Semi Solid Or Engineered Wood Floor Refinishing
Semi Solid Or Engineered Wood Floor Refinishing Done Right
90% of the domestic floor owners haven`t got a clue of what type of floor they actually own. It looks like wood, so it is wood. This is also the case for about 50% of the wood floor cleaning contractors and wood floor refinishing contractors. By knowing what type of wood floor you own, you are likely to use the right cleaning products and you are likely to pay more attention to regular day to day care if your floor can only be sanded once or in some cases it can`t be sanded at all. How come?
In reality there are two types of wood floors, solid and semi solid. A solid wooden floor is likely to be a piece of wood that is entirely made from real wood without any gluing or extra parts added, it is literally cut from a large piece into smaller pieces. On the other hand, a semi solid or an engineered wooden floor has some type of plywood base with a sheet of real wood over the top. Both types of floor have a number of advantages and also a number of disadvantages.
Semi Solid Wood Floors
A semi solid wood floor is an engineered type of floor that is manmade. Basically, there is a plywood base and there is a sheet of wood that is glued to that plywood base. The thickness of the real wood can vary from floor to floor and is usually dictated by the cost of the floor in most cases. Cheaper semi solid wood floors tend to have a very thin piece of real wood while the most expensive types of semi solid wooden floors tend to have a thicker top layer of real wood. As we have just mentioned, not in all cases. In some cases where the top layer of real wood is made from cherry, walnut or mahogany, even if it is very thin, it could end up costing way more than a thick layer of real wood made from maple or beech wood for example.
What Is The Point Of A Semi Solid Floor?
A few years back the semi solid wooden floors were actually much cheaper than the solid wooden floors but over the past few years that has changed. Nowadays some top quality semi solid wooden floors could cost twice as much as a real wood floor. This can be caused by a number of factors.
Multiple Designs
The real wood is limited in what shapes and sizes it can be cut. The manufacturer can only cut it to the size of the log. But in the case of a semi solid wood, multiple logs could be added to one plank and the size of the semi solid floor can be basically unlimited and in any possible shape. Some semi solid wood floors can be as long as 5 meters by 1 meter. That gives the manufacturers way better options to create shapes and unusual designs.
Non Expandable
A semi solid wooden floor is unlikely to expand after the initial installation. The real wood surface was already dried and attached to a plywood base that is well dry and well set. This setting will dramatically reduce the risk of gapping and expanding.
Easier Installation
Semi solid wood floors, especially the large floorboards, are usually much easier to install and instead of the classic gluing or nailing systems, a click on system is used. Each board attaches to the next one and the pressure and the weight of the floor keeps it flat. Much faster to install the floor and much cheaper.
Under Floor Heating
Most, not all, semi solid wood floors are under floor heating compatible. While the glued or nailed real wood floor or solid hardwood floors can be dried up and affected by the under floor heating, the classic semi solid wood floors are totally unaffected by it.
Refinishing
Things are a bit different when talking about refinishing hardwood floors and semi solid floors. The hardwood floors are thick and capable of taking up to 15 sandings in some cases, again, depending on the thickness of the wood, while the semi solid wood floors are limited by thickness.
2 mm top layer | maximum one sanding if the surface was not damaged and flat
5 mm top layer | maximum 2 sandings if done correctly
10-15 mm top layer | 3-5 sandings depending on the quality of the floor sanding expert
The actual sanding information is informative only and it can vary from surface to surface and floor sanding contractor to floor sanding contractor. It is essential to hire the best quality floor refinishing contractors to avoid damaging your floors and to deal with a person that understands the process and uses the best sealers to fully protect the surface and avoid removing too much from the floor. Here is a list of issues that can really damage the finish:
- Over Sanding | When the owner of the floor is not aware of the thickness of the semi solid wood and if the floor is refinished DIY or by poor quality floor sanding contractors. Using very aggressive sanding belts or sheets can fully remove the real wood layer and the surface will be left with a patchy finish and the plank visible under it.
- Using The Wrong Sealers | If the floor has a tiny amount of real wood top coat, the sealer used to seal it has to be top quality and designed for commercial traffic. You want to extend and maximise the floors life expectancy. No oils or hardwax sealers should be used on a 2 mm semi solid wood floor after the initial sanding.
- Using Water Based Primers | If the floor has only 1 mm of real wood left after the sanding, there is not enough wood left to fully absorb a primer or in some cases, the primer might damage the thin layer of wood and it might exfoliate whatever wood is left from the plank. A solvent primer would resolve such potential issues.
Our company deals with many floor sanding and floor refinishing contractors that have found themselves stuck while sanding semi solid wooden floors. Even in those instances, we can still help out and we can come up with a solution.
Use one of our best and most durable sealers if you are looking for a hassle free, traffic resistant sealer.
Chimiver Ecostar 2K | This is a two pack water based floor lacquer that penetrates the surface and hardens up the wood. It can be used as the main sealer or as an overcoat over wood stains or primers. This outstanding quality water based commercial floor lacquer has to be applied in a two coats system. Done right, it will guarantee you at least 5-10 years of full protection while maintaining the natural look of the wood.
Bona Traffic HD | One of world`s most popular water based floor lacquers. This product is highly flexible, highly durable, has a commercial strength and it does not change the original colour of the wood at all. The amazing Bona Traffic HD is a high traffic commercial floor lacquer that can be used directly on the wood, over wood stains and over all kinds of water based and solvent based primers. It dries fast and it has great antislip qualities.
Tover Idrolak DR 97 | A fine quality water based floor lacquer that has made history in Italy. This authentic Italian floor lacquer is known to last for many years. The amazing Tover Idrolak DR 97 is a two pack water based floor lacquer that can be used on all types of traffic floors. Easy to apply, self leveling, amazing finish and highly compatible with engineered or semi solid wooden floors. To be applied in a two coats system.
It is well worth it to buy the most expensive and the thickest semi solid wood floor you can afford. Selecting a very rare type of floor that requires special care and maintenance is only the smart way if you are willing to respect such maintenance. You should ask for as much info as possible and find out everything about your new semi solid or engineered wood floor. If you have children and pets and you are likely to have the floors refinished regularly, go for a thick engineered or semi solid wooden floor instead of a thin one. Some very fancy but thin types of semi solid wooden floors might require the expertise of the best floor sanders within the industry and that comes at a cost. Oiled semi solid floors will have to be re-oiled at least once per year to maintain the protection while lacquered floors should be re-sealed once in a while to water proof the surface and extend its life expectancy. Use flat mops to avoid oversoaking the floor and use proper wood floor cleaners. Do not hire floor sanding contractors based on a lower estimate if you are looking for top class work and if you are the happy owner of a fancy and exotic semi solid wooden floor.
Need more information about the best products to seal and protect semi solid engineered wooden floors? Would you like some free advice about the floor sanding and the floor refinishing process? Are you not sure about what type of floor you own? Call us or email us now!
Semi Solid Or Engineered Wood Floor Refinishing