Engineered wooden flooring

[Anys]

Have been advised to have 15mm thick engineered 3-strip wooden flooring that clicks together, a 'floating floor' with oak 3.6mm veneer as the top layer, not glued or nailed down, over an underlay and underfloor heating in the living room of our period barn conversion. Apparently this type of floor doesn't buckle or twist given any damp conditions. and is supposed to be easy to lay, can be sanded 3 or 4 times. Needless to say we're not doing it ourselves but leaving it to someone experienced in this sort of work. The underfloor heating is now in place, over concrete that was there before, and we know about acclimatising the timber to the temperature inside before laying and so on. This will probably offend purists, but damp is an ever-present problem locally. Has anyone installed this sort of flooring? Any views? The samples we sent for look sturdy enough ...

 

[Penners]

I haven't used such a product myself, but if I were going to have a wood floor on top of UFH, I think I would choose an engineered board.

Because the real wood surface is bonded to a (usually) plywood substrate, with a bottom balancing wood layer - all of them kiln-dried - the product is very stable and unlikely to shrink or warp.

 

[middi]

I have fitted this type of floor as requested by customers.

It is very very good, very stable and due to the thick oak veneer which is glued to the stabilised backing board it should last a few lifetimes if reasonably looked after.

It is comparable in price, if not more expensive, to wide long solid oak boards, personally I would perefer these.

 

[Penners]

It is comparable in price, if not more expensive, to wide long solid oak boards, personally I would prefer these.

For a solid oak floor on top of UFH, Middi, what moisture content would you specify for the boards? I imagine the usual 10 - 12% would risk shrinkage, wouldn't it?

 

[middi]

Good assumption Penners, european or English oak is kiln dried at about 16% or higher, american oak much lower at well below 12%.

Theoritically( and practically) both could be deemed as unsuitable where UFH is used, American oak would be less of a problem and English oak a bigger problem ( or eventually bigger gaps and distortion).

For some people this would be acceptable for the sake of " authenticity".

For external applications ( windows and doors etc..) Europeah or English oak would be preferable, here American oak is considered too dry with a greater expansion factor making it not as suitable.