If you’re like most homeowners with carpeting, you’re likely thinking about having it replaced with hardwood flooring. Carpet can make a home look amazing, but carpets tend to collect a lot of dirt and debris. Plus the dirt that gets collected is difficult to remove and can ruin the fabric. You’ll have a much easier time keeping your floors clean with wood flooring. When it comes to hardwood flooring you’re going to have three main choices: Acrylic Impregnated (AI), Solid Wood, and Engineered Wood.
Solid wood is the type of flooring that many homeowners choose. Why? For starters, solid wood isn’t made from spare wood pieces or anything else; the wood is solid from top to bottom. Second of all, solid wood is available in both imported and exotic wood species. It’s also important to note that solid wood flooring is very customizable. You can cut the wood, stain it, and shape it however you’d like. You can also add accents, borders, trims, and paint.
AI is another very popular type of wood for a hardwood floor. AI wood is used mostly for commercial installations because it’s so hard and durable. It gets its name from the acrylic injection process that’s used to harden the wood. Acrylic is injected inside of the wood and works to reinforce the wooden material. Because of its durability it works great in areas of the home that see a lot of traffic.
The last wood type is called engineered wood and is carried by practically every flooring company in the country. This type of wood is so popular because it’s extremely versatile. Engineered wood is basically thin wooden layers that are glued securely in place. Manufacturers use heat and pressure to fuse the wood layers together. When it comes to installation, you can choose to either glue the pieces down or simply nail them down.
These are the three main types of hardwood flooring being used today. Again, solid wood is very customizable and fun to design, but AI wood is much more durable and long-lasting. If you’re looking for versatility, you should consider installing engineered wood instead. Engineered wood looks great in almost any area of the home.