Why I Chose Shaw Engineered Hardwood Flooring for my Living Room
August 25, 2015
I am so pleased with the new hardwood flooring I had installed in my living room last week.
I chose a Shaw Engineered Hardwood, "Jubilee", in the color Honey spice. An engineered hardwood has a hardwood veneer or wear layer, but is not solid hardwood, making it an economical choice. Engineered hardwoods can be re-finished just once or sometimes twice, but at 59 years of age, that sounded pretty much like a lifetime to me!
The Shaw "Jubilee" style engineered hardwood has a hickory hardwood wear layer with very desirable color variations, knots and streaks. The color goes well with my home's light wood trim, and fawn pug hairs are not too noticeable either!
Pros of Engineered Hardwood VS Solid Hardwood
1. Price - I found engineered hardwood to be almost half the price of solid hardwood.
2. Ease of Installation - We didn't find the installation to be easier than solid hardwood because we had it stapled down (and hired out the installation), but do it your-selfers can opt for a floating floor, so installation would be similar to laminate.
3. Stability - Engineered hardwood has multiple layers versus one solid sheet of wood so it tends to experience less expansion and contraction.
4. Below Grade Application - Engineered hardwoods can be installed in basements and other areas of the home susceptible to higher moisture levels.
Cons of Engineered Hardwood
1. Shape Distortion - Engineered hardwoods although incredibly stable are prone to warping or shape distortion over time.
2. Safety Concerns - Cheap engineered hardwoods and laminates have been in the news lately as a potential health hazard from toxic fumes. Shaw Jubilee engineered hardwood flooring has a Greenguard Gold certification for low chemical emissions.
Here is an excerpt from the Shaw website.
Shaw's Epic Engineered with EnviroCore - EnviroCore is Shaw's environmentally-friendly core made of recycled wood fiber, meaning fewer trees are used with less waste.
Epic engineered hardwood's EnviroCore is harder, denser, and greener than the plywood core used in traditional engineered hardwoods.
Because of Epic's dense core it is more dimensionally stable and doesn't expand or contract as much as other wood flooring due to seasonal and temperature changes."
Shaw Epic Engineered Hardwood Jubilee Honey Spice.
I love this floor!
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I love it too and I think the color is perfect. I had very dark hardwood in my entry for years and it showed every footprint, dirt, and dust. It looks beautiful!
ReplyDeleteI love your new floor, it looks as though it was installed when the house was built and that is a really good thing, ha. seriously by looking at the pictures and not knowing you would think they had been there all along and had been really well cared for. Just gorgeous!
ReplyDeleteIt's very lovely. I am thinking of doing my rental so this was right up my alley. Thanks.
ReplyDeleteYour new floors look wonderful, Carlene!
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