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Engineered Oak Flooring - An Experiment

Engineered Oak Flooring - An Experiment

6th Mar 2023

"Engineered oak flooring can’t last as long as solid oak flooring"

"What happens to engineered oak flooring after years of wear and tear?"

"Does engineered oak flooring last?"

Just some of the things we hear when discussing engineered oak flooring…

Whilst some of these perceptions may well be true in some cases with lesser quality engineered oak flooring, we decided to put this truly to the test with the simple placement of one of our engineered oak boards many years ago.

To enter our oak flooring stores from the outside with forklifts and other vehicles a small ramp is required. With a store full of oak flooring available, we decided what better than to use an engineered oak flooring plank to assist the vehicles with the small lip into the stores.

At our base in the heart of the Peak District, more often than not we are succumbed to all of the elements the weather can throw at us. Heavy rain, snow, sleet and ice tend to be a regular occurrence in the winter, whilst in the summer we enjoy the occasional warm period.

This ramp would truly be put to the test, with not only having to withstand the elements, but also the continuous process of heavy vehicles driving over it. These extreme conditions go above and beyond what a standard engineered board would be expected to deal with, so how would the plank last?

Fast forward many years later (15 years to be exact!) and the same board remains a staple in our yard, weathered and aged by the elements but structurally still very much bonded together!

Despite the years of wear and tear and general grime, the plyboard has remained stuck together along with the solid oak wear layer.

The base of ply likewise has generally remained in tact.

With a quick sand and a coating of the Blanchon Original Wood Environment, the board is to a condition that certainly wouldn't look amiss inside a rural rustic building or traditional pub...