Engineered Hardwood

It was once difficult to find eco-friendly building materials, whether for your floors or other parts of your home. But today, you have many types of eco-friendly wood flooring from which to make your choice, whether you are building a new home or renovating an older one. Below, we take a look at each of these types of wooden flooring and explore their benefits for your Triangle Area home.

Some of the latest trends are engineered wood, reclaimed wood, cork flooring and American-made wood flooring.

Engineered

Engineered wood flooring is as close as you can get to Nature’s own solid hardwoods. In fact, more people are going for these types of eco-friendly wood flooring over traditional trends. After all, engineered wood flooring is much more environmentally friendly than traditional hardwoods.

Engineered wood has a thin hardwood veneer layered over plywood, fiberboard or other man-made materials. Its core consists of high-density fiberboard (HDF) or medium-density fiberboard (MDF). This core supports the layered engineered wood plank, including the underlayment. Overall, this product is extremely durable. It is also highly versatile, since you can find all types of finishes.

The professionals of Tri Point Flooring install your engineered wood floors straight out of the box. So, despite it looking like real wood, installation and maintenance are much more convenient. You can expect these types of eco-friendly wood flooring to stay in vogue for decades, too.

Reclaimed

With many household trends turning to eco-friendly materials, it is no wonder that reclaimed wood flooring is a hot topic among homeowners. Reclaimed wood is so popular as a flooring choice because it offers one-of-a-kind appeal with the green consciousness of recycling. Re-using old building materials from decking, barns and timbers gives you the chance to make your hardwood floors a focal point in your home. Among the types of eco-friendly wood flooring available on the market today, this trend is also cost effective and provides timeless appeal.

Reclaimed wood is getting harder to find, however. As one of the hottest types of eco-friendly wood flooring, it can be hard to locate enough materials to finish an entire home. Still, the effort can prove worthwhile, particularly if you love the reclaimed wood look.

Cork

Cork flooring is another choice among the types of eco-friendly wood flooring. Also, cork is more resilient than you might expect. It has been used on floors for generations and has proven itself able to stand up against daily living in even the most hectic households.

If you raise your eyebrow to the thought of cork flooring, you probably expect it to look much like corkboard. But this is not the case. However, among the types of eco-friendly wood flooring available on the market today, it does have distinctive appeal. It looks softer as part of interior design and easily allows other aspects of your décor to stand out.

With all types of eco-friendly wood flooring being popular now, you can expect cork to stick around as a stylish option for generations. Like bamboo, it offers a unique look that appeals to specific homeowners. But no one can doubt your commitment to the environment, when you make this choice among all types of eco-friendly wood flooring.

American-Made

After some rough years on the national home front, Americans are feeling more committed than ever to domestic products. Among the hottest types of eco-friendly wood flooring, American-made wood flooring is taking a stand.

American-made wood flooring is made of locally-sourced and US-manufactured products. In fact, you can also trust that your American-made wood flooring also comes from a manufacturer using domestic machinery to make each plank. Of course, you have fewer options when buying exclusively American than if you consider international goods. But you can take pride in your choice to buy USA-made products for your floors. That commitment to local products, processes and jobs will never go out of style.

All Types of Eco-Friendly Wood Flooring at Tri Point Flooring in North Carolina

You can count on Tri Point Flooring to offer the hottest types of eco-friendly wood flooring. This is true, whether you decide to choose one of the flooring materials above or other options from our broad selection. Serving our local customers in Raleigh, Apex, Cary and nearby areas in NC.  We look forward to helping you achieve the hardwood floors of your dreams in your new home or as part of your renovation project. Call us today at (919) 771-7542.

Have you decided to upgrade your flooring and improve the overall look and feeling of your home? Hardwood flooring provides a beautiful and timeless foundation for all of your decor. But how do you know whether to choose engineered wood flooring? What are the benefits of doing so and how can you use this flooring in your home?

Tri Point Flooring in Cary, North Carolina provides hardwood floor installation and refinishing for customers throughout the Triangle Area of North Carolina. Visit us today to learn more about your flooring options and how to achieve the overall look you want. Engineered hardwood flooring is one option we offer and explore below.

Engineered Wood Flooring vs. Solid Hardwoods

You have many options to choose from when installing hardwood flooring in your home. This makes your choice of which type, style and finish to use a bit harder. One common question people have is, “What is the difference between engineered wood flooring and solid hardwoods?”

In a nutshell, engineered hardwood flooring is crafted of hardwood and plywood layers. As an alternative, solid hardwoods are natural pieces of solid wood without any man-made layers.

Why Should I Go with Engineered Hardwood?

With any hardwood flooring, you provide timeless appeal and functioning for your floors. But why should you make the choice for engineered flooring, when solid hardwoods are widely available on the market?

Benefits of engineered wood flooring include:

• Durable, high performance qualities
• Construction of multiple layers of wood with each layer positioned differently to prevent warping and bowing
• Installation for most home grade levels, even below ground when you add a protective moisture barrier
• Provides the same look of hardwoods, thanks to the top layer of hardwood veneer
• Easy care and maintenance for years of beauty

Styles of Engineered Hardwoods

You have many options when choosing engineered wood flooring for your home.

