What is engineered wooden flooring?

For many people, wooden floors in the home are a long-held dream. They have a timeless style that work equally well in modern homes as it does for those looking to create a classic look. From a country cottage to a modern townhouse, a minimalist Scandi home to an industrial design city apartment, oak engineered wooden floors can do it all.

Solid wood floors can become expensive, however, what if we told you there are types of wooden flooring where you can have the beauty of a real wood floor while saving on some of that expense? And that the product will even perform better too!

Well, please welcome to the stage – engineered wood floors!

What is engineered wooden flooring?

Engineered wood flooring is made from a real, solid wood top layer that’s bonded to an engineered plywood base below. The reason engineered wood flooring looks and feels like the real thing, is because it is!

You can see it as something that’s in-between solid wood and laminate flooring. It has real, solid wood on top that can be sanded, varnished, and finished, while the base or core board below is manufactured in a way to give the stability of a laminate and can sometimes be installed like laminate.

Engineered wood comes in a range of different plank lengths and widths which offers a lot of versatility in choosing styles and designs. Tapi sells a wide selection of engineered wooden floor types, with widths up to 190 mm. There is also a great range of colours to choose from too, such as grey engineered wood flooring.

Javor - Lacquered

£74.99 m²

Javor - Russet Brushed & UV Oiled

£74.99 m²

Sierra - Risso Brushed & UV Oiled

£89.99 m²

Zion - Smoked Brushed and Matt Lacquered

£79.99 m²

Negara - Umber Brushed & UV Oiled

£79.99 m²

Negara - Nutmeg Brushed & UV Oiled

£79.99 m²

Sierra - Alabaster Brushed & UV Oiled

£89.99 m²

Melia - Matt Lacquered

£69.99 m²

Melia - Oiled

£69.99 m²

Sierra - Scorched Brushed & UV Oiled

£89.99 m²

Browse Engineered Wood

What are the benefits of engineered wood flooring?

When it comes to the advantages and disadvantages of engineered wood flooring, we struggle to come up with any areas that it's lacking in! The benefits of engineered wood include:

Temperature and humidity Although it still has some sensitivity to heat, humidity, and moisture, engineered wood is much more stable and less susceptible to warping and bowing than solid wood
Cost It’s a cheaper alternative to solid wood, boasting the same look for less
Variability There’s a huge variety of grades, styles, widths, wood stains and finishes to choose from, so it really can go in every space - check out our kitchen engineered wood flooring to get a free sample today if you don't believe us!
Insulation Engineered wood works well with various types of insulation and underlay. It also works well with underfloor heating
Installation It can either be installed as a floating floor, glued down or secret-nailed

Finally, DIYers will often find click-engineered wood flooring simpler to install themselves. See our guide to installing engineered wood flooring for more info. It’s worth remembering all types of wooden floors are not suitable for those moisture-rich areas of the home such as bathrooms and utility rooms. For those areas of the home, please go to our fantastic luxury vinyl or vinyl flooring, designed to create the look you desire, with the confidence of knowing the products are highly water- and slip-resistant.

Types of engineered wood flooring

As you’d expect, engineered wood flooring is available in a wide collection of different wood types, styles, and finishes. Oak is an incredibly popular and versatile choice as it works well in a wide range of finishes from light to dark. At Tapi, we have a wide variety of beautiful wood tones from light Scandi, through warm English oaks to even a deep American walnut.

Key to the look of your engineered wood floor is the finish that’s applied to the real wood top layer. Let’s run through the most common:

Lacquer: Lacquer results in a floor that looks very natural, but with great resistance to scratches, and splashes. Many contain additional UV protection too so it’s a great all-rounder. Matt, satin, and gloss lacquer finishes are available to suit your taste.
Oiled: Probably the most traditional finish to engineered wood flooring. The boards are pre-oiled and finished to give a classic finish that works very well with traditional-style homes. Oiling brings the grain of the wood to the fore and looks fantastic but offers less protection than lacquer and will need to be periodically reapplied to rejuvenate the appearance of your floor.
Brushed: This is a technique that occurs during production to further reveal the natural wood structure before finishing with a lacquer or oil.
Coloured stain: Another popular finish. A coloured lacquer is used to change the overall colour while still enhancing the natural characteristics and grain.

Construction

Below the layer of gorgeous real wood sits the ‘engineered’ layer or core. The makeup of this core can vary slightly.

The three most common compositions of an engineered wood core are listed below:

Multi-ply engineered wood: Probably the most common type of engineered wood core, multi-ply is generally between 13mm-20mm thick and made up of many layers which provide great resistance to bowing. Due to its strength, it can support wide planks in widths of up to 305mmm.
3-ply engineered wood: Also very popular, this board has just three, thicker layers providing plenty of strength and support. It comes in thicknesses of between 13-18mm. This means it can only support planks up to around 200mm wide but comes at a more affordable price point.
HDF-core engineered wood: Less common but gaining in popularity due to its versatility, the HDF core makes it very strong and light.

Engineered wood flooring vs laminate

Although superficially similar, especially as their similar click profiles can be installed in the same way, these two types of wooden floors differ in several key areas:

Laminate flooring is not real wood. Although modern laminate boasts incredibly realistic finishes and textures, the appearance of wood is a printed graphic
Engineered wood can be sanded and re-finished. Due to its construction, you can sand and refinish engineered wood should you wish to change the look, this can usually be done two-three times. This is not possible with laminate.
Engineered wood lasts much longer. The expected lifespan of laminate flooring tends to be between 10 and 20 years depending on which you buy. Engineered wood flooring can last upwards of 35 years with proper care.
Laminate, especially the water-resistant kind, tends to deal with changes in moisture better than most types of engineered wood flooring.

Types of engineered wood flooring and finishes

Choose engineered wood flooring if:

You want a natural, unique floor
You want the fantastic look and feel of a wooden floor to complement your room
You want to add character to your home
You want to make a long-term investment in a very durable floor
You want a natural floor that’s more resistant to changes in temperature and humidity than a solid wood floor
You care about the environment and a floor that is ethically sourced

Now that you know all about the ins and outs of different types of engineered wood flooring, why not explore our range of engineered wood flooring today? You can book a home visit or join us in-store to discuss the advantages and disadvantages of engineered wood flooring for your home, or take a look at our Ideas Hub for some inspiration on how you could make engineered wood flooring work in your space.

Choose engineered wood flooring if:

You want a natural floor
You want a fantastic looking and feeling of wooden floor to complement your room
You want to add unique character to your home
You want to make a long-term investment in a very durable floor
You want a natural floor that’s more resistant to changes in temperature and humidity
You care about the environment and a floor that is ethically sourced

Now that you know all about the ins and outs of different types of engineered wood flooring, why not explore our range of engineered wood flooring today? You can book a home visit or join us in-store to discuss the advantages and disadvantages of engineered wood flooring for your home. Or, you can take a look at our Ideas Hub for some inspiration on how you could make it work in your space, including styling engineered wood flooring in your kitchen.

Post author

Claire Murphy Copywriter Former lifestyle journalist, keen amateur upcycler, full of value for money ideas

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Published: 25-11-2022

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