Can I Sand and Coat Engineered Wood Flooring?

Engineered wood flooring is made up of layers of plywood, over that a finishing layer of solid hardwood is applied. The great thing about engineered wood flooring is that it's a completely natural product and appears just like the actual thing, but is more capable to withstand moisture and atmospheric fluctuations compared to solid wood.

Whether or not it will be possible to sand and coating engineered timber floors is a questions which is frequently asked by men and women in the process of deciding which kind of wood flooring will suit them best. Put simply, the answer really is dependent on the thickness of the highest layer (or"wear" coating as it's called in the trade) which is applied to the engineered wooden planks.

Solid wood flooring, as the name implies, is made from one piece of your chosen timber. The plywood and coating of solid wood flooring is usually not a problem because it generally includes a quarter of an inch (or just over 0.6cm) of wood above the groove and tongue. Fantastic quality engineered flooring has anything involving 1/8 and 3/16 of an inch (just over 0.3cm and only under 0.5cm) over the tongue and groove. It's the thickness of this layer which determines whether and how frequently an engineered floor can be sanded and coated.

Broadly speaking, it's sensible to expect, with regular wear and tear, to want to sand and coat a hardwood flooring as frequently as every 5 years (if you are looking to keep a flawless end ), and every 10 years or so for people that don't mind a little bit of visible ageing. A good quality engineered wood flooring, having a thick shirt (or wear) coating may be able to be sanded and sanded two or three times (maximum) in its lifespan. This is something which must be taken into consideration if you're investing in hardwood flooring for the long run. Bearing in mind that some solid wood floors could last a lifetime with the ideal care and attention, the limited number of times you are sand and coating an engineered hardwood flooring will no doubt affect on your decision-making process.

So, although engineered wood flooring is a very stable and attractive wood flooring option, if you are someone who likes their flooring to maintain pristine condition at all times and you anticipate heavy traffic, then there's possibly an argument for plumping for solid wood rather than engineered hardwood flooring.