Solid or Engineered

SOLID OR ENGINEERED?

Along with colour, species, hardness, width of plank and pattern of the floor, one of the most frequent questions that many architects, designers and homeowners ask us when considering wood flooring for their project is, 'Should I use Solid or Engineered flooring?'

Up until the early twentieth century solid wood was the only option and prior to the introduction of centrally heating systems, was more than adequate in terms of stability and movement. As design tastes changed away from parquetry and narrow plank floors, the issue of stability became more prevalent as the planks grew wider. The introduction in recent decades of under floor heating also added to this issue, questioning the viability of solid wood and its tendency for movement in low to high fluctuations of moisture content and humidity. From conception, ebonyandco has tackled the forces that impact on the movement of wood. It has been the implementation of our successful techniques and parameters in terms of quality and choice of wood, drying methods, milling and installation procedures, that have gained us a global reputation for achieving our solid wood floors, in any width, the accolade of being one of the very few that can guarantee their floors in some of the most adverse conditions, especially under floor heating.

However, we have also come to understand that there are times when clients feel more comfortable in using engineered flooring for one reason or another. Installation is more cost effective. In certain species the cost of product also falls into this bracket. These benefits are particularly prevalent in larger commercial applications such as hotels, where numerous bedrooms require wood flooring. Indeed residential areas, subject to less traffic such as bedrooms, basements etc, equally qualify. In our case, the myth that solid wood is a bad conductor of heat from under floor heating and that engineered flooring is superior, only holds ground in terms of the time delay of initial heat transferred into the room atmosphere. Even so this delay is minimal.

So what other reasons are there to choose a man-made product over mother natures invention? Gapping! There can be no doubt that engineered flooring is more stable in terms of movement within the floor itself. Whilst we can guarantee  our solid wood will not cup, bow or twist etc, we cannot state the same for small gapping occurring in the floor during certain conditions such as under floor heating. Therefore, for those who demand almost no gapping within their floor, the better choice is engineered. The crisis cross lamination of the plywood backing and top surface wear layer, leads to superior containment of expansion and contraction within the plank and consequently the floor. If on the other hand you do not mind slight gapping between the planks and prefer the natural look that these give to the ambiance of the room, then our recommendation would always be towards a solid floor.

With only the exception of width and length, we can produce your ebonyandco floor in any of the looks you prefer, solid or engineered. The choice is now only limited by your imagination! 

Please scroll through our Products to view the wide range available.