 : What is engineered hardwood flooring?
 : Engineered hardwood flooring is a product made up of a core of hardwood, plywood or HDF and a top layer of hardwood veneer that is glued on the top surface of the core and is available in almost any hardwood species. The product thus has the natural characteristics of the selected wood species. The engineered product has been designed to provide greater stability, particularly where moisture or heat pose problems for solid hardwood floors.
: How many layers does engineered flooring have?
: In addition to the top hardwood veneer, engineered wood flooring typically has three or more core layers. Of course, there is greater stability with more layers. The core layers may be plywood, high density fiberboard, or hardwood.
: Does engineering destroy the natural beauty of hardwood floors?
: Not at all. The top hardwood layer is the same genuine hardwood you have in solid hardwood floors. This ¡°show¡± veneer is available in most species of natural hardwood.
: What is the thickness of the hardwood veneer?
: The hardwood veneer, or top layer of hardwood, can typically be 0.6mm to 4.5mm or more in thickness. A quality hardwood veneer will provide many years of wear.
: Can I refinish an engineered floor?
: It depends upon the thickness of your hardwood layer but the fact is that 95 % of hardwood surfaces are never refinished. With the high quality finishes that are offered and the extensive process that refinishing a floor entails, damaged areas are often removed professionally.
: Besides different species, what else accounts for the different appearances in hardwoods?
: Hardwood veneers have the same surface appearances as solid hardwood flooring because they¡¯re both natural hardwoods. Different appearances result from the different ways the hardwood are sawn. The different sawing methods are: i) Flat Sawn or Plain Sawn, ii) Rotary Cut, iii) Off-Set Rotary Cut, and iv) Sliced Cut.
Flat Sawn (also referred to as plain sawn) - can be flat grain (which has a cathedral or gothic effect) or vertical grain (which has a radial or edge grain effect).
Rotary Cut ¨C method of cutting wood in which the hardwood layer is peeled off the log using large wood lathes. This peeling method shows dramatic, wilder graining.
Off-Set Rotary Cut ¨C method of cutting wood which gives a sliced appearance and grain pattern with the added cross grain stability of sliced, without the sliced cost. Hardwoods are more dimensionally stable across the grain, and off-set rotary cutting takes advantage of this property. The yield is lower than a regular rotary cut creating a slight price increase vs. standard rotary.
Sliced Cut ¨C method of cutting wood in which the hardwood layer is sawn like regular lumber. This shows method finer graining.
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