Hardwood Not A Hard Choice

When factory-finished floors first appeared in the hardwood flooring market, they were seen as a novelty. Few homes boasted hardwood flooring, with only a small selection of manufacturers and products. Wood flooring has come a long way in the past few years. Consumers want choices and convenience, and the wood flooring industry has met the demands of the changing American culture. Today, there are more styles, colors and species of wood flooring available than ever. No matter what your décor, you’re sure to find a color and style to fit your home at your local Abbey showroom.

At Abbey Carpet & Floor you will find a large array of engineered hardwood with over eighty different styles in stock (that’s over 1,000,000 square feet.) Many of their styles have been exclusively made to specification including the Old World Walnut, Old World Hickory, and Old World Maple collections. These styles come in 3”-5”-7” random width, 9/16” thick, 3mm wear layer, and are featured in seven different colors, with 24” X 24” matching parquet. Abbey also stocks Brazilian Cherry, Brazilian Walnut, Peruvian Walnut, Royal Mahogany, Brazilian Teak, Tigerwood, Brazilian Redwood, Timborana, Natural Bamboo, Carbonized Bamboo, Strand Bamboo, Lapacho, Stained Lapacho, Pecan, Cherry, and many others.

Factory-finished engineered floors come in many styles, domestic and imported species, thicknesses, and have different levels of wear layers (the actual thickness of the desired species.)

Engineered wood flooring is made from layers of wood stacked and glued together under heat and pressure. There are usually three to seven layers (plies) stacked with grains running perpendicular to each other. The top finish layer can be cut from a variety of domestic or exotic hardwood species and are generally factory prefinished with a polyurethane or an aluminum oxide finish.

All woods expand and contract with heat and humidity. Engineered wood is more dimensionally stable than solid hardwood because the layers keep the movement in balance. Because it is less inclined to swell and shrink, engineered wood can be installed in areas where solid wood cannot such as over concrete. It can easily be used in kitchens, powder rooms and utility rooms.

Engineered floors will range from 5/16” to 3/4” in thickness and from 2 1/4” to 7” in width. Installation can be glued, floated, nailed or stapled.

“Choosing a factory-finished engineered floor is like purchasing anything else, you get what you pay for,” says Gene Presson, vice president of Abbey Carpet & Floor in Naples. "The thicker the wear layer, the wider the width and the more plies you have are going to determine the cost of the wood floor. All of Abbey’s stock wood is purchased in large quantities at reduced prices and the savings are passed on to the customer."

Custom pre-finished engineered woods have become a popular new choice among consumers. With Abbey’s custom program, you can choose from a variety of domestic and imported species, including Walnut, American Cherry, Brazilian Cherry, Hickory, White Oak, Southern Yellow Pine, and Reclaimed Heart Pine. Additional custom options allow consumers to choose the level of distressing (light, medium, heavy, none); widths from 2 1/4 ” to 7”, or a combination of random widths; lengths to 7’; square pegs, round pegs, or no pegs; any color stain; and any sheen level.

Once your hardwood has been selected, it’s important to have your wood installed by a professional. The professional installation team at Abbey Carpet & Floor will acclimate your wood to your home, prep and make sure your floor is perfectly flat, check the moisture level, and decide the best way to tie your new floors in with any other existing floors.

Abbey Carpet & Floor offers a wide selection of hardwood as well as carpet, stone, tile, laminate, window fashions and one of the largest selections of area rugs in Florida. Their expert staff will guide you every step of the way and their professional installation team will pamper your home from start to finish, so that you can begin to enjoy the home of your dreams.

For more information contact:
Abbey Carpet & Floor
13250 Tamiami Trail North
Naples, FL 34110
239 596-5959
www.naples.abbeycarpet.com

Written by Tiffany Sawyer

Photography courtesy of Abbey Carpet & Floor