Why Engineered Oak Flooring Will Last Just As Long As Solid Oak Flooring
1st Apr 2019
One of the most common misconceptions in the oak flooring market today is that engineered oak flooring will not last as long as solid oak flooring.
The reason for this misconception comes from the construction of engineered oak flooring vs. solid oak flooring and more specifically the amount of times that each can be sanded.
When fitted correctly in the correct environments; equal quality solid oak flooring and equal quality engineered oak flooring will last just as long as each other.
To understand why, it is important to know the differences.
Solid Oak Flooring boards are exactly that, a full thickness of solid oak machined with a tongue and groove to create a flooring plank. Solid Oak boards are typically fitted onto joists or wooden subfloors.
Engineered Oak Flooring on the other hand is a combination of Solid Oak on top, bonded to a plyboard base. This construction is designed to add stability, making engineered boards more suitable in areas of changeable conditions. Engineered oak flooring can be used over underfloor heating systems, over a screed, and laid as a floating floor.
Once the solid oak wear layer of an engineered oak board has been completely sanded away, the board has reached the end of its life and will need replacing. Equally once a solid oak board has been sanded enough to reach its tongue/groove, the plank has also reached the end of its life and will need replacing. When comparing equal quality boards, the thickness of the wear layer of an engineered oak board and the thickness of the solid oak board to its tongue and groove are typically the same.
Take a look at the 20mm boards seen below. Here we can see how the wear layer of an engineered board is equal to the top layer of a solid board.
Of course in realistic terms, it is very unlikely that either of these oak wear layers would be sanded away. When used in conjunction with a high qulity finish, both our solid oak flooring and engineered oak flooring are designed to last a lifetime...
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