New engineered flooring and I don’t think I like it.

[Thoughtthatcounts]

We have waited 2 years to put a new flooring down in a new extension due to running out of money. Finally chosen some and it was fitted yesterday. It looks really different to the sample and also the photos. It’s much more knotty and brown and I feel disappointed but don’t want to admit it to my dh. Here is a photo of ours and the photo of the product. Thoughts ?

Op I think it looks lovely !! I love the natural look

This is my cheap laminate from b&q it's knotty but I think it looks great

It’s a local one

It wouldn’t bother me probably but I agree with this, so I’d get them to come and sort it

I think the problem with the knotty look in OP’s floor is that it looks very apparent rather than blended in like your floor. I have natural wood parquet flooring and we knots too but it sort of blends in. Whereas OP’s one looks like blobs. Might be because it’s lighter wood, but also the floor installer hasn’t made any effort to spread it out which is why it looks worse.

Yes but you are only seeing a small area of knots. It’s probably like that all over.

I prefer the knots - yours looks MUCH nicer IMO.

It is very different though, so if you really don't like it discuss with the supplier and fitter and get them to replace it.

OP just re colour - it will change over time too as a natural product with sun. Often it goes darker, so your knots won't stand out so much. And do be aware if you put down rugs etc, move them a bit every few months or you'll get hard outlines from where the sun hasn't got to the wood.

I think your only option is to ask the company to relay so they are spaced out rather than in a clump, but I expect this may be at your cost as while it arguably could have been spread out I don't think that's the same as 'should' have been?

Honestly OP it's really lovely - vastly better than laminates etc, I'm very envious :)

There are definitely more knots in your flooring than in the product images. I think it could be improved by more judicious laying, saving the knottiest pieces for cuts and areas the eye doesn't on.

It looks good and the knots don't bother me at all. But I had engineered wood laid in my extension 8 years ago and I hate to tell you that it was the biggest mistake!

It is impossible to keep clean and stains ridiculously easily. The slightest drop of water causes fading and it has changed colour significantly in an area of the room that gets direct sunlight.

Anyone walking on it with high heels leaves dinks in the surface and all the chairs have left lots of unslightly marks too.

I wouldn't recommend it to anyone. Enjoy it while it looks good but expect to replace it within 5 years.

God you’d all hate ours, knots everywhere!

Same here, we have stripped floorboards and the house was built in 1917, there are knots all over and some coal burns next to the fire in the front room which I love as it adds to the character. Guess it depends on the type of look you're going for

We have both solid wood and engineered. I much prefer the engineered look but instead of getting darker as pp said, ours has got lighter. Probably needs a bit of oil to sort it out. Yours looks great!

Yours looks much better than the product picture.

Thanks everyone for the lovely comments. I’m feeling better about it this morning and feeling a bit silly for getting upset about flooring! I think as someone mentioned it’s a bit of anticlimax after waiting so long.