Solid wood flooring, also popularly referred to as hardwood flooring in Nigeria as it is commonly milled from hardwood timbers only, are strips or planks of real wood, traditionally tongue and groove jointed, usually between 3 and 10 inches in width and ¾ inch in depth that has been used as flooring since the dawn of civilization.
Some of the most popular timber species used in making solid wood flooring in Nigeria include Iroko, Teak, Mahogany, Padauk, Oak, and Mansonia. These are often seasoned and then milled into needed sizes. A tongue is cut out of two of the strip’s four ends while a groove is cut into the other two ends to enable the strips hold on the each other during installation. The wood flooring strips are thereafter sanded smooth, sealed with a wood sealer, and then finished with a polyurethane-based varnish.
Laminate flooring, on the other hand are made of layers of synthetic materials fused together in a laminating process. Though they are also widely referred to as wood flooring in Nigeria as they copy the appearances of the different woods used in making solid wood flooring, they are actually not wood flooring. Laminate flooring can thus be best referred to as solid wood flooring imitation.
While solid wood flooring is made entirely of natural timber, laminate flooring is made by joining layers of synthetic materials. Also, while solid wood flooring is cherished mostly for the beauty of the natural grains and textures of wood that it carries, laminate flooring is popular as wood flooring’s cheaper alternative.
Solid wood flooring and laminate flooring have their other unique strengths and weaknesses. Solid wood flooring can last for decades but laminate flooring in Nigeria have been marked to not outlast half a decade. While laminate flooring requires little to no maintenance, hardwood flooring requires costly refinishing from time to time to retain its shine. The choice of one against the other eventually boils down to the budget, the taste, and other sentiments of the buyer.
