Why Is The Thickness Of Engineered Oak Flooring Important?

19th Feb 2015 @ 17:23

So you've decided you need engineered oak flooring for your environment. However with different wear layer and plyboard thickness available it can be a minefield. The thickness of your engineered oak flooring is one of the most important factors, but why?

Let’s start by establishing exactly what engineered oak flooring is. Whilst solid oak flooring boards consist of a single piece of oak, engineered oak boards are made up a combination of layers. Firstly you have the solid oak wear layer, which is what you see once the engineered oak flooring has been laid. This is how an engineered oak floor looks no different than a solid oak floor once laid. Underneath this wear layer you have a plyboard base.

 

Rustic Engineered Oak Flooring

 

It is the construction which gives engineered oak flooring its stability and its ability to cope with a range of situations. Engineered oak boards can be laid in the same ways as a solid oak floor, with the additional benefits of being able to be glued (even with wider boards) or laid as a floating floor when required. Typically engineered oak flooring is used for laying over the top of difficult subfloors - such as concrete. The added stability of engineered flooring means it can also be laid over the top of underfloor heating.

When looking at the thickness of engineered oak flooring there are a few points to consider.

The first point is the thickness of the wear layer. It is this thickness that is one of the factors that determines the lifespan of your engineered board. A good thick wear layer can be sanded a high number of times. It is worth noting that equal quality engineered and solid boards can be sanded the same amount of times. For example; our 20mm engineered oak boards with a 6mm solid oak wear layer can be sanded the same amount of times as our 20mm solid oak boards.

 

Engineered Oak Flooring Layers

 

The next point is the thickness of the plyboard base. A thicker plyboard base will provide greater stability than a thinner plyboard base. When looking at the plyboard base of your engineered oak flooring you should also consider the amount of layers that are present. The more layers there are, the more stable the board is likely to be.

As noted above, engineered oak flooring is designed to provide greater stability. With thinner engineered oak boards you are compromising on this stability. When possible, you should always opt for a thick engineered oak board.

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