3 Ways to Create a Timber Flooring Look With Alternatives

Posted on: 17 May 2021

When planning home renovations, you'll likely need to decide on flooring materials. You may enjoy the timber look but want to avoid problems commonly associated with solid wood floorboards. In that case, you could install one of the alternatives explained below.

Engineered Floorboards

Engineered floorboards consist of a plywood or HDF (high-density fibreboard) core decorated on top with a hardwood veneer layer. These boards are less reactive than solid timber that swells and shrinks in different atmospheres. Thus, engineered planks create more even and consistent flooring in rooms like kitchens and bathrooms. The top veneer cover can feature diverse wood species, displaying hues, including blonde, honey, and cocoa shades matching various decors.

Engineered planks are available in interlocking systems that can be placed onto a concrete subbase without being nailed. Timber boards, though, often need to be fixed or glued more permanently to the subfloor. Thus, you can install engineered planks in many areas that couldn't accommodate solid floorboards. Thus, they offer a more versatile option for remodelling.

Laminate Faux Wood Floors

Laminate planks are constructed differently from engineered floorboards. Like engineered planks, laminate ones consist of an inner fibreboard that's covered in other layers. However, rather than featuring a natural hardwood veneer, the laminate internal board is covered with decorative paper that exhibits a timber photograph. Thus, laminate boards mimic solid timber convincingly due to advanced photographic techniques. The photo layer is then covered with plastic to create a hard, durable surface. Virtually any wood species feature on the laminate boards, which are available in a wide range of hues and grain patterns. As a result, your flooring will look like natural timber.

Similarly to engineered wood floors, laminate can be installed in many more areas than solid timber, including bathrooms, kitchens, and laundries. Because laminate is more affordable, you could even install it throughout your home and warm up the rooms with plush rugs.

Vinyl Planks

Another way to emulate natural timber floorboards is to install vinyl planks. This flooring consists of vinyl cut into floorboard shapes. A think vinyl interlayer is covered with a layer of thin vinyl that displays a photographic image of timber. Thus, both vinyl and laminate floors make use of photographic technology to create the faux timber look. Vinyl is highly water-resistant, and you can install it in any room without suffering moisture damage. On the other hand, both engineered, and laminate planks can sustain damage if water seeps between and around the planks.

To learn more, contact home remodelling contractors. 

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