Engineered wood floor

We're considering these for our upcoming ppor build. Laid over concrete ground level. Has anyone had an experience with these? How did you find them? Do they need to be sanded often in common areas?

Never lived in a house with timber floors so would like to hear all the pros and cons.

 

we them installed in our ppor. 13 years later when we moved out, it was still shiny and no need for sanding for another 13 years.
because they are real wood, they tend soft than laminate...so if you drop a chisel/hammer on them the marks are more noticeable in wood

one thing i noticed is the plank next to the sliding window, the colour fades because it is subject to direct sunlight penetrating through the blinds constantly.

there is a little section that squeeks, but this is due to installation, so make sure you tread on each plank to confirm finished job before signing off.

 

We got engineered oak flooring for our ppor when we did a renovation. We got them glued down onto yellow tongue, rather then have them floating. Means no softness or spring when step on them.

Ours have a limewash/beachy style look which is meant to last 25 years or more. As long as we use a special wash liquid when cleaning, as any hardcore cleaning material will destroy the top coat within a year or two. I've seen it happen on a clients house, not pretty.

For inspiration check out these guys website, we didn't use them (very expensive) but the pics on their website are awesome.

Royal Oak Floors | Timber Flooring Specialists | American Oak Floors | Oak Flooring Gallery

 

We put them in all through our ppor. In for 4.5 yrs so far and no real problems. One plank blistered, but should have been checked before installation. Other sections have been soaked in water and dog pee for hours and no issues.

I'd have them again but do the installation myself next time.

 

Have you considered timber look tiles ?
Seem to becoming popular.
We have just forked out a chunk for them to be installed in our new IP build.
Should take possession in a month or two and can feedback

 

As someone who has spent time installing timber flooring I'd have to say, if you can afford it, there is no substitute for a solid timber floor. The one thing I dislike about floating engineered timber or laminate is the quading that is put against the skirting board. I'd at least insist that the skirts sit on top of the floor so that there is no quad needed.

 

High heels also will damage timber floors (speaking from experience). Basically anything with a high point load will.