ᐅ Engineered flooring as an alternative to hardwood - buying guide and manufacturers
Created on: 3 Nov 2021 07:26
J
jaenno1
Good morning everyone,
There has already been a lot of discussion about different types of design flooring. We saw the Modular One from Parador at friends’ houses and were very impressed. However, there are very mixed opinions about this flooring, so I wanted to check if there are also more “premium” floors from other manufacturers? What are your experiences, and which brands would you recommend?
Since many criticize the use of “plastic,” here are our reasons for choosing this type of flooring: We currently live in an apartment with prefinished parquet. The apartment is 5 years old and we are very careful to avoid dents and scratches. Still, the floor is quite delicate and soft, so we want to find an alternative because of our very young children. Tiles are not an option due to the lack of “warmth underfoot.” Maybe when the kids are older, we can switch back to parquet, at least in the living room. I actually found that idea quite appealing.
We imagine a slightly lightened oak tone, but not a whitewashed color.
I would appreciate your opinions, tips, criticism, and suggestions.
Best regards
jaenno1
There has already been a lot of discussion about different types of design flooring. We saw the Modular One from Parador at friends’ houses and were very impressed. However, there are very mixed opinions about this flooring, so I wanted to check if there are also more “premium” floors from other manufacturers? What are your experiences, and which brands would you recommend?
Since many criticize the use of “plastic,” here are our reasons for choosing this type of flooring: We currently live in an apartment with prefinished parquet. The apartment is 5 years old and we are very careful to avoid dents and scratches. Still, the floor is quite delicate and soft, so we want to find an alternative because of our very young children. Tiles are not an option due to the lack of “warmth underfoot.” Maybe when the kids are older, we can switch back to parquet, at least in the living room. I actually found that idea quite appealing.
We imagine a slightly lightened oak tone, but not a whitewashed color.
I would appreciate your opinions, tips, criticism, and suggestions.
Best regards
jaenno1
G
Georgian20193 Nov 2021 09:57What’s the problem if a wooden floor has a few marks from use? I’ve always lived in apartments with floorboards or parquet flooring, and I never found it bothersome when the floor had dents or scratches. On the contrary, it actually makes the floor more interesting and prevents it from looking like plastic. If it gets too bad, you can just sand it down a little or apply some oil again, and that’s it.
In our house, we now have a mix of parquet (oak farmhouse plank) in the living room and tiles in the rest of the house (because of underfloor heating and cleaning/maintenance considerations). I have to admit I was originally against tiles in the hallway and bedrooms and wanted parquet there as well. But my wife, the interior designer, and the contractors persuaded me, and we ended up with a very nice and realistic-looking mahogany wood-effect tile.
In our house, we now have a mix of parquet (oak farmhouse plank) in the living room and tiles in the rest of the house (because of underfloor heating and cleaning/maintenance considerations). I have to admit I was originally against tiles in the hallway and bedrooms and wanted parquet there as well. But my wife, the interior designer, and the contractors persuaded me, and we ended up with a very nice and realistic-looking mahogany wood-effect tile.
For us, it’s not just about scratches or stains (although I don’t like the latter either), but there are spots where pieces are chipping off. I don’t think that’s suitable for a mainly barefoot family with a very small child.
But I also don’t understand why the original poster must be convinced to choose other types of flooring when the question explicitly asks for an opinion on a specific flooring category.
But I also don’t understand why the original poster must be convinced to choose other types of flooring when the question explicitly asks for an opinion on a specific flooring category.
Georgian2019 schrieb:
What’s the issue if a wooden floor has a few marks from use? I have always lived in apartments with wooden floorboards or parquet and never found it bothersome when the floor had dents or scratches. On the contrary, it actually becomes more interesting and doesn’t look like plastic. If it gets too bad, you can sand it down or apply oil again and that solves the problem. If it’s just scratches and dents, there isn’t much to argue against. The problem with parquet is that the wear layer is often so thin (2-3mm (0.08-0.12 inches)) that even a pair of scissors falling on it can go right through. Then you don’t just have character scratches but you see the chipboard underneath.
Parquet with a thicker wear layer or solid wood floorboards are correspondingly more expensive, excluding special offers or B-stock, which still have to be available in the desired design and quantity. Not everyone pays for their house and land half with equity.
minimini schrieb:
But I also don’t understand why the original poster must be convinced to choose other floors when a specific flooring type was explicitly asked about here. If I believe this flooring type is the worse choice, I don’t just say “don’t do it, it’s rubbish,” I recommend an alternative that I think is better. To me, that’s good advice...
jaenno1 schrieb:
Nevertheless, the floor is so sensitive and soft that, due to our very young children, we would prefer an alternative. Wood is a living material. So it remains “valuable” even with dents and marks.
However, there are also harder types of wood. A cost-effective alternative would be bamboo flooring. Bamboo is not technically wood; it is a fiber and very hard.
jaenno1 schrieb:
Tiles are not an option because of the lack of “warmth underfoot.” No underfloor heating in the house? Carpet in the play area?
RotorMotor schrieb:
If you already avoid contact, what about clothing or even putting things in the mouth? No plastic toys, water bottles, cups, toothbrushes, lunch boxes, …? I also find that plastic on large surfaces is a completely different scale.
By the way, luxury vinyl flooring is also vulnerable, similar to hardwood. Dents can probably be repaired.
In the end, it is up to the homeowner whether they consider luxury vinyl flooring “valuable.”
jaenno1 schrieb:
so I wanted to ask if there are “higher quality” floors from other manufacturers? B
Benutzer2003 Nov 2021 11:34minimini schrieb:
but it chips off in certain areas.How does that happen? I have had various hardwood floors for ages with different types of wood (maple, wenge, beech, oak), but I can only imagine chipping happening through extreme force, not in everyday use.
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