These options include:

• A range of the most popular wood species, including hickory, maple, oak and more
• Matte, semigloss and high gloss finishes
• A variety of surface effects for visual interest, including hand scraped, time worn, wire brushed or distressed appearance

Just about anyone can find an engineered wood flooring to suit their home decor, from classic to contemporary styles. This flooring provides a beautiful and visually appealing statement wherever you choose to install it. It also offers the durability you need to stand up to foot traffic, furnishings, family life, pets and other everyday wear and tear.

Engineered wood flooring is usually between 3/8 to 3/4 inches thick. This very closely compares to the 1/2 to 3/4 inch thickness of solid hardwoods.

Life Expectancy of Engineered Wood Flooring

Engineered wood flooring can vary in its life expectancy. Factors determining how long your flooring will last include its top veneer layer thickness, quality and maintenance methods. If you take good care of your quality flooring, it can last a lifetime.

This type of floor works well in just about any room. Even bathrooms and basements benefit from its beauty and durability, as long as you install a protective moisture barrier and keep humidity levels down to a normal range. For most homeowners, the biggest benefit of engineered wood flooring is its lower cost than natural hardwoods.

Call Tri Point Flooring in Cary, NC to learn more about your wood flooring options. We provide a full range of services to help you make the best decision for your home and start enjoying your beautiful new or restored hardwoods quickly. Reach out to us at (919)771-7542 for a free estimate today.

Organic reactive pre-finished flooring refers to engineered hardwood flooring crafted using special techniques and in a wide range of styles. These remarkably attractive wooden floors provide natural-looking beauty that endure daily wear and tear with timeless style. This type of flooring even helps your family live a healthier lifestyle.

Organic reactive pre-finished methods are not new to the flooring world. In fact, the processes used to make this broad selection of flooring options is over a century old. To accomplish a custom flooring look, the hardwoods go through a smoking process that exposes them to organic substances.

The organic reactive pre-finished process guarantees a custom look to your flooring that looks like hand-hewn and finished hardwoods. This method creates contrast in the woods, bringing out natural darkness and highlights in the grain patterns and individual planks. This is different from painted woods or those stained using a less intensive process. Those quicker methods create a flatter and more uniform appearance that does not speak of the quality and style of organic reactive woods.

While creating a more stylish and authentic appearance for your floors, the organic reactive pre-finished process provides another key benefit. Instead of just staining or coloring the surface of the wood, these old-world methods enable the color to permeate into the veneer. This means that the surfaces resist showing scuffs and scratches.

The Tannins’ Role in Organic Reactive Pre-finished Flooring

Tannins do not just relate to the wines you drink. These chemical substances exist in many types of plants, including woods used to make hardwood flooring. Tannins are part of the plant’s defense mechanisms, protecting it from diseases and even animal consumption. Craftsmen have long harnessed the power of tannins in tanning leather and clarifying wine. This organic chemical is also in many astringents, such as witch hazel.

Tannins affect how the wood looks. This interesting chemical brings on leaf color changes every autumn. It also changes the color of wood as part of a natural aging process. Also, designers have long loved the look of wood that has aged naturally, providing the rustic appearance mastered by Nature and long mimicked through man-made methods.

For organic reactive pre-finished hardwood flooring, the century-old process involves speeding up natural aging methods. Engineering of these beautiful floors starts with the introduction of multiple organic agents like ammonia and iron acetate. Today’s craftsmanship only involves low-VOC or non-VOC agents.

Introducing these organic agents to the atmosphere around the woods or by applying them directly onto the surfaces initiates oxidization. Through the oxidative reaction, the wood’s tannins rise to the surface. There, they naturally weather the wood. As a result of the tannin reaction, each piece of wood deepens in contrast and color richness. Plank grain patterns take on greater darkening and highlighting.

As man has learned how to harness the power of tannins over the past 100 years, organic reactive pre-finished woods have only become more beautiful. Today’s reactive flooring looks more stunning and sophisticated than ever before. Also, this is why so many elite designers and architects prefer organic reactive prefinished flooring options.

Safer Breathing Indoors, Thanks to Low-VOC Curing

Using organic reactive pre-finished woods for your floors means healthier breathing for your whole family. For years, scientists have recognized that volatile organic compounds (VOCs) cause adverse health effects. VOCs like formaldehyde have long been part of the flooring industry, making VOC presence indoors as much as 10 times higher than outdoors. But organic processes of organic reactive flooring only use low-VOC or non-VOC chemicals.

Select from a Broad Range of Organic Reactive Pre-Finished Flooring Options

TriPoint Flooring is your resource for beautiful hardwood flooring in Cary, Apex, and Raleigh, North Carolina. Also, our selection includes organic reactive pre-finished woods that add a luxurious look to your home at an affordable price. Lastly, call Tri Point Flooring at (919)771-7542 today for a refinishing or installation consultation.