Over the years this question
has undoubtedly been asked more than any other; what to hardwood
floor to chose and
why? For the most part, the consensus will say
engineered because it is more
stable than solid hardwood.
Other factors that contribute to the popularity of engineered hardwood
floors in Florida include:
| |
| • Concrete subfloors |
| • Minimal thickness on concrete |
| • It's too humid for solid hardwood flooring |
| • My
realtor says hardwood... |
| • Limited store selections
|
Florida. The Land Of
Concrete Subfloors
The type of
subfloor you have
usually dictates what hardwood can be used. In Southwest Florida most of
our subfloors are concrete.
Engineered: Minimal
Thickness
Considering much of our construction is done
with concrete slabs, traditional 3/4" solid hardwood, commonplace up north, creates problems with vertical height
differences. Solid hardwoods need a wood subfloor base to attach to.
In doing so, the overall vertical height of the new floor can be as
much as 1 1/2 inches. More on
solid hardwood floors over
concrete.
It's Too Humid For Hardwood
Flooring
We hear it all the time: "It's
too humid in Florida for hardwood floors." When you really think
about it, how often is it humid inside your residence? 7-8
months out of the year we run the air conditioning non stop.
Depending on what type of system you may have, central air
conditioning keeps the humidly level consistent, or in the safe
range for hardwood floors.
In the cooler winter months when
air conditioning is not used as often, Florida rarely sees
humidity levels above 60% for any extended period of time.
My Realtor Says Hardwood Floors Are Bad.....for Florida
We've heard this many times over.
However hardwood floors in Florida are extremely popular. What many
don't understand is the same people that dislike hardwood in Florida
for one reason or another, may have heard a few too many unpleasant stories. Most, if not
all of them are associated with lack of installer knowledge and/or
poor installation. Key factors causing hardwood floor problems:
| • Failure to install at the proper time |
| • No
acclimation |
| • No moisture testing or moisture
awareness |
| • Failure to follow manufacturers
recommendations |
| • Poor installation workmanship |
| |
For more on the topics above check out
"Are we ready for
hardwood floors?"
Limited Store Selections
Florida
retailers push engineered hardwoods for several reasons. Here's a
recent email query from a customer in Orlando:
"I
wonder if many retailers are just trying to get me to purchase from
their MUCH wider selections of engineered products. Lots of them
don't have much to choose from in solid wood"
Our Response:
"You are correct, many
retailers only offer engineered products because they either feel
more comfortable with it, or don't have the installers to handle
other types of installations...."
Conclusion
Engineered hardwoods by far are more popular.
Other advantages of engineered flooring include the wide array of
selections available today. For example, if one desires a hand
scraped look with a particular stain color we may have exactly
what you are looking for in our showroom.
At last count over 300 samples were available.
Trying to duplicate or create a custom appearance
can be costly and time consuming.
Custom site
finished floors, depending on the areas involved, can take one
to four weeks to be installed and finished properly. For more
desired results, the areas should be unoccupied without having any
other tradesmen working. |
