Engineered hardwood finish

[ArcticBells]

I’m planning on putting engineered hardwood in the one room in the house that isn’t carpeted as the floor boards are not good enough to sand.. No children or dogs anymore, just me so minimal traffic.

I really want something convincing as the house is old. Can anyone advise what finish looks most natural please? Oil or lacquer?

Any recommendations for brands would also be really helpful

I would go with solid wood not engineered. Engineered is essentially wood veneer so you can only sand it back once or twice before hitting the bit that's not veneer. So it has no longevity. If it gets scratched or dented then you can't just sand it and start again like you can with wood.

I agree with the PP. Rentals we've had with engineered wood looked terrible because it showed through the MDF with every dent and scratch. Either get the fancy lino which is conveniently much cheaper or go the whole way and get solid.

I have engineered wood throughout kitchen dining and living. It’s nearly 15 years now and is only really starting to look tired and need sanding. I do have rugs down though in lounge and dining. There are different thickness of engineered wood which means you can do more than 2 sands on it

I’m not sure about real wood just because I’m doing a small area now but if ever I wanted to replace the carpet in the open plan sitting/dining room, I wouldn’t be able to afford real wood for that area.