Engineered wood - can't seem to get a product that ticks the boxes - can you help please?

[PlentyOfFreeTime]

I want to fit engineered wood in through sitting room, dining room (about 27foot long).

I want a product that fulfills the following criteria but can't seem to find one:

Engineered wood
Construction - multi-layer plywood (not MDF or single core wood)
Prime or select grade - it's a modern house so can't look too rustic
Light Oak (dining room doesn't get much light so light flooring is essential)
Single Wide Planks - around 189mm as the area is large and can take it
T&G Installation (not click)
Oiled (not laquered)
Min 3mm top layer
Prefer max 15mm thick (in top layer) but would consider 21mm

I am drowning in samples. I thought I had it cracked on Saturday when I received a sample that ticked all the boxes. I went to re-check the product spec before ordering and the website said it was not plywood construction like the sample they had sent me. It was spruce core. So I emailed them to check. Got a very vague response saying that a) my order would be identical to the sample (i.e. multi-layer plywood) and b) the website is correct and it's a single spruce core (i.e.not multi-layer.

I don't feel that I want to order from the supplier I had originally chosen as their response hasn't filled me with confidence!

Another supplier's website I have looked at suggests this 'actual product is inferior to the sample' practise is quite common.

Has anyone else experienced this?

Can anyone suggest something that may be suitable.

Installer has been booked for beginning of April and the clock is ticking for me!

Thank you

[PlentyOfFreeTime]

oops! should say I prefer 15mm inc top layer.

[patchworkchick]

Have no idea where you are but I have found some great engineered boards www.naturalwoodfloor.co.uk/ (1st choice) and also here: theclassicfloorcompany.co.uk/flooring.html (2nd choice).

[PlentyOfFreeTime]

Thank you - I'll take a llok

[cooper44]

where are you? I think it's so much easier to go somewhere and actually look - esp with colour which you only really get a good idea of when you look at a big piece of wood. I got all our wood floors from a showroom in SW London - is that any good? And I think our wood is pretty much exactly what you want.

[LittleFrieda]

Kahrs flooring is excellent quality. And their 15mm light oak Edinburgh (oiled) appears to it your brief.

www.1926woodflooring.co.uk/acatalog/info_K_151N0AEKF0KW210.html

[PlentyOfFreeTime]

Thanks for the advice.

I'm in the SW and can't find a local showroom so relying in samples.

Kahrs Edinburch is clic system installtion and I need tongue and groove. Also, it doesn't give thickness of real wood top layer and some Kahrs are only 0.5mm thick top layer and that's not acceptable.

[lalalonglegs]

Curious: why don't you want the click together type?

[PigletJohn]

I thought all 15mm or 18mm engineered or solid flooring was T&G

I think I have only seen click on laminate.

[LittleFrieda]

Kahrs snap together with a tongue and groove. It's a brilliant system and excellent quality flooring. You said in your OP a min of 3mm top layer. We have Kahrs oak in our hall (oiled). It's been down for 8 years and still looks as good as he day it was laid.

[LittleFrieda]

My Kahrs floor is 15mm thick with 6mm oak top layer.

[perrinelli]

We got prime grade engineered wood from the natural wood floor company in wandsworth 5 yrs ago and it has been great. Not sure of all the details but think it has a 6mm top layer of oak. Different widths were available and it came unfinished so you can choose oil or lacquer and how dark it goes. We went there in person and they were v helpful.

[PlentyOfFreeTime]

There's a lot of engineered wood now that uses the clic system. The area I need to do is hall. sitting room and dining room. It has 5 doors and the architraves around them will need to be undercut to provide sufficient expansion.

My carpenter says it would be much easier to use T&G rather than trying to clic pieces together that need to run into the architrave cuttings. I also prefer T&G as most of the clic - able engineered wood is only 14mm thick and most have a very thin top layer (although I've just noted what LittleFrieda has said above about her Kahrs).

Will follow up the other leads too - thank you.

[fossil971]

Admonter is a very good quality product. If you ring them they would sort you out with stockists or samples. They are a bit less known than Kahrs etc, maybe worth a look.

[Talkinpeace]

I like my Bamboo floors.

[Deux]

Have a look at Furlong wood flooring, especially their Next Step 189.

What is your budget? Next Step 189 is about 38 sq m. It comes in random lengths, so joins can be staggered where you like so a less uniform look.

[Talkinpeace]

bamboo is under £15/sqm
and if it gets really badly rutted can be sanded down and resealed. Ours is 13mm thick, five years old and I love it.

[PlentyOfFreeTime]

I'd go to about £40 a sq m.

I looked at Next Step 189 but it's too rustic. I want prime grade i.e. A/B so less 'characterful'.

Thanks for the bamboo suggestion - will look into that.