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A beginner’s guide to choosing the right engineered wooden flooring for your home
The first question a lot of people ask is “what is engineered wooden flooring?”
We have a detailed post on that here.
But if we were to put it simply, engineered flooring is made up of a solid hardwood layer – predominantly European oak – which is then glued down to a second wooden layer – usually premium quality plywood or 3-layer birchwood.
The first layer gives you that beautiful wooden aesthetic.
The second gives you robust strength and stability.
It is an attractive combination and one that makes engineered flooring such a popular choice for people who want the rich, authentic timber flooring look and feel without the high costs.
So if you are considering investing in engineered wooden flooring – and yes it truly can add value to your home – then this post will guide you through the key factors to consider when making your choice.
To help keep it simple we’ve broken the considerations down to:
- Choosing the right room
- Design
- Thickness
- Cost
Location
Before we jump into having our dream engineered wooden flooring installed, let’s take a moment to consider the room(s) we’ll be working with.
Each space in your home has its own unique needs, environmental factors and quirks that can impact your flooring choice.
For example, if you’re installing in a high-moisture area like the bathroom or kitchen, you’ll want to make sure you are able to take extra precautions to look after the floor as much as possible.
That being said, most of our installs for wooden flooring are in these areas!
You will also want to consider how much foot traffic a room or area gets. With living rooms or hallways, or areas where kids like to skid around corners (and into walls) you’ll definitely want to opt for a flooring type that can handle some foot traffic and won’t show every little scratch or scuff.
Speak to the JHF team to discuss surface options for high-traffic areas.
Design
Now comes the fun part – deciding on the look and feel of your engineered wooden flooring!
The good news is, there are many finishes, colours and styles available.
Whether you’re after a classic, timeless look, the warm natural feel of hardwood or perhaps you’re all about that modern aesthetic that will give your home a fresh, cutting-edge vibe.
We have the tools for you to use to help with colour choice and a colour option to help achieve your look.
Check out our room viewer tool here or you can see the infographic on how different colours affect different rooms.
Keep things traditional or mix things up with a modern twist. There’s an engineered wooden flooring type out there that will suit your style perfectly.
Thickness
There are varying top wear layer thicknesses available – most are 3, 5 or 6mm thick (making total board thickness 14, 15 or 20mm thick respectively). The thickness of the veneer on your engineered wooden flooring can really impact the final height of your floors, so it’s definitely worth exploring your options as this can create more work with butting up to joinery, other floor coverings and doorways.
A thicker veneer will give you more resand/finishing options down the track, but the reality is that you are only going to resand and coat your floor once or twice. A thinner oak wear layer will generally be a bit friendlier on the budget.
In this case, it will come down to budget.
Either way, you’ll end up with beautiful engineered wooden flooring that will elevate the look of your home.
Cost
Finally, consider the cost of your engineered wooden flooring.
As mentioned, and like with pretty much everything, the higher quality products generally cost more. With of course good reason.
A thicker top wear layer will cost more than a thinner layer. This is because there is more actual timber used. It means there is more longevity (more re-sands and coat), but the reality is that you will only ever have your floor re-sanded and coated once or twice.
We’re always happy to talk with you about budget options to find the perfect flooring.
Have more questions? Get in touch 🙂
We hope that this answers some of your questions around engineered wooden flooring and helps you with your research. If you have any further questions or are unsure about anything, feel free to drop us an email or give us a call. We’d love to share our expertise and offer you some guidance in your search for the very best wooden flooring.
The JHF team.
