You want your new engineered hardwood flooring to fit your home perfectly. This means you have to choose the right species, color, and grain to fit your style. Another option you have to consider is the type of veneer your flooring should have. There are three types of engineered wood flooring veneers, each of which brings its own characteristics and appearance to the room. Learn more about engineered hardwood flooring veneers and their properties so that you can make the best decision for your next renovation project.
What Is Veneer?
Engineered hardwood flooring consists of an inner layer of plywood or high-density fiber beneath a top layer of hardwood veneer. This veneer layer gives your engineered flooring the appearance of solid hardwood while minimizing the amount of raw lumber wasted in the process. The different types of engineered wood flooring veneers come from the different ways of cutting the wood. How you create the veneer layer will influence its appearance and quality.
Dry-Sawn Face Veneer
The dry-sawn face method creates a thicker layer of veneer than the other methods. This method uses the traditional process of cutting a log in a sawmill to reach its ideal thickness, width, and length. The dry-sawn face method creates a veneer identical to solid hardwood. This means you get the same color, grain, and character as a traditional hardwood floor. However, this process also produces the least amount of usable veneer for a higher cost than the other two methods.
Sliced Veneer
Sliced veneers start in the same way as dry-sawn face veneers: by getting cut from the log in a sawmill. Manufacturers then process the lumber in a conditioning tub before slicing it into layers. Unlike the dry-sawn face method, sliced veneer doesn’t have to deal with a loss of material through sawdust. This means the sliced veneer method produces more usable wood for a lesser cost. These sliced veneer layers also maintain the original look and finer graining of the wood. However, the process does create thinner veneer layers than the dry-sawn face method.
Rotary-Peeled Veneer
To create rotary-peeled veneer, manufacturers place their wooden logs in a conditioning tub and then onto a shaping machine. Instead of cutting or slicing the wood, manufacturers peel long, thin layers from the log. This process creates the maximum amount of product from the wood, making it the cheapest method available. However, rotary-peeled veneer results in a different grain pattern than sliced or dry-sawn face veneer.
When you’re searching for the best American-made hardwood flooring for your building, it’s important to consider all your options. Stop by From the Forest to find the quality selections you need to install the perfect flooring for your next remodel.