Engineered Oak Flooring

Engineered flooring can be installed using four methods – floating, gluing, screwing or nailing. Your technique will depend on the flooring choice, subfloor material, whether your floor is straight-plank or parquet, and installers preference.

The floating method involves joining the planks of your floor to each other on top of an underlay.

The gluing method involves applying adhesive to the top of your subfloor and then securing the planks on top.

Secret nailing and secret screwing involves fixing through the tongue of the board down into the wooden subfloor beneath. Since the screw / nail goes through the tongue, it cannot be seen – hence the terminology “secret” nailing / screwing.

To learn more about the different methods and which will be suitable for you, read our tips for fitting engineered flooring.

Yes, an engineered oak floor can be a floor for life and is comparable to the lifespan of solid wood floors. The actual lifespan of your product will depend on variables such as the thickness of the wear layer, suitability of finish, quality of installation and ongoing maintenance.

Yes, all our engineered oak floors are suitable for this application. To learn more, visit our page dedicated to installing engineered wood flooring over underfloor heating.

To maximise the lifespan and fresh aesthetic of your floor, aftercare and maintenance will be required. The amount of maintenance required will be determined by the finish that is applied to the oak and some finishes are extremely practical and easy to maintain. Whatever the finish, you should regularly sweep or vacuum to remove dust and debris, which will help prevent scratches. You can wash your floor with a slightly damp (not wet) mop and a cleaning solution suitable for the finish that you’re flooring has applied to it.

If your floor has an oiled finish, periodic reapplication of the oil will help maintain it. You can sand and refinish any floor to give it a fresh breath of life providing you have enough oak on its top surface to sand through.

In short – yes, wood flooring is used extensive in kitchens, and often bathrooms too. However it’s the finish that is applied to the oak that will determine how water / stain resistant your flooring will be.

Engineered wood flooring also handles moisture better than solid wood flooring due to its multi-layered construction. However, no wood flooring is waterproof and care should be always be taken to not let the floor get excessively wet.

Generally speaking, the thicker the board the more oak you will have on the top surface (wear layer) and therefore the more times the flooring can be sanded back. More info on wear layers can be found here. Site variations, underfloor heating systems, and different subfloor types can also play a part.

It depends on your tastes, preferences and what area’s the flooring is to be installed in. Both options will have pros and cons, but you can read about this in more detail in our ‘Pre-treated or Untreated’ article.

Yes, but how many times you can sand will depend on the thickness of the wear layer of your floor. Usually, anything below 2mm is not recommended to sand as it may expose the plywood core.

Flooring with thicker wear layers can be sanded back numerous times. In fact, a solid oak floor could only be sanded back as far as its tongue and groove, and engineered oak floors with a 6mm wear layer can be sanded just as many times as solid.

Yes, according to home remodelling experts the average ROI for installing hardwood floors sits around the 70%–80% range and a hardwood floor can add up to 2.5% to the value of the property. It can increase the home’s resale appeal because buyers tend to prefer hardwood-style flooring over carpet or laminate.

Yes, engineered oak flooring can be scratch-resistant and pet-friendly, but the level of performance will be determined by the finish that the oak is treated with, wear layer and how well the flooring is maintained.