About Bryan Pence Expertise I can answer questions regarding most types of floor covering, substrates, cushions, and application questions. I have an extensive knowledge of the differences between solid and engineered harwood, and the pros and cons of both
Experience I have been a retail flooring store sales manager for 10 years. I have also installed almost every type of flooring sold today.
Organizations CCA Global, CarpetOne, ProSource, Big Bob's Flooring Outlets, Carpet and Rug Institute, Certified Flooring Installers, and regional retailers.
After more research, I've realized that the wood floors we are planning to purchase are solid wood - however, they are 3/8" not 3/4". After reading what you said about engineered being more structurally stable, I am worried about purchasing a solid (though I am very pleased with the way it looks). We are on a concrete slab, but the Bellawood website says you can glue down the 3/8" to concrete. Once again, I'm worried about putting it in the kitchen. More importantly, I'm worried about flooding from another hurricane - would engineered hold up better with flooding or would solid do better (or neither)? Our home is not in a flood zone and has never flooded before in its 32 year history, but if another Katrina should come, I want to be able to recover easily this time.
Thanks so much for your help!
Robin
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Followup To
Question -
We are rebuilding our house after flooding from Hurricane Katrina. We are planning to use a good bit of hard wood. I cannot find a tile I like to match my cabinets and paint in the kitchen, so I am leaning towards hardwood. However, my husband is worried about putting hardwood in the kitchen, since we have four kids aged 16, 8, 3-1/2, and 2. We are planning to use the Bellawood Brazilian Cherry which has a 50 year warranty on the finish. What do you think about hardwood in the kitchen?
Answer -
Robin, you have asked a terrific question. I am familiar with the Bellawood line, and it is without a doubt a quality line of hardwood. Let me give you some insider advice as it relates to hardwood, and more specifically the different types available. Hardwoods are an excellent choice for a kitchen, as many of my customers have found. There are some issues that you may want to discuss in detail before spending the money it takes to install a quality hardwood. They are: 1. Finished versus unfinished 2. Engineered versus solid 3. Species 4. Warranties and Expectations.
1. Finished products have a harder, often aluminum oxide, finish that you can get years of service from before they need to be refinished. They are quicker and less messy to install, and offer superior value and performance. Unfinished however, allows you to choose a stain and have a solid layer of polyeurathane, filling all the spaces between the boards and all the nooks and crannies, and if the floor gets dinged, it is easier to remedy.
2. Engineered flooring is not only more structurally stable than traditional 3/4" solid, ie. it expands and contracts much less than solids, it is also more environmentally responsible. It expands and contracts less due to changes in humidity because each layer is "grain-reversed," meaning that one layer runs east-west, the next north-south, and alternates. It is more environmentally responsible because the core species typically mature in a fraction of the time of the top-layer species. (Brazilian Cherry 90-120 years, and Cypress, Hard Pine {core species} 30-40 years.) Also, more of the desired top-layer species can be used for other floors.
3. As flooring goes, Brazilian Cherry is beautiful. This species does darken quite a bit when exposed to natural light. The more natural light, the darker it will get. An aluminum oxide finish with sunshield will help slow that process by as much as 40%. I am not sure if Bellawood offers a sunshield or not. Lauzon on the other hand, I know does. If you want that type of look without the darkening effect, take a look at the Eucalyptus species, in a line called Lyptus, distributed by Weyerhauser. It is not as red as Brazilian Cherry, but not as light as Tigerwood, which looks like a darker version of either country Maple or natural Hickory.
4. Warranties and expectations can often be misunderstood. Warranties, if read closely, usually say something to the effect of "under normal household conditions...". Which, according to most manufacturers is man, wife, 2.5 kids, and NO pets. Nearly all warranties are prorated as well. 50 years means that if the finish wears off 25 years from now, you will get 50% of your original purchase price, no labor and no other materials, in the form of a manufacturers credit to but another of their products. And 25 years from now, that may be 10% of the price of new, due to inflation. That is, IF they deam it to be a warranty issue at all. Usually you may be offered a smaller consulation, because of household conditions that they will claim contributed to the excessive wear. That is, if you still own the home, have the floors professionally cleaned at least every two years (with reciepts), use no "unapproved" cleaning methods or substances, and if the parent company is still alive in our new global economy. Any and all warranties come with strings. Find out what those strings are, and how you can abide by the manufacturers guidelines.
I love talking about hardwoods, as you can see. Feel free to ask any and all questions you may have.
Bryan Pence
Answer Robin, again, great questions. I am not certain which would hold up better in the case of a flood. I would be inclined to think that the harder the wood (do a web search on the Janka Scale to learn about wood density ratings), the less prone it would be to swelling after saturation. Brazilian Cherry is a very hard wood, so you should be as well off as any wood floor would be. I don't think you should have any issues arise from installing it in a Kitchen. If you do glue it down, remember to use only Bellawood approved adhesives so as not to jeopardize your warranty. Also, be sure to have the slab tested for moisture, if you don't you are subjecting yourself to a whole new set of potential problems. As far as structural stability, engineered will expand and contract less, yes, but in the case of flooding the engineered will swell more from saturation because of the lack of density in the core species. Hope this helps. Bryan
