A guide to engineered wood flooring

Flooring has come a long way since the Victorian era, when solid wood was the only option, and since the 1960s when lino was laid down in every room.

Now there’s laminate flooring, solid wood flooring, composite flooring, and engineered wood flooring. But what is engineered wood, how do you clean it, what’s the difference between engineered and laminate?

Don’t panic!

I’m here with this guide to engineered wood flooring to tell you all about what it’s made from and how you can look after it.

 

What is engineered wood flooring?

First, what actually is it?

Engineered wood has the look and feel of solid wood, but it’s made up of many different layers.

The bottom layer is made of wood, to ensure the floorboard is durable and solid. There is a sandwich layer which is usually a soft wood such as ply, and then another piece of solid wood. Think of it like a ham sandwich, where the bread is the hard wood and the ham is the soft ply wood.

Engineered wood flooring has click joints that makes it much easier to lay than solid wood flooring. You could do it yourself, which brings the cost down as you don’t have to pay for someone else to do it.

 

Wooden flooring tends to be prone to shrinking and expanding depending on the heat in the room. Over time, this can cause it to warp and come away from the skirting boards, or rise up in peaks in certain places. Engineered flooring doesn’t do this, so you can ensure that your flooring stays looking perfect for longer.

And don’t think that you’ll be limited to the look of engineered wood flooring. It comes in every colour, like grey wood flooring, design and material under the sun, so you aren’t as limited for choice as you may think.

This kind of flooring can be installed pretty much anywhere you want: bedrooms, conservatory, living room, dining room or kitchen. As with wooden floor, it’s advised against installing your engineered flooring into a bathroom because of the amount of water and moisture it could be subject to.

 

How to clean engineered wood floors

Your engineered wood shouldn’t be treated any differently to wooden floors, so you can use a floor cleaner and a mop to make your floor sparkle. Just make sure your floor cleaner doesn’t contain bleach or other hash chemicals, as this could ruin the appearance of it.

 

If in doubt, Carpetright have a fab guide on their website to cleaning engineered wood.

 

Does it scratch easily?

Because engineered wood has a top layer of natural wood, it can be prone to scratches, like any wooden flooring. Just be aware of dragging furniture across it and walking in heels. Get someone to help you if you’re moving furniture so it can be fully lifted off the ground. The feet of your furniture should have soft pads placed on them, especially dining chairs that are moved frequently.

Try not to wear high heels around the home too much.

If you have a pet, you may want to get their claws trimmed regularly to avoid scratch marks.

Finally, if you spill anything on the floor, you should try to clear it up as quickly as possible using kitchen roll or a dry cloth.

 

What is the difference between laminate and engineered wood flooring?

Engineered wood, as described above, has two pieces of real, solid wood on top and underneath, with layers in between. Laminate flooring doesn’t contain any real wood, but is a composite. It’s made up of many layers of pressed materials.

Laminate is better for those on a budget and who want a durable, hard-wearing floor and don’t mind (as much) about the look of hard wood flooring.

Although engineered wood flooring may be more expensive, it could fetch you a better price for your house when you come to sell it.

 

*Collaborative post