Engneered wood flooring v solid wood flooring

[namechangedtoday15]

Can anyone please give me some advice. We are looking at flooring for a new open plan space (about 50 square metres) and are considering engineered wood. Details say it can be laid and then re-sanded and sealed up to 3 times.

Given that its quite a big space, the price difference between solid and engineered is quite big (and we're trying to cut corners now on the budget), but obviously the cost of getting it wrong (laying something then having to re-lay something in a few years) would be even bigger.

Going to be open plan kitchen / dining / living space. Chaotic household with 3 primary school aged kids and one accident prone parent.

Any advice? Considering oak if that makes a difference. We do have solid bamboo at the moment that I really like so may well go with that, but just wanted some advice about the engineered flooring.

Thank you.

F for advice. I'm looking for a loft bedroom which is far less high traffic though.

Engineered floor is brilliant, doesn't twist or warp, is very reasonable.

Don't get anything that's lacquered as you'll end up with nasty white scratches every time you move a chair or high heels across it. Brushed and oiled is the way forward. We have 30sqm of oak.

Not sure about solid floors for bedrooms though, especially with a loft - thinking it could be noisy?

I thought solid wasn't recommended for kitchens as it warps if it gets wet? We have engineered oak brushed and uv lacquered (no white scratches?) in ours - has been down for nearly two years and very happy with it.

We've got engineered wood flooring downstairs and love it. It's been down for five years now and still looks fab. It's been busy with people kids and buggies/scooters and has a few marks but nothing really noticeable.

We have Karndean wood effect. People think it is engineered wood. It's v easy to care for and looks fab. Still great 6 years in. Def worth looking at as an option.

Ooh thank you - even more questions. The leaflet that came with the samples said not to have oiled as it is not stain resistant and spills can sink into the wood. They suggest lacquer finish is more stain repellent (liquid sits on top of the wood). Given that only last week I dropped a glass of red wine which splattered around the kitchen (H had to repaint part of the wall and within hours, I'd dropped a cup of coffee and ruined it again!) I thought lacquer would be the way to go. But I don't want it to mark or scratch!

Arggh!

Dontcry thank you, my parents have Karndean and it is bombproof (would be great given the above!!) but I can tell the difference and really want wood.

I have sloshed red wine around on our lacquered engineered oak floors down it hasn't stained. I do mop it up quite quickly though

Thats the point Marmite - the leaflet says lacquer = stain repellant (so good in my case!) but Holly (pp upthread) says go for oiled (leaflet says not quite so stain resistant) because lacquered scratches and marks.

We have just taken up solid oak and put down engineered and it looks very fake in comparison. I would never get it again. I'm hoping it ages a bit, but, at the moment, I'm really not keen.

I had reclaimed oak in my last house. I'm not sure if it was because it wasn't properly treated but it always looked dusty and it scratched easily.

In a kitchen I'd want to know what would happen to any flooring if the dishwasher leaked.

We have engineered wood in our kitchen diner. Ours is lacquered and was the best scratch resistant wise when I tested the samples by dragging a chair leg across them .

Engineered but go for high quality. Poor quality engineered is no better than laminate. We've had it in 3 places now.

Laquered is great for avoiding water marks and stains. In fact never had a stain, do have some scratches but you'd have to be sitting on the floor to notice them, they certainly aren't white.

We just laid lacquered engineered wood in our living room and kitchen. The bit you can resand is the top layer so check how thick it is. Our architect recommended 4mm. Engineered is better than solid for under floor heating but check it's suitable as well. The other variable is whether you get click or tongue and groove. Builders prefer click as it's easier to lay. We got lacquered to cope with cat puke and toddler spills but there is one scratch from a rusty umbrella that vexes me!

Thank you thats really interesting.

Iamnot can I ask what determines quality - is it the thickness of the top layer? Having done the rounds of kitchen suppliers laterly everyone claims theirs is the best quality so wary of flooring suppliers being the same!

I can't really remember the details about looking for quality as its about 15 years since we chose and then we stuck with the same when we moved so we've had a Kahrs floor in our last 2 properties and have been very happy. Well worth the investment. In our first flat we just ordered a deal we saw somewhere and it was pretty poor in comparison.

Hi OP we have had oak engineered floor down in out kitchen for about eight years, having it sanded today as we are just finishing an extension & matching the floor in, has been excellent very hard wearing & easy to keep clean, cant remember though if it was oiled or lacquer originally.

If you go for brushed and oiled then scratches are hidden and the oil seeps right through and protects it all. Get lots of samples though as every one looks different even if they have the same description. Consider what the wood layer is on as some are inferior quality.

It'll depend partly on what your subfloor is. If it's concrete/ solid then I think engineered is very much the recommended choice. If it is suspended timber I think you can have either solid or engineered.

As others have said, solid isn't suitable for kitchens/bathrooms as moisture will cause it to warp. You can put engineered anywhere.

We have engineered oak throughout our ground floor, including the hallway - so it can take high traffic areas. Ours is oiled, TBH the only stain that has occurred in 12 years was when a water leak from a Christmas tree bucket went unnoticed for two weeks; with water being held against the wood for the whole of those two weeks with no chance to evaporate. That was five years ago and I'm still to be bothered enough about the marks to do anything about them, most people don't even notice them at all.

And an engineered floor can have underfloor heating!

I've just started a thread on this and will now go and delete it! Really interesting information - does anyone have a supplier they are prepared to recommend?

We have Kahrs and it is great. Wide plank Brighton Oak. It is matt lacquered and very hard wearing. I think this looks more modern than a shiny lacquered finish. My supplier says, in practice, people rarely sand a floor. They think they will, but they don't bother. I have large format tiles in the kitchen and highly trafficked areas though! The thicker the veneer, the more expensive the flooring usually.

Solid oak is great but we had an underfloor heating leak and the solid floor rose up like a series of volcanos so had to be replaced. Engineered is easier to lay and less worry!