2 reasons why solid hardwood flooring can be a bad choice

Hardwood flooring is beautiful, long lasting, and adds a comfortable and

inviting feel to a home - but is it a good choice in hot climates like the Cayman Islands?

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The short answer to the question is No. Yes, solid hardwood flooring can be installed and maintained in a Cayman home, but is it a good choice? Again, the answer is No - and here's why:

• Solid Hardwood flooring needs to first acclimate to the environment it is to be installed, and more than likely, that environment will be air-conditioned. Once the floor is installed in an air-conditioned space, the temperature inside the home must remain relatively unchanged. However, with an extended power outage or our desire to open the windows and doors more frequently in the winter months, this spells potential trouble because wood absorbs heat and moisture, and will expand and contract when exposed to these conditions. See the potential result below.

• The Cayman Islands are situated at sea level - meaning, many homes are subject to flooding during a tropical storm or hurricane. If a solid wood floor is subjected to flooding, once the wood begins to eventually dry-out, the below-mentioned result will most likely occur.

-- Flooding, excessive changes in temperatures or moisture may cause a solid wood floor to eventually buckle, cup or separate, and ultimately ruin a once beautiful floor --

----------------- SO WHAT ARE THE ALTERNATIVES? -----------------

Thankfully, there is an alternative. Hardwood flooring is also sold as 'engineered wood flooring'. This means that the flooring is not a solid piece of wood, but rather, consists typically of a plywood base (a much better choice than a 'MDF' base), and a thin layer of hardwood on the surface. This type of wood flooring will perform the best in Cayman, and similar climates. The plywood base, if exposed to water or changes in temperature, resists contraction and swelling much better than solid wood - and engineered wood flooring does allow for the surface or 'top layer' to be sanded and re-finished a few times through the life of the floor, should you need to.

Finally, if you choose this type of flooring, remember to have it installed correctly and in accordance with the manufacturers specifications (i.e. perimeter spacing, glued vs. nailed, floating, etc.)