EXPERT INSIGHT

engineered wood flooring Robert Walsh, founder and owner of Ted Todd, on all you need to know about the solid timber alternative

Engineered wood flooring is a real hardwood floor

– unlike laminate, vinyl or LVT. It has many benefits over solid wood floors, such as being able to use it over underfloor heating. Engineered wood floors should also not be confused with a ‘real wood veneer’ floor, which is where the top layer is only 1mm or less.

When choosing an engineered wood floor,

you’ll want to consider some technical practicalities as well as how the floor looks. Ask yourself questions such as: where will the floor be fitted, will it be installed over underfloor heating, will it be laid next to other floor coverings such as tile, and how will this impact the thickness that is needed?

Our engineered floors are made from layered sections of solid wood.

The top layer of an engineered board is known as the wear layer and ranges from 3mm to 6mm. This will be what you see when the floor is installed and may be European oak, pine or walnut, for example. Wood floors can be sanded and resealed, so the thicker the wear layer, the more often you can do this over the years. The most important factor when looking into the construction of an engineered wood floor is what the layers are made from. Furniture-grade birch plywood is a good choice and has a lot of weight to it.

Within the industry, 10mm/12mm-20mm thicknesses

are pretty standard for engineered floors. It is common for 10mm or 12mm wood floors to have a wear layer of only 1mm or 2mm, which doesn’t give you the longevity you’d expect. We make a 12mm floor that has a 4mm wear layer, which is unusual for the industry, as it still gives the option to sand down over the years.

A 20mm floor with a 6mm wear layer is the absolute best you can buy. Our 20mm floors come with a 25-year guarantee, as we’re so confident in the quality and construction of them.

You can install engineered wood floors in any room, including bathrooms. Make sure the room is well ventilated and that you use a thick, good quality bath mat when getting out of the bath or shower to catch any splashes. However, it is a specialist project and we would never recommend that anyone DIY it. Engineered wood flooring is extremely

sustainable – just make sure that the floor is FSC or PEFC certified.