Engineered flooring: what is it and what are its features?

Engineering parquet is a modern material that has appeared recently and has gained immense popularity.

Engineering parquet, or board, is a multilayer coating, which consists of the following elements:

• The bottom layer is made from thin sheets of wood. It often resembles classic plywood. In order to achieve maximum strength, all layers are placed between each other perpendicularly and glued together with the help of special polymers. The thickness of this element can reach 15 mm, which ensures high strength of the substrate.

• The top layer is made of fine wood. Increasingly, an oak or ash engineering board is found.The thickness of the veneer can reach 10 mm, which also affects the strength of the product.

Engineering parquet is a universal covering, distinguished by durability and unique design.

The popularity of this product is due to many of its positive qualities:

• A variety of designs. This is achieved through the use of different wood species, which can vary in texture and color.

• Resistance to moisture. Engineered flooring is suitable for laying in a wet environment, which makes it more versatile.

• Strength. The structure of the board allows to withstand high loads without changing the basic technical parameters.

• Easy installation. This is due to the presence of special connecting grooves, like those that are present in parquet or laminate.

• The board retains heat wellthat does not require the use of additional insulating pads when laying.

• The surface of the board is covered with a special varnish.which protects the wood from moisture.This eliminates additional surface treatment.

But modular parquet is not a universal product, as it has several significant drawbacks:

• The popularity of engineering parquet leads to the fact that there are many low-quality fakes. They, in turn, have a small service life and quickly lose technical and decorative indicators.

• High price. This is due to the complexity of production and the use of only natural wood. The price of engineering parquet can sometimes even exceed the cost of the classic. Therefore, not everyone can buy a board today.

• This type of coating has a shorter service life than a natural array board. Therefore, many prefer the latter option, if, of course, they can financially afford it.

These types of products are very similar in appearance, so a visually inexperienced newcomer cannot distinguish between them. Classic parquet, like the board, is made from natural materials. They also have a multi-layered structure, but at the same time the parquet can be either 3 or 4 layers.

The engineering board and parquet have some significant differences:

• The upper decorative layer of engineering parquet is much thicker than that of classic models. At the board it can reach 4-10 mm, while the floor often does not exceed 4 mm. This, in turn, already affects the strength of the product.

• The service life of the engineering material reaches 25 years, while its counterpart will serve only 8-12 years of quality, depending on the manufacturer.

• Engineered flooring can be laid on heated floors.

• The considerable thickness of the decorative layer allows it to be scraped in order to restore. At the same time, the number of grinding cycles is much more than that of classic parquet.

• The engineering board is produced only with a single-sided coating, whereas several strips can be glued to the parquet.

Engineered flooring is completely made of natural wood. The substrate is made of birch plywood. Particular attention should be paid to the outer layer, which is decorative.

To combine the unique design and high strength, it is made from the veneer of the following species:

• Oak. The texture of this tree is unique and suitable for classic interiors.The color shades of wood can vary from light to almost black.

• American walnut different shades of brown, which are also suitable for classic design styles.

• Ash. The strength of this tree is compared with oak, whereas beauty is often not inferior to mahogany.

• Malaysian teak complement the house with light brown or golden colors with a unique texture.

Engineering material is used in household premises for the purpose of their decoration. Installation of plates can be carried out on various bases that are pre-aligned. To get a durable coating, there should be no drops on the floor and it should be perfectly flat. If this is not done, according to reviews of many buyers, this will lead to the appearance of squeaks or a quick failure of locks.

Laying boards can be done in several main ways:

• Floating installation. The board is laid on an evenly prepared base. Between the elements are connected with special locks. This method is in many ways similar to the installation of classic parquet.

• Fixing with glue. The board is fixed to the leveled floor with the help of special adhesive solutions. This allows you to achieve the most accurate and reliable fastening. But this approach requires certain skills and is not suitable for beginners.

In this video you will see the process of manufacturing engineering Fenomenico TM modular parquet.