When it comes to flooring for your home, you have two options. Natural wood and engineered wood.
Natural wood looks good, but can be expensive.
Alternatively, engineered wood can mimic the elegance of natural wood at half the price but has limited finishing potential due to its thin veneer.
There are additional things to consider whether you go with engineered or natural wood flooring in Norwich, for instance.
Let us explore them in the sections below.
Engineered vs Solid Wood: The Moisture Battle
Traditional homes in Norwich, for instance, especially the Georgian and Victorian properties with their characterful brick terraces, look elegant.
However, they are also highly susceptible to moisture fluctuations.
This is why, when choosing the wood for the floors, owners of such properties have to be extra careful.
Why Natural Wood Can Be Risky?
Natural wood surely looks elegant and magnificent. However, when exposed to moisture-saturated environments, natural wood behaves more or less like a sponge.
When ambient humidity in and around Norwich increases, properties in the region, especially those with natural wood floors, experience issues such as unsightly gaps, warped planks, and buckling. This happens as natural wood expands and contracts with changes in ambient air moisture content.
As heritage properties are not equipped with modern damp-proofing measures, installing wooden floors is a bad idea.
Why Engineered Wood Has An Advantage Over Solid Wood?
Engineered wood is the solution for both modern and heritage homes.
Unlike natural wood, engineered wood comprises multiple layers that are compressed and glued together. The sandwiched layers are then covered with a layer of solid wood, meant to wear out and protect the layers beneath.
Additionally, the orientation of the grains in each layer of a piece of engineered wood runs opposite to that of its neighbouring layer. This design element helps engineered wood boards to resist the ill effects of expansion and contraction, which in turn make engineered wood floors incredibly stable.
Honouring History: Matching Period Features
When the goal is to preserve a traditional home’s heritage, one has to ensure that the new flooring material matches the overall look, finish, and feel of the original floorboards during repairs, renovations, and extensions.
To be on the safe side, always choose to hire professional joiners. They will source flooring material that mimics the original grain, age, and width of the existing floor.
Pro Tip:
If you are planning to repair, renovate, or replace the floor in high-moisture areas of your traditional home, such as the bathroom or kitchen, it would be best to avoid solid wood.
Reputable flooring contractors will advise you to opt for water-resistant engineered wood or, if you can, high-end luxury vinyl tiles.
Let The Experts Help You Transform Your Space
What’s the foundation of a cosy, beautiful and welcoming home? That would be its floor.
However, when it comes to getting the specifications, measurements and the right materials for the new floor in your home, one cannot help but feel overwhelmed. That is why you should avoid taking the DIY approach or hiring a team of amateurs who recently entered the sector.
For the best results, connect with a reputable contractor specialising in installing flooring in Norwich and the surrounding areas.
With help from the experts, upgrading your home can become a breeze. For more details, connect with a reputable flooring contractor like Nigel Stone today.