Engineered VS. Solid Flooring: What's the Difference?

There is a lot of information online about the technical differences between engineered flooring and solid hardwood flooring. Heck, we've even got some on our own site! But unless you're a hardwood flooring manufacturer or installer, you probably don't care about cross-directional layers and dimensional stability. You care about how your new floors will look and feel, and probably how much they're going to cost.

With that in mind, we've taken the liberty to break down the engineered vs. solid flooring debate into four categories that are important to you: look, cost, longevity, and installation process. We hope this helps clear up some of the confusion surrounding this common question!

The Look
Since engineered flooring is made with a top layer of real wood there is very little difference in appearance between it and solid hardwood flooring. Both solid and engineered flooring can be purchased prefinished or unfinished, and both come in a wide variety of species. Both varieties are available as planks or strips, but only solid hardwood flooring comes in parquets.

The Cost
Engineered flooring usually costs less than solid hardwood flooring, mainly because it contains less of the actual wood than its solid counterpart. Engineered wood also weighs less than solid wood flooring, so transportation costs are. Finally, engineered wood is generally easier to install, meaning it will cost you less in installation costs.

The Longevity
There are two schools of thought on this subject. The first looks at how likely the wood is to experience buckling or warping over time. Engineered flooring is made using a cross-directional lamination process, which helps counteract the wood's natural tendency to expand and contract with changes in temperature and humidity. From this point of view, engineered flooring is the top choice for durability.

On the other hand, because engineered flooring has only a thin layer (about 2mm to 3mm) of natural hardwood, it makes refinishing much more difficult. Solid wood, however, can be refinished many times - as much as one-third of the board in some cases. So from the point of view of repairing scratched or dented floors, solid hardwood is a better choice.

The Installation Process
Solid hardwood flooring can really only be installed one way and in one type of location: stapled (or nailed) down, and at-grade or above-grade. Engineered flooring, on the other hand, is a lot more versatile. It can be installed in almost any part of the house, including the basement and second or third floors. It doesn't need to be stapled or nailed down, either. Engineered flooring can also be glued or, in some cases, "floated" over different subfloors.

The Verdict
By now you're probably thinking, "There's no contest! Engineered flooring is clearly the best!" Well, not exactly. If you have a creative decorating mind and a fairly large budget, solid hardwood flooring should be your first choice. You can combine solid hardwood into beautiful custom floors in a way that can't be done with engineered flooring. Solid flooring tends to raise the value of your home more than engineered flooring as well, mainly because it is a more costly and more permanent addition to the house.

What are your thoughts on the topic of engineered flooring vs. solid hardwood? Leave us a comment and let us know!

5 Post-Holiday Clean-Up Tips

Now that the holiday season is finally over, you can focus your attention on a part of your house that probably saw a lot of wear and tear during the past few weeks: your hardwood flooring.

There are a few messes specific to the holidays that can wreak major havoc on your floors if not dealt with in a timely manner. The following are five post-holiday clean-up tips you can use to make sure your floors stay looking good well into the new year. Enjoy!

1. Wine Stains
In the case of spilled wine, time is your enemy. Try to blot up as much of the spill as soon as you can, and remember not to rub it in. If the wine has started to set, try pouring undiluted bleach on the stain and letting it set for about 45 minutes. (This can take off the floor finish and leave an even more unsightly stain, so make sure to test a small, inconspicuous area of your floor first.) If the bleach doesn't work, mix a simple soda paste out of baking soda and lemon oil or mineral oil. Gently rub it over the stain, let it sit for about a half hour, and remove it with a dry cloth.

2. Foot/Paw Prints
It may sound counterintuitive, but one of the best ways to clean muddy paw or footprints from your hardwood floors is to let them dry. After they're dry, run a vacuum over the prints. This gets rid of a surprising amount of dried mud and dirt, all without water. Once the loose dirt is up, use a high-quality hardwood floor cleaner like DuraSeal to remove what's left.

3. Tree Needles
Cleaning up old tree needles is pretty straightforward - vacuum! Don't forget to use the vacuum's attachments to get into the nooks and crannies where old needles may be hiding.

4. Candle Wax
Piece o' cake:

5. Sticky Tape
Sticky tape on hardwood floors is one of the most common and irritating consequences of holiday gift-giving. Here's how to get rid of it: Start with a washcloth and a bowl of hot water - the hotter the better. Soak the corner of the washcloth in the water and apply it directly to the tape. Let it soak there for about five minutes, then gently roll your finger over the edge of the tape to get it loose. Once the tape is loose, place a drop of dish soap on the washcloth and rub it over the tape residue. Rinse the washcloth and repeat until the residue is gone.

We hope these helped! What are some post-holiday cleaning tricks you use regularly? Leave us a comment and let us know!

Happy New Year!

We had a great 2012, and we hope you did too! Now, bring on the new year!

