Engineered Wood Flooring?

Would love genuine hardwood but cant afford it - am about to obtain quotes for timber flooring on my lounge/dining/hall floors. Has anyone installed engineered wood?
Would appreciate any advice, am keen to install good quality flooring as its my PPOR and want to make sure it looks good for many years. Thanks

 

I had engineered blackbutt put into my PPOR in Sydney, came up great.

 

We have had engineered floating floors in two properties now and about to lay it in a third. Not as good as the real thing, but not bad.

It is super easy to lay if you're a little handy, have the time and happy to fiddle around things like doorways. My tip is to take off the skirting first and reset them after you've laid the floor.

I like to go for the ones with a little extra timber depth on top - we've never had to sand them back, as they've stood up really with with dogs and kids, but I like to keep the options open.

 

I've used it and like it. I've had some quality problems thanks to poor installation, (laminate lifting/splintering off after getting wet) but it's generally good. Just make sure than when it's installed the installer runs a coat of beeswax (or similar) along the locking edges, it helps keep water out if you accidentally spill on the floor.

 

I've found that there's not that much difference in price between solid hardwood and engineered flooring. Engineered floorboards will be around $90-100 sqm, plus laying $25sqm, plus underlay $15sqm. You're looking at about $140ish sqm. Prefinished solid boards can be had for around $80-90sqm, plus surface prep $25sqm, plus laying $45sqm, you're looking at around $160ish sqm.

Factor in the longevity of solid boards, improved moisture resistance (no mdf etc in between) and solid starts to look good. Prefinished is cheaper upfront than unfinished boards that you sand and polish later, but you always have the option of sanding them back multiple times. The an extra $20-30sqm I think it's an easy decision.

I'm by no means an expert, just info I've found through researching flooring options for upcoming townhouse development.

 

[QUOTE="shorty, post: 348972, member: 941" Factor in the longevity of solid boards, improved moisture resistance (no mdf etc in between) and solid starts to look good. Prefinished is cheaper upfront than unfinished boards that you sand and polish later, but you always have the option of sanding them back multiple times. The an extra $20-30sqm I think it's an easy decision.[/QUOTE]

I would much prefer hardwood, however besides the expense I have read the installation takes 2-3 weeks to complete and as I have a lot of furniture that would have to be moved it would be a nightmare.

 

You would only be paying 90-100sqm for engineered if you are buying from ripoff merchants like HN. I paid $50/sqm for my blackbutt which was 12mm thick (4mm timber + 8mm opposed direction layers)

 

$20/m2 extra for solid doesn't sound like much - until you're laying 240m2 in our new house - plus we can save the other $25/m2 by laying it ourselves (can do a room in a couple of hours).

I would love solid - but that's $11,000 and 2 extra weeks of mucking around

@DaveM - where did you buy from. I'm looking at floorboardsonline.com.au

 

That's cheap Dave, also interested in where you got it, and what brand it was.

 

I did a lot of shopping around and ended up with Woodline from Decorug. It has a 4mm wear layer and 3 layer hardwood base at 90 degree angles to stop warping and cupping. Lots of cheap stuff uses ply underlay and is nasty.

Timber Flooring Australia - DecoRug - DecoRug

They regularly have pretty awesome sales I bought then and they stored for about 9 months till I was ready to install.

 

I laid spotted gum from a place in Clyde called country timber flooring. Country Timber Flooring--Tel:02 9737 8801

Cheap and good wide boards

 

I went there, they were completely unprofessional, cheap chinese imported product, thin wear layer (ie no ability to sand) and their base was plywood. No tongue and groove, there was a section of ply grooved out of one side and a piece of ply poking out the other the same width, and you had to join by basically hitting them together so the ply rammed home into the next piece.

OK I guess for a cheap tart up, but not what I would want in a ppor

 

How good are their sales Dave? Most of the boards at decorug are $90-130sqm. No aussie hardwood - spotted gum, Blackbutt?

 

My blackbutt was $90/sqm down to $49/sqm

 

Wow - great price. Will have to keep an eye out then

 

Good case of buyer beware @DaveM . I picked up 5mm spotted gum select grade, wear surface stuff made in Germany a few years back from country timber flooring. Sorry to see they are off the boil.

They've were installed by me 4 years ago, super easy , click click. My kids have treated it like an aqua park and my fish tank has sprung a leak with no issue. They still look great, love em. In a unit. If I recall it was 3k inc gst for 50m2 inc rubber acoustic underlay. Was 2012 though.

Really pleased with the guys who sold it,hooked me up with awesome acoustic mats and relevant documents for strata that were compliant. And it,Unlike the bamboo I got laid in a investment place at the same time which swelled like crazy when subject to water. Never using bamboo again . Horrid.

The latest flooring I laid was plank vinyl. Even easier. Doesn't look anywhere near as good.it was for a inv. super tech specs tho.

 

Hi all,

I'm looking at removing the existing carpet from my investment property and replace with laminate.

What is everyone's thoughts and/or experiences with the stuff Bunnings sells? I found one or two i quite liked at a decent per m2 price.... just not sure on quality