The beginnings of mass-produced wood flooring can be dated as
far back as 1903, when an E. L. Roberts mail-order catalog
offered “wood carpeting.” This flooring consisted of 1½ x
5/16-inch wooden strips that were glued to heavy canvas that was
then installed by tacking it down with brads. The wood was then
sanded and finished. The varnishes used were usually slow-curing
tung oils from China. These were not durable in themselves, so
the floors were hot-waxed and buffed to a shine with a floor
brush. Early examples of the “wood carpet” eventually evolved
into more modern iterations, such as laminate flooring, which
consists of melamine-infused paper as its upper layer, and wood-
chip composite beneath. Laminate flooring typically features a
printed or embossed top layer meant to approximate the look of
real hardwood. The current incarnation of engineered wood
flooring has been available since the 1960s, and has steadily
increased in quality, leading to improved advantages over
traditional hardwood flooring. Engi