Solid Wood Boards
Solid wood boards come in random lengths
with tongue-and-groove edges for nailing and gluing, and they fit together
much as engineered wood boards do although (In the old
days, all solid wood boards came with straight edges, which
had to be butted up closely to each other and glued to the sub-floor.
You may still encounter these kind of boards if you work with reclaimed or
salvaged flooring. Labour and installation costs may
be higher since it requires more effort to install.)
Solid wood boards often come
both unfinished and prefinished, It's just a matter of your
preferences and cost (unfinished wood is generally less expensive, but if
you don't fancy the idea of regularly reapplying a varnish or waxing your
floors, pre-finished may be a better fit for you).
Sometimes solid wood boards are cut into
neneers and bonded to other hardwood bases , we refer to
these as “solid
engineered or “semi-solid”
No matter which solid wood board you
choose, care needs to be taken with the installation because solid
wood boards are more prone to expansion and contraction than
engineered wood. You want to leave a little room at
the edges for the wood to breath and expand. (Because of its plywood base,
engineered wood is less susceptible to this.)