Will the engineered floor look different than the solid floor after being installed?

It depends on the type of engineered floor.
a. Slice/sawn cut products here in Whole Floors are built with exact the same wood as the one for solid wood products - we simply slice the board thinner to produce the engineered wear layer. So there is not a difference between the visual appearance of our solid or our engineered floors. You can choose which structure is best for your environment without sacrificing the look you desire.
b. Engineered wood floors with rotary cut wear layer which is peeled from the log will create a different appearance when compared to a solid product.

 

Will I be able to tell it is an engineered floor?

The visual appearance and long-term durability of the floor will be the same.
Here are Whole Floors, we carry dozens of species and colors that come in both solid and engineered wood floors. Some of the engineered floors can even be sand, stained and refinished up to 7 times should you need to. 
This is extremely helpful if you are considering using both structures in your home. Where solid might be appropriate for the main living areas and an engineered structure is better for the higher relative humidity in a basement you can continue the same look in both living spaces and no one will know the difference.

 

Can I get an wood floor over 6” wide? 
Yes.
Here at Whole Floors you'll fined engineered flooring in most species anywhere from 5" to 11-1/2” wide.
We can offer this exceptional width due to the stability of our wood, the unique quality of our substructure and the attention to detail throughout the manufacturing process.

 

How long are the planks? 
Our engineered floors, in most species, range from 2' - 8' long with an average of 5'.
This length allows you to feel the flow of the grain in the wood with far fewer interruptions than you may experience in floors where the longest length is 4' and the average could be as low as 2'.

 

Will my boards be all the same length? 
No.
Most species will range from 2' - 8' as we maximize the yield from each batch of lumber we work with. This allows you to receive the longest lengths while naturally revealing the unique beauty of each timber. Fixed length flooring (all planks measure 4' for example) is a relatively new occurrence in wood flooring. Most of the time this is done for logistics reasons rather than out of respect for the timber. It is easier to palletize and load shipping containers for export to the US if all the boxes are the same size.

 

Will I get a lot of short boards because it is engineered? 
No.
We monitor the length of every board and provide a breakdown of lengths that meets or exceeds the following parameters:
a. 2' - 4' 30%, 4' - 6' 50%, 6' - 7' 20% 
b. 3' - 5' 20%, 6' - 7' 80%
 

What is the veneer or wear layer? 
The wear layer is the visual layer of wood applied to the plywood substructure. It is the wood you see on the floor once the planks have been installed.
At Whole Floors our wear layer measures as thick as 6mm which allows you to refinish your floor up to 7 times just like a solid floor, while also providing the ideal balance between the wear layer and substructure so that the overall construction is one of the most stable in the industry.

 

How many plies is the engineered backing made from? 
Our plywood substructure an 7~11-ply structure.
The more plies you have the greater the stability (less movement) you achieve in the floor.
Some substructures have as few as 3 plies and are more prone to cupping and crowning post installation.

 

How thick are solid and engineered wood floors?
Our solid hardwood floors are 3/4" thick.
Our standard engineered hardwood floors options are 1/2", normally 6" to 7-1/2" wide, and 3⁄4", up to 6" wide.

 

Does the glue holding the engineered layer together contain formaldehyde? 
Here at Whole Floors, all our adhesive products and substructures are formaldehyde free and CARB 2 compliant which is currently the strictest indoor air quality standard.