Engineered Oak Flooring - Buying Guide

There is no shortage of choice when choosing engineered Oak flooring so thinking about the following options will help you make the right decision.  If you have any questions at all please do not hesitate to get in touch.

Board Size - What width of wooden plank will best suite your room?

Perhaps you would like to mix widths - some narrow and some wider engineered boards. Mixed widths tend to look more casual while single width boards look more formal - particularly in widths up to 150mm.

Check what lengths are on offer - 1860mm long is the standard length of engineered Oak boards originating from the many Chinese suppliers. If you want longer engineered Oak boards these are harder to find but Stone and Wood Shop offers lengths of 2000mm or 2800mm as standard and widths from 140mm to 300mm.

What wooden floor thickness?

It's basically either 16mm or 21mm. Note the thicker engineered wooden boards are essential if you are fixing to joists, they are also less prone to feeling at all 'springy' when laid as a floating floor. The thick engineered boards will typically have the more substantial 6 mm Oak wear layer.

Which wooden floor Finish?

Typically you can buy oak flooring either pre finished at the factory with oil or lacquer or supplied unfinished.

1. Oiled wooden floor - Go for this if you want the most natural looking engineered Oak floor and benefit from the long term maintainability of this finish. Small scratches can easily be made to disappear with a drop of oil.
    
2. Lacquered wooden floor - Very straightforward to look after but small repairs are not possible without the help of a French polisher. Choose this if you want the very smooth, Zingy look.
    
3. Unfinished wooden floor - Good quality engineered Oak products come 'sanded' so just the finishing is required on site. There is no cost saving in buying unfinished engineered Oak boards when you take into account the extra labour involved but go for this option if you plan to colour the floor to your taste.

We sell engineered oak flooring in a number of grades:

• Rustic Grade: This wood flooring has no sapwood, has clear colour and grain variation as well as filled knots for a natural, but smooth look.
• Nature Grade: This can have slightly larger and more frequent knot content than prime grade. Also includes some colour variations.
• Prime Grade: Also known as A B Grade or Select, this is the highest grade of engineered wood flooring we have. Low knot content and only slight colour variation means this offers a clean and uniformed appearance.

Cost of wooden floor?

Narrow engineered Oak flooring costs less than the wider planks and the more character and knots in the product the cheaper it will be.

You will pay a premium for 'select grade' wood. It is worth pointing out that 'select' does not imply a better quality product necessarily - the same manufacturer will offer different selections of engineered Oak - rustic, knotty etc but the quality of construction will be the same.

Do keep in mind that as usual the cheapest product rarely represents the best value for money - this goes for engineered Oak floors as well.

A quality engineered Oak floor will last for many years so look for value and don't scrimp.

Buying engineered Oak flooring online

Buying online will certainly mean you will be getting the cheapest prices - you must however establish quality, so ask for a sample and check if the company uses the board for their own installation work.

When you are ordering your engineered Oak floor remember also to buy underlay, finishing oils etc and care products - don't 'leave it until later' as transportation is expensive. Order everything at once. See our Wood Ancillaries page for more information.

When ordering your wood remember to always add 10% meterage for cuts, selection and wastage.

Please be prepared to expect up to 15% of your order to include smaller, random lengthed pieces as this is an industry standard.

When arranging a delivery date for your new engineered Oak remember that someone will need to be at home to sign for the delivery.

Please allow a lead time of up to 3 weeks as they are a bespoke product and made to your requirements.