Wood is a common choice as a flooring material due to its aesthetic appeal and refurbishment abilities. Hardwood floors, also known as Engineered wooden flooring, are available in an oiled or lacquered finish.
What is Engineered Wood Flooring?
Engineered wood is genuine wooden flooring that is built in layers and bonded together for strength. The top hardwood layer shows all the natural characteristics and beauty of the selected wood species. Every piece of hardwood is different as the varieties of grain, holes, and colour comes into play, depending on the wood species, adding character to your wooden flooring.
An Oiled or Lacquered Finish?
Oiled Wood Flooring has a natural look and enables the colour of the wood to deepen over the years. An oiled finish goes deep into the heart of the wood and provides not only protection on the surface but into the core too. This gives maximum protection to the wood. Unlike a lacquered finish, when the top layer of oil finish is worn away, there is still a level of protection underneath.
A lacquer finish is ideal in a room that experiences heavy traffic. The benefit to a lacquered wood finish is that it becomes somewhat water-resistant. However, the one downside is that it tends to show scratches more easily than an oiled floor.
Hardwood floors can be re-sanded, and the duration between sanding intervals will depend on the thickness of the wear layer. When the floor finally ends up looking tired and worn, the best course of action is usually a re-sand and refinish it. It is always recommended that the services of a professional be used when carrying out this refinishing.
Lacquer comes in high gloss, gloss and matt finishes, although even a matt finish tends to have a bit of gloss to it. Should you decide on a lacquered finish for your floor, it is necessary to be aware of the floor’s shine.
Advantages of Hardwood Flooring
- Engineered wooden floors are dimensionally more stable than solid wooden floors.
- Stable construction results in minimal shrinkage or warping.
- Suitable for use over underfloor heating.
- Engineered flooring can be used on wooden subfloors or dry concrete slabs.
- It can be nailed, glued or laid as a “floating floor” on underlay.
- Engineered floors can be sanded and refinished/stained if desired.
- Hardwood flooring increases the value of your home.
- Engineered floors are straightforward to install.
TLC Flooring in Cape Town supplies a wide range of engineered wooden flooring, also known as hardwood flooring, for both residential and commercial use. These ranges include a Premium, Prime, Classic and Rustic range, which vary in colour, knots, cracks and character. Read more about these types of flooring options here.
Premium is the best grade of hardwood flooring available and is very uniform in colour and style, while Prime offers a more natural character with slightly more knots and a light brown fill. The Classic grade has consistent knots with a dark brown fill and a clean style, while Rustic offers plenty of country character with its consistent knots and dark-filled cracks.
TLC Flooring offers competitive pricing and a five-year guarantee on all their installations carried out by an experienced fitting team that provides a quality service. They service areas in and around Cape Town. Contact TLC for a competitive quotation.
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