Which Should I Use - Solid Oak Or Engineered Oak Flooring?

We are so often asked which is the most suitableThe engineered flooring that we provide has a multi
oak flooring for your home and which looks the best.laminate plywood made from 10 layers of a birch
When people hear about an engineered oak flooringfaced plywood 15 mm thick. Each layer is glued in
their first reaction can often be, ' its just not the realopposite directions, so producing a plywood structure
thing!' I even get clients believing that engineered oakthat is very stable and resists movement. We would
is the same product that the large super stores sell,like to make you aware that many plywood's, that
which is not so as that is a laminate flooring. A highare used in the manufacture of engineered flooring
quality engineered oak flooring; such as we supply,provided by so many companies, is not as thick and
has the same qualities as a solid oak floor and inhas fewer layers. Less layers of ply will make it a less
many ways is even better. This sounds like astable product. With our engineered flooring a 6 mm
sweeping statement from a company such as ours,layer of solid oak is then bonded/ glued onto the
who have been involved with solid oak flooring for10-layer plywood. The glues used today are very
the last thirty years and longer, but non the less true.efficient and when the correct adhesives are used
Lets just try and cover a few of the reasons why:the boarding is often stronger the wood itself. The
A SOLID OAK timber board it a totally naturalsolid oak we use is a single peace of European oak
product. We all know that wood moves withbetween 6 and 7mm thick, forming a 190 mm wide
different climatic conditions, such as moisture /board. Many companies will again cut back, gluing a
humidity, damp or heat. Timber is a semi porousnumber of narrower widths together, giving the
material that is affected by these differentundesirable appearance of a multiple strip floor. It is
conditions. If oak flooring takes up moisture it willvery important that the layer of solid oak is between
swell. The floor board will always swell on the width6 and7 mm thick, as this is the layer that takes all
of the board and very little on its length. Because ofthe wear and tear of everyday life. The end result of
this it is always very important, when laying a solidour engineered flooring is a 22 mm thick board (15
oak floor, to allow and expansion gap around themm multi laminate ply + 7 mm of Solid European
outside perimeter of the floor; between the wall andOak), 190 mm wide, in long lengths of 1900 mm and
the flooring. If a gap is NOT formed when laying yourtongued and grooved all around the board.
floor, and the floor boards do swell, the flooring hasThis type of floor has several benefits:-
no where to go and will then most often buckle up in1.A very stable product that has much less
the centre section of the floor. The floor will thenmovement then a solid oak floor.
become springy and not lay flat onto the under2. The top layer of oak, on top of the plywood, is all
surface on which its was originally laid.you can see, giving the beauty that you would
Lets just say your room was 5.0 metres wide andexpect from a solid European oak floor.
you decided to use 170 mm wide flooring to cover3. A much more stable product for under floor
that width. That would mean that you would have toheating systems, which have become very popular.
lay 30 rows of boarding. If each board decided to4. A product that will last and wear just as long as a
swell by 2 mm in its individual width, it could result insolid oak floor. If a solid European oak floor was
up to a total of 60 mm of swelling. In every case itconstantly sanded down over the years. It could only
would be impossible to allow a gap of 30 mm eachbe sanded down about 6 mm until you are on the
side of your room to allow for this. Normally thetongue between the boards. Our engineered oak
largest expansion gap you would be able to achieveboard has the same 6 to 7 mm thickness of wear.
would be around 20 mm, which you would then5. The 22 mm thick board is far stronger than the
cover with a trim or skirting. If your flooring were tosolid oak board, not only because of its thickness,
be laid in a property that had recently been plasteredbut also because of the multi laminate plywood.
and was still drying out, a 2 mm of expansion onPlywood is about the strongest timber material you
your board would be very possible. If your sub floorcan purchase for this requirement.
was still drying out the situation would be even6. Engineered oak flooring is much more
worse with the flooring trapping the moisture under itenvironmentally friendly. The plywood is made up of
and causing serious damage to the newly laid floor. Infast growing softwoods, which are plentiful, thus
ALL cases the property should be dry and free fromusing up far less of our valued solid oak that has
humidity after renovation work and be equivalent totaken hundreds of years to grow.
the atmosphere that you would expect in normal,7. A much faster floor to lay as you are using longer
warm living conditions.and wider boards, making it more cost effective.
An ENGINEERED OAK timber board is a little bit8. Many of our clients will say that the flooring looks
different but is just as attractive in appearance, givenfar better with a longer, wider board and that it does
that you buy the right type of material. It will wearnot move unlike solid oak flooring.
just as long as a solid oak floor and is a much moreWe are also aware of our environment. An
forgiving and structurally stable floor.engineered board will use up far less of our valuable
The reason for the above is that a layer of solid oakOak trees. The underside of the board being a
is glued onto multi laminate plywood. The Europeansoftwood ply. These softwood timbers grow far
Oak is the same quality as the oak used in the solidfaster and are much more easily replanted and
oak boards we supply, thus giving the same beautyreplaced.
with its natural grain and figuring.