Meet the Preservation Collection: Inspired by our best-selling floors with an 8-week lead time.
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Durable engineered wood flooring can be an excellent alternative to solid hardwood flooring. But how do you know which option is right for your home or business? In this brief introduction, we’ll answer your questions about engineered floors, and explore why Carlisle durable engineered wood flooring is a superior option.
An engineered floor is made with boards that are comprised of layers of wood and other material, rather than a single, solid piece of hardwood. The top layer, also called the “wear” layer, is cut from hardwood like Maple, Cherry, Oak, Walnut or Hickory. Underneath this top layer are several sub layers or “plies” that are glued together to form a strong core. These layers may be made of press board, fiber board and/or different quality grades of plywood. In the case of Carlisle engineered hardwood floor this layer is the most stable structure in the market. By using 11 thin layers of plywood we can create an extremely stable substructure that remains in balance with the wear layer.
Engineered floors are typically used in rooms that see higher levers of humidity as the multi-layer structure was created to minimize expansion and contraction. These are often below-ground rooms like basements that experience higher levels of relative humidity in the summer with average levels in the winter. A stable substructure will hold the wear layer minimizing expansion and contraction. Engineered flooring is not suited for very dry climates or home environments where the relative humidity may drop below 30% on a consistent basis.
Wide plank flooring, like every floor produced by Carlisle craftsman, uses boards that are up to 10” wide and up to 12’ long. In contrast, traditional commercial flooring uses boards that are 2 ¼” to 3” wide and 3’ to 4’ long. The contrast is significant. Wide plank flooring provides a more luxurious and distinctive look, allowing the personality of the wood grain to shine through. Wide plank flooring also appears to be much less “busy” than a typical commercial floor. At Carlisle, our wide plank floors are made both of solid wood flooring and durable engineered wood flooring.
At Carlisle, our commitment to providing products of the highest quality extends to our durable engineered wood flooring.
• Where most commercial engineered flooring is 1/4” to 1/2” thick, our engineered flooring is 3/4“ thick, giving it the feel of solid hardwood.
• Depending on the thickness of the floor, we use 9 to 11 plies of backing material rather than the standard 3 to 5 plies, giving our floors greater stability.
• Our engineered boards come in widths up to 10” and lengths up to 12’.
• While most commercial engineered flooring is mass-produced, our Slowcraft™ process is continuously monitored by craftsman to ensure quality.
• The top layer, or wear layer, on our durable engineered wood flooring is thick enough to last as long as our solid hardwood floors, and we guarantee that you can sand and refinish the floor up to three times over its lifetime.
Engineered floors and Carlisle come in a wide range of hardwood surfaces, including:
• Ash – a dense and durable wood prized for interesting grain patterns and striking hues.
• Birch – intriguing color tones and grain patterns that range from subtle to dramatic.
• Brown Maple – features rich hues of brown, gold and amber.
• Cherry – lustrous deep red hues that will darken with time.
• Hickory – one of the most durable floors with lighter blonde hues.
• Red Oak – a wood with deep, salmon tones in the heartwood.
• Walnut – a sumptuous wood known for rich chocolate hues.
• White Maple – a wood with cleaner and lighter hues and great stability.
• White Oak – a nutty brown wood with dramatic grain features.
Our commitment to providing you with unparalleled service starts with your very first contact with a design consultant. If you know exactly what you want, we’ll help you get it quickly and make sure the specifications match your exact requirements. And if you’re just exploring what kind of floor you want, our expert guides can walk you through your choice of woods, colors, styles, grades and custom options. Our highly responsive customer service extends through the manufacturing process to delivery and installation. We are available throughout the process to answer your questions, respond to your needs and to make sure you are over the moon about your new Carlisle hardwood floor.
Carlisle has been a leader in luxury wood flooring since 1966. As the world’s leader in wide plank durable hardwood floors, we excel at creating floors that are perfect expression of your style and design aesthetic. Whether you’re interested in solid or durable engineered wood flooring, unfinished or pre- finished hardwood flooring, we’ll deliver a floor that will become a defining feature of your home or business – a stunning and distinctive masterpiece that will delight you every time you walk through the door. Our durable engineered wood flooring is made with the same commitment to quality and excellence as our solid hardwood flooring. In fact, you’ll notice no difference in the appearance or feel of our solid and engineered floors. This is uncommon in the industry, and a sign that our engineered flooring is created with the same painstaking craftsmanship as our solid hardwood floors.
