[Bravo]

Rockola:

Five years ago, I needed to cover an existing, very cheap and poor quality, parquet floor in three BR's and a hallway.

I did a lot of research and bought "engineered hardwood". This is a real hardwood floor that is manufactured with three layers of wood. It comes in large planks that have been pregluded together. In the industry, this is called a "floating floor" because it is not nailed or glued to the subfloor but is held in place by the moulding around the edges. I watched the installers put it in and they just flew...putting in about 1000 square feet in just a few hours. (There is a specific pad that is put down before the floor is overlayed, making the floor also more comfortable to walk on. It gives a bit as you step down on it...)

This floor is less costly than traditional hardwood and the labor cost to install it is lower also. It comes from the factory pre-finished and has a long warranty. If you want to change the color, you can do it the same way you do it with a traditional hardwood floor: grind it down, restain it and finish it.

After five years, it has held up just as well as traditional hardwood. In fact even better. In the other side of my house, (kitchen, 2 BR's and hallway) the traditional hardwood flooring has "cupped" due to moisture absorbsion and frankly, needs to be ground down to a smooth surface and refinished. This floor is glued down and cupped because it had no room to expand as it absorbed the moisture...therefore the individual planks cupped at the edges...

If you are interested in this option, I will try to remember the manufacturer. Its damn good stuff and I think guaranteed for 25 years or so...