Engineered flooring - oiled, laquered or other?

[RicottaPancakes]

So we're trying to decide what type of flooring to go for in the kitchen extension. I'd like wood flooring. We've been looking at a Kahrs engineered oiled oak flooring. Does anyone have this type of flooring? It says it's not suitable for kitchens, but DH put the sample in a bowl of water all night and it's OK apart from being a bit discoloured. But I'm obviously more concerned about what splashed and spillages are going to do to the floor than it being completely submerged!

Any opinions or wise words?
Thanks

[RicottaPancakes]

It's from the Artisan range if that's any help....

[welshmist]

No, no and no. The wear around the sink, cooker etc. will soon have you crying in your food. They are not designed for hard wear areas.

[dynevoran]

I had engineered wood in my last kitchen diner and with two kids and a dog it was barely worn after 5 years. We even went out one day and left the velux open and it rained quite heavily and when we came back there were two puddles on the floor to mop up. Even then it didn't bow or ruin in any way. Not that I'd recommend doing that but with normal wear I can't fathom a problem.

We have installed it in our entire ground floor in current house as well. I have lacquered but it's a matter of personal preference. It's Matt lacquer so not such a shine.

[dynevoran]

Both times I have laid engineered wood which states suitable for kitchen diners.

[gluenotsoup]

We have uv brushed and oiled oak throughout the downstairs, including kitchen and utility room. So far it looks good and spills and drips clean up easily, but we have only had it for a few months. We went for oiled as some of the advice we were given was that scratches on it can be repaired more easily than on lacquered, plus we got a new good price on it. Hth.

[RicottaPancakes]

Thanks. Yes we've got lots of samples and have scratched them, left jam, oil and water on them...yes gluenotsoup the oiled ones don't show the scratches as much as the lacquered ones but they do absorb the oil and water, whereas the lacquered ones don't. But I prefer the look of the oiled ones. Or at least I do at the moment!

Some are apparently suitable for kitchens and some aren't, but I can't work out why, they look like they're made from the same thing. I'll have to try and go to a real life shop I think ;-)
welshmist - I don't want to cry into my food.....but I want a pretty floor. What to do...? Really dont' want tiles, although you can spill stuff on them and scrub them and they dont' mind...

[ShortLass]

I'm planning on getting this for my kitchen / diner / lounge. I wanr UV brushed and oiled because it looks more wood-like and is easier to maintain if you want to sand and/or re-oil down the line. Lacquer is cheaper, though.

That's my opinion before actually getting it.

[gluenotsoup]

I tried ours with all sorts before we bought it- oil, curry, wine, water, ketchup, formula milk, mud, all rubbed in and left overnight, and then washed off. It all came off apart from wine that got into the grain. We clean it with a special oiled floor cleaner, and seems OK so far. I hope it lasts well, it cost enough!

[RicottaPancakes]

That's good news gluenotsoup :-) Do you mop it with water with the oiled floor cleaner added, or just the floor cleaner? I'm not sure how it works, I just know that I've read that if you mop it you have to use a small amount of water and it must be dry within five minutes.

Yes it's quite expensive so I don't want to make a mistake!

[savagehk]

We are going to put Kahrs in our new kitchen, once it's done. We need it to work with underfloor heating though so it will be the Linnea version which is a lot thinner. We have the 'normal' Kahrs upstairs in one bedroom at the moment and it does look good. Not artisan though, this is a smoother finish. NNB: make sure you read the instructions first, including not opening the packs until you install them!

[namechangedtoday15]

We have Kahrs. We went to a specialist supplier and they recommended this floor for a kitchen diner with small children. I am almost sure its lacquered but matt lacquered. It looks beautiful. Its been down about 6 months and looks pristine. We just sweep, wipe with damp cloth every now and again if we spill but its really easy to maintain.

[Whatthefoxgoingon]

I've just put in an engineering wood floor in a rental property. It looks great. I like the look of oiled but went with lacquered to make it hardier. Both versions cost the same. It looks absolutely amazing and I want it in my own home now! I looked at things like Amtico but it all looked fake to me and decided against it.