The Best Hardwood for Radiant Heat Systems

Radiant heat systems have been around for years, but they are gaining popularity in homeowners that want to cut down on their energy consumption and save a little money in utility bills. However, floor radiant heat systems can really mess up a hardwood floor. These types of heat systems can cause your wood flooring to dry out quicker than other heating systems, which can lead to warping and buckling. Luckily, there are certain types of hardwood flooring you can install that are less likely to experience the negative side effects of radiant heat systems.

The key to using hardwood flooring over radiant heating systems is to choose a product that is very dimensionally stable. Dimensional stability is the measure of wood's tendency to shrink and swell as it gains and loses moisture. Because radiant heat systems pump heat directly through the floor, it's very important to find boards that are less likely to move around as their moisture levels change.

Low-Density
Domestic hardwood species with a lower density tend to have better dimensional stability than their more denser exotic counterparts. North American oak, American walnut, and American cherry are all great known for their natural stability.

Engineered Flooring
People prefer engineered flooring over solid hardwood for a lot of reasons — it's easy to install, it's versatile, it's light-weight — but what a lot of folks don't know is that it is also much more stable than solid flooring. These reasons combined make it a perfect match for radiant heat systems.

Narrow Boards
Fact: wide hardwood boards are inherently less stable than narrow ones. In fact, any board over three inches wide is frowned upon for installation over radiant heat systems. Stick to the industry standard: 2 1/4".

Quartersawn
We could go on and on about the differences between quartersawn and rift-sawn floors, but for this post you really only need to know one thing: quartersawn is more dimensionally stable. Done and done.

Questions? Read Radiant Heat Installation of Hardwood Flooring on our website or give us a call at 1-888-448-9663.

Fantastic Floor Presents: French Connection White Oak

Welcome back to your favorite hardwood spotlight series on the web, Fantastic Floor Presents! This week we're straying from the traditional format a bit and taking a look at not just a species of wood, but an specific line of flooring products. Namely, the White Oak French Connection from the Garrison Collection. Enjoy!

We've talked about white oak hardwood flooring before. A lot. But the French Connection line from Garrison is special. Why? For starters, there are fifteen styles to choose from in the series, making matching your floors to your current or planned design scheme a breeze. I mean, take a look at some of these beautiful examples:

Beautiful, right?

The flooring also comes prefinished, so the wire-brushed oil finish that gives the flooring its allure and luster is built right in to the boards — no onsite finishing required. And because the line is engineered, the boards are ready to go right out of the box. Engineered flooring is lighter and generally easier to install, meaning you can use French Connection White Oak flooring in any room and any floor of your home. It also features enhanced dimensional stability, making it less likely to bend and warp than standard solid white oak floors.

On a broader note, white oak hardwood is one of the most popular, beautiful, and durable hardwood flooring products on the market today. It's light tones and pale heartwood complement almost any design scheme and lend themselves quite well to different color finishes. It is also extremely resistant to wear. In fact, white oak hardwood used to be used as mine timbers and boat planks. That's pretty tough.

Want to learn more about the White Oak French Connection line at Fantastic Floor? Call us today at 888-448-9663 or send us an email at customer.service@fantastic-floor.com. We look forward to hearing from you!

Happy Thanksgiving!

We have a lot to be thankful for this year, and we hope you do too! From all of us here at Fantastic Floor, we want to wish you a Happy Thanksgiving! Now, get back to the table. That turkey ain't gonna eat itself!

Superstorm Sandy Victims: We're Here to Help!

It was just a few short weeks ago that Superstorm Sandy devastated the Northeast, and people in communities affected by the storm are still trying to put the pieces back together. At Fantastic Floor, we want to do everything in our power to help Sandy victims rebuild their homes and get their lives back on track. In that spirit, we're excited to announce some of the ways in which we're doing our part in helping people affected by the massive storm:

Freight costs can be one of the most expensive aspects of purchasing new flooring. Large floor remodeling or replacement projects often require hundreds of pounds of hardwood, and getting those boards from the manufacturer to the work site often costs a pretty penny. This is a legitimate expense, but it's also one that can prevent homeowners from getting the new floors they want in a timely manner. In our opinion, that's unacceptable. For a limited time, Fantastic Floor is offering free shipping to all victims of Superstorm Sandy. There are enough expenses you have to worry about during these tough times; shipping and handling shouldn't be one of them.

In addition to free shipping, Fantastic Floor is also offering deep discounts on some of our most popular hardwood flooring products. We feature one of the largest selections of hardwood flooring in the country, and we're prepared to offer Sandy victims discounts on as many different varieties as we can. Discounts and availabilities vary - call a Fantastic Floor representative today to learn more.

One of the hardest things to find when shopping for replacement hardwood flooring is an honest answer. Most companies want to sell you whatever flooring variety they're trying to move. Not us. At Fantastic Floor, we're dedicated to finding you the hardwood floor that fits your lifestyle and your budget. No high-pressure sales talk here. Just honest answers to all of your hardwood-related questions.

We're dedicated to helping all of our friends affected by Sandy. Call us today at 1-888-448-9663 to discuss your hardwood flooring replacement needs, or learn more at Fantastic-Floor.com.