With so many variants, wood types, grades, colours, choosing the right kind of Engineered Wood Flooring for your home can be a massive task. In this article we have collated five tips that you need to consider while you choose to go for Engineered Wood Flooring.
Things to consider for the best Engineered Wood Flooring
The ‘Wear Layer’
A good-quality Engineered Wood Flooring has multiple layers that are stacked in a cross-structural manner. It is this cross-structure that provides the Engineered Wood Flooring its durability and strength. The top layer in engineered wood is made of solid hardwood. This is the ‘Wear Layer’. Though there are cheaper variants where the ‘wear layer’ is made with a number of wood strips, you should go for the ‘single strip’ board which is more traditional, and a quality-looking board.
The wear layer differs in thickness depending upon the range. Thicker the wear layer, longer the life expectancy and for more years can the board be sanded.
The ‘Under-Core’
What lies beneath the oak is called the ‘Under-Core’. Though you are never going to see it, yet, it is one of the most important part of Engineered wood. This is the factor that determines how stable the Engineered Oak Flooring is. Similar to the wear Layer, the Under-Core also varies as per the range. The high-quality board will consist of something that is known as a multi-laminate hardwood ply. Plywood has a cross-layered construction and are thus lasts long than the rest.
Thus, choosing a good-quality Under-Core is particularly important if one has plans to install an underfloor heating system, or install in areas of high moisture, like a bathroom or kitchen. Choose a board with a plywood core that is less prone to shrinking or swelling.
Dimensions of Engineered Wood floorboards
Engineered Wood floorboards are usually available in a variety of lengths and breadths, and all of those create a different look and feel when installed. There is no grammar in choosing a floorboard for your house, it is purely a personal choice. But you might take a few factors in consideration. Narrower floorboards are cheaper to buy and have a more traditional feel to them. Longer floorboards are expensive but a lot easier to fit.
The finishing
When purchasing planks for Engineered Oak Flooring, you can either buy a factory-finished, pre-treated board or an untreated one that allows you to treat it yourself with a particular kind of lacquer or oil as preferred to your choice.
But how to know if you would go for pre-treated board or untreated board?
We’ve summarised the benefits of drawbacks of both that would help you to decide easily.
Benefits of pre-treated boards
- Pre-treated boards are protected from scratch marks the moment they are taken out of the boxes.
- If you want, you can choose not to treat the planks any further and just fit those as it is.
Drawbacks of pre-treated boards
- In any wood flooring, even the best ones, the variations are from board to board that make the samples very misleading. You may choose something on the basis of colour and finish and end up installing something that doesn’t really match your requirements.
- No factory-applied finish is as good as some of the treatments that are done onsite. While there are pre-treated boards on which you can reapply oils, some don’t allow you to do so.
Benefits of untreated boards
- For an untreated board, choose the lacquers or oils that will help you achieve the perfect colour and provide protection that will suit your requirement. The final result will depend on how exactly you would like it.
- Hand-applied treatments can provide the best protection as you would have a control as to which products and how much need to be used.
Drawbacks of untreated boards
- Treatment of untreated boards HAS to be done on site. This is an extra task, and quite a major one, and your need to keep people off the floor as it is being treated and drying.
