The Shoes Of The House: Engineered Hardwood And Parquet Flooring

As I perused social media sites this morning,  a blog post link from Rashon Caraway, a.k.a.  Mr. Goodwill Hunting  inspired me.

Inspiration is everywhere, and today it came from Mr. Goodwill Hunting’s words and not from one of his trademark thrift finds or a vintage ensembles.

To quote Rashon, “so always remember ladies and gentleman, it’s not how much something costs, it’s how you wear it.”

Yes it is, and that fact remains the same through both fashion and interiors.

Mr. Goodwill Hunting

Flooring is the literal and figurative foundation of a house.

It can easily be considered the shoes of the interior design and decor ensemble.

If you channel your inner Sex and the City recollection, Carrie taught us the shoe is as essential to to the look as the couture or vintage piece of clothing.

In terms of interior design and decorative selections, flooring ties it all together in a stylish, comfortable and functioning package.

As it is with shoes, style comes before comfort.

See what I mean?

Hardwood FloorsArmstrong

Stylish and comfortable flooring choices exist without the shocking price tag.

Engineered hardwood and parquet flooring are wonderful alternatives to traditional plank hardwood floors.

Parquet flooring is composed of similar or contrasting woods such as oak, walnut and cherry in grades of laminates, veneer  and solids.

shaw floors1

Laminate flooring is the least expensive option.

Laminate is faux-wood pieces married to a base such as particle board and contains no actual wood.

The easiest way to explain laminate floors is in layered terms.

laminate-flooringHouzz

The top layer consists of clear resin protecting the second layer- a photograph of real wood.

Flooring photoshop, if you will.

How’s that for an explanation?

The next two layers are comprised of wood composites, fiber board and melamine for absorption and stability.

Veneer parquet is solid wood attached to a material such as plywood.  Solid parquet is exactly that, solid wood.

The designs are created by placing the wood(s) in both angular and geometric formations.

parquet flooring1, 2

Engineered flooring is produced by adhering three to five layers of plastic laminate veneer with real wood.

Engineered wood flooring is not a laminate.

Engineered flooring is both moisture resistant and a green product.

hardwood flooring

Flipping, building, and remodeling houses over the years, Dave the Builder has installed and refinished his fair share of solid hardwood floors.

refinishing-hardwood-floors1

We’ve had solid hardwoods in two of our personal homes, and currently have engineered hardwood floors in our dining room.

Which do I prefer?

Based on price, quality, appearance, and ease of upkeep, I’m going with engineered hardwood floors.

engineered hardwood flooringMohawk Flooring

engineered flooring

These cost efficient and sustainable flooring choices come in a wide range of design and finish options, quality grades and price points.  

Engineered hardwood and the grade choices of parquet flooring offers consumers excellent options in the flooring selection process. 

 

 

Show & Tell

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.