Engineered Flooring Toughness & Durability
How long does engineered wood last?
Engineered wood flooring can be one of the longest-lasting floors you can buy. Its solid wood veneer allows it to be sanded down and refinished several times in its life. This means that, with the right treatment, an engineered floor could last for many decades.
Are engineered floors water resistant?
Engineered floors are more resistant to humid environments than solid wood floors, but that doesn't make them waterproof. If puddles are left on engineered floors, the water can start to seep in between the planks, causing warping and discolouring. As such, we recommend drying up any splashes as soon as possible. Lacquered engineered floors offer more protection than oiled engineered floors, so could be used in kitchens or areas where only small splashes are likely. Due to the high levels of water and humidity we do not recommend laying engineered floors in bathrooms.
Are engineered floors scratch resistant?
Engineered floors are topped with real wood, so it is possible to scratch your floor although this takes a fair bit of effort - dragging furniture is the biggest culprit - and it doesn't have to be permanent, as we offer repair kits for scratches.
A big advantage of engineered floors is that if they do get damaged they can be sanded down and refinished. We'll tell you all about that in our refinishing Engineered floors section.
Generally speaking, lacquered floors will be tougher than oiled floors, but oiled floors are much easier to recoat.
Which wood is the hardest?
Each species of wood has a different level of hardness. You can learn about each species in our engineered wood species article, but for an exact measurement you can use the Brinell scale, which we've summarised for you below:
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