who will be doing the installation will you do it yourself or hire a professional. Solid wood flooring, as the name implies, means that each flooring board is made from one solid piece of wood. However, other factors also play a role here, such as the parquet adhesive. Enter your e-mail address to sign up for our Newsletter. JavaScript seems to be disabled in your browser. On the other hand, engineered wood flooring looks just like solid wood but is, in fact, made by fixing strands, particles, fibres, veneers or boards of wood together with the use of various adhesives or other fixation methods. The top layer, the veneer layer, is the actual hardwood that you want to see.

If you have under floor heating, then engineered wood flooring is the only option we, at Wood and Beyond would recommend. You can buy the boards unfinished or pre-finished. What Are the Pros and Cons of Wood Floors Vs. There are also grades for prefinished wood flooring. The only time thickness may be a problem is when the plywood sub floor is weak or flexes when you walk on it. How to Decide on Your Laminate Floors Thickness, Privacy and Data Protection for California. Levelness is important to a successful installation. If they fit this condition, then either a solid or engineered wood flooring product that is at least 18mm thick should be sufficient. Prefabricated parquet (multi-layer parquet). Generally, trees from exotic locales like South America and Indonesia are the most solid. Build.com promotes their benefits, adding that they are easier to care for than carpets (and harbor fewer allergens like pet dander), are durable and can be refinished if needed. Ask the Experts: What is Dry Cupping in engineered wood floors? When installing flooring in drier climates, engineered flooring may actually be less stable. When considering solid wood floors or engineered wood flooring, you ideally want a 3/16 thick wear layer. There are four standard laminate-flooring plank thicknesses on the market.

810 Technology Drive Barnwell, SC 29812 USA. Then you have to also think about the thickness of the veneer layer. Do you mind if your floors expand and contract between the seasons or get small gaps during the drier months, or do you prefer floors with very little expansion and contraction? Everything from selecting between solid and engineered wood, right down to fitting method and accessories are all important and deserve attention. Can You Put Hardwood Flooring In Your Beach House? If you want to run your floor parallel (in the same direction) as the old boards, you should introduce a layer of ply (as above for plywood sub floor). To better understand the acceptance of engineered floors we have to go back 30 and 40 years, even longer. A thicker veneer layer will mostly only affect the floor if it is damaged. Maybe you've noticed there are a lot of prefinished manufacturers that offer short length engineered hardwoods. This consists of different types of wood and should have a thickness of at least 2.5 mm. When choosing the thickness of engineered wood flooring, there are two different considerations to be taken into account. Impact resistance, or the ability of a laminate floor to withstand the impact of a falling object, is related to plank thickness. Also, if the veneer layer is thicker, youll be able to sand it to repair it. Some peoplechoose solid hardwood flooring or engineered woodflooring based on aesthetics. Financial Services Register no. The first two, clear and select/better are the same as the grades for solid hardwood.

Before deciding on the thickness of engineered flooring for your project, you need to check what your subfloor is made of and how level it is. Plywood substrate? This kind of flooring is generally 3/8 inch or 1/2 inch thick, and is wider than solid hardwood. Awareness of potential moisture problems should be examined. Due to its thickness, it can be sanded down several times in the course of renovation work . Carpeting connecting to hardwood is not an issue as shims made specifically for ramping carpet can be used underneath to slope ever so gradually to meet the inch thickness. Most people researching solid wood flooring and engineered wood flooring might not realize that the dimensions between the two options can be quite different. at 90 degrees) to the old boards. In cases like tile, the finished vertical height has to be brought up to meet flush with the hardwood while still leaving some expansion space (silicone caulk) shown with the illustration. At Wood and Beyond, were always happy to help and assure you that youll get professional, impartial advice every time. While this procedure is still being used today it still does not guarantee eliminating problems associated with wider plank floors. However, theres one option that you might see less often: thickness. Building panel in shell construction or elements in timber construction as well as wall and roof panelling. One of the most popular systems used today is the Taylor MS Plus Advance that comes with its own special glide on trowel. The traditional method had always been solid hardwoods, but that was a time when 2 strip flooring was the mainstay in residential construction.

As any regular reader of this blog will know, the difference between solid and engineered wood flooring is how the boards are constructed. As far as under-floor heating (UHF) is concerned, if youve got or want to install UHF, remember that a thinner plank will always allow more heat to be transferred faster.

It is considered very stable and flexible in its use due to higher resistance e.g. Thinner solid hardwoods are also acceptable as are short length inch hardwoods, but unless the home is climate controlled 52 weeks out of the year, expect some minor gapping during extended dry periods. Labor costs for the actual installation follows what we saw above or $ 3.00 per square foot. In this scenario without plywood, the five day period does not exist. Our planks come in the three thickest measurements: 8 millimeter (8 mm), 10 millimeter (10 mm) and 12 millimeter (12 mm). For the actual hardwood cost there is a variance but it can depend on what species of hardwood. Every component of our laminate floor is important in every product we make. uptownfloors.com. Ill use our Imagination Key Largo random width (offered up to 8 inch width) as an example. For inch engineered on concrete, the first step after proper floor preparation and moisture testing is choosing adhesives and or moisture barriers.