There are a lot of reasons why people would prefer engineered wood more than solid hardwood. For one, it’s pretty durable, and surprisingly enough is very environmentally friendly. It’s also quite stylish and is quite good at dealing with moisture.
In an instance that you chose to go with engineered wood for your flooring then you’ve probably come across the issue of cleaning and maintaining it. Well, you’re just in the right article as we’re going to talk exactly about those things.
How to clean engineered hardwood floors? That and more so stay with us!
What is engineered wood?
Engineered wood also oftentimes called man-made wood or mass timber is part of a range of derivative wood products that are manufactured by fixing strands, fibers, particles or boards of wood together with some adhesives to form a composite material.
In a nutshell, it is a layered product made of actual think slices of hardwood on top of high-quality plywood as its base. They are typically made of the same hardwoods or softwoods used for lumber.
Its thickness can range from 3/8 inch to ½ inch with widths at 3 ¼ inch and plank sizes starting at 5 inches wide. Engineered wood floors are usually pre-finished with some companies would do site-finished flooring.
When it comes to sanding engineered wood flooring can only be sanded once or twice because by then the upper thin layer wears away. It’s generally easy to install than solid hardwood flooring as there are a variety of techniques for it to be done so like stapling or nailing, glue or fold-lock.
Some common types of engineered wood are as follows:
- Plywood – perhaps the most common of the engineered wood. It’s also quite affordable so the use of it is quite widespread. One of the original engineered word products too. Made from cross-laminated veneer and adhesives that are bonded under heat and pressure, also quite durable and are moisture resistant.
- Fiberboard – It is a composition of wood fiber, wax, and resin. Wood fibers are produced by the breakdown of hardwood and softwood residues. To obtain the final product, high pressure and temperature are applied to the raw panel.
- Laminated Timber – formed of several layers of dimensional timber glued together with adhesives that are moisture resistant.
- Beams – I shaped structural members specially designed for use in roof and floor constructions.
Some other types of engineered wood are densified wood, particleboard, laminated veneer, parallel strand, finger joint, trusses, and the newly developed transparent wood composites.
Engineered wood versus solid wood
So, which is better? Engineered wood or solid wood? Let’s discuss their benefits to hopefully help you make some decisions.
Benefits
We’ve mentioned some of the advantages of getting engineered wood earlier on but here we will dig in deeper.
Benefits of getting engineered wood
Engineered wood products tend to have higher load carrying abilities than solid wood that comes in the same dimensions. That means engineered wood is more efficient and the better choice this way. Simply because some deficiencies on solid wood like knots or cracks are removed during the manufacturing process of engineered wood.
Also, the resins used for engineered wood are a lot stable and do not produce gas. They also sequester a lot of carbon resulting in a net negative carbon footprint.
But perhaps the best advantage of using EWPs or engineered wood products is that it preserves or extends the use of forest resources. Simply because the use of wood from residual sources, second-growth forests, and plantations reduces pressure to harvest more from forest areas.
Benefits of getting solid wood
Of course, solid wood isn’t that all bad it’s got some good points too and we will discuss it for you.
Solid hardwood flooring is still a great choice or shall we say a stylish choice.
If you’re looking for pure aesthetics then it should be your first choice. It will greatly enhance the look of your house. It’s low maintenance and easy to clean, whether you want to sweep it or vacuum it then it shouldn’t be a problem.
It’s strong and durable plus it adds great value for your home. Promotes better air quality, unlike carpets that trap dust and dirt sometimes. It’s also so versatile design-wise as it should match any theme you’d go for. It’s long-lasting and cost-effective and lasts for a very long time.
The color doesn’t fade too easily as well, it can be refinished and the acoustics of your house would improve, let’s say that that’s the icing on the cake shall we?
How to clean engineered hardwood floors?
As promised here are some techniques on how to clean engineered hardwood floors.
Step 1:
Have a regular cleaning schedule. This habit can also be a prevention method, as you know your engineered wood floors needs constant regular cleaning. If you do that nothing nasty would accumulate.
Sweep every day or to be more effective use a vacuum cleaner maybe 2 to 3 times a week. Dust, dirt, pet debris, and allergens won’t have any time to infest your home if you do so.
If your house or office space is heavy traffic areas then you may need to clean every day or several times a day.
Step 2:
Next, if sweeping or vacuuming doesn’t do the trick or if it’s been a while since you cleaned then damp cleaning is in order. It’s safe and effective for your engineered hardwood floors.
Run a damp mop across your engineered wood floor, the keyword is damp and not soaking wet, you don’t want to saturate your wood floor. You can also go grab one of those hardwood steam mops.
Your engineered wood can handle more moisture than solid hardwood but too much may still damage it. Damp mopping should be able to take care of any particles missed by sweeping or vacuuming.
Step 3:
Grime can still build up on your engineered wood floors though and so deep cleaning would be required occasionally. You just need to find the right solution for the type of engineered wood floors that you have.
Ask your wood floor’s manufacturer or at your local hardware shop. You just need to mop with your chosen solution and that should give your engineered wood floor extra maintenance and it should last longer, be more presentable and as stylish as when first installed.
More tips about how to clean engineered hardwood floors:
You also need to make sure to clean up- spills as soon as possible because not doing so may leave nasty marks or irreparable damage to your engineered wood floors.
If you have pets running around all the time then it might be prudent to go ahead and trim your pet’s nails from time to time as to not damage your flooring as well. Trust us this is quite a practical tip!
Also, as much as possible do not use hard water on your engineered wood floors as they tend to leave a dulling effect to it. Instead, use soft water or only special hardwood cleansers to remove buildup and restore the natural luster of your flooring.
One more piece of advice is to not put your electrical appliances immediately above your flooring may it be engineered hardwood or solid wood as the heat generated by your appliance will cause damage.
You’ve worked so hard to get this stylish flooring in place you don’t want to damage them at all cost!
Final Words
Engineered wood flooring is a good way to go, it’s not only highly durable and easy to clean and maintain but at the same time you help the environment a little bit too.
We hoped you’ve learned a thing or two on how to clean engineered hardwood floors through our article and picked up some other important information as well. Enjoy your cleaning sessions and may you have a great day ahead!