ᐅ Affordable engineered hardwood flooring: Is a 2.5 mm wear layer sufficient?
Created on: 23 May 2024 09:47
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claubiblau
Hello,
we want to install an oiled oak country-style plank parquet flooring in our single-family house. The parquet listed by the general contractor in the schedule of quantities does not appeal to us after seeing it installed, so we are looking for alternatives. Currently, we have two alternatives: Bauwerk Studiopark Oak 2-layer with a 2.5mm (1 inch) wear layer and HDF backing for about 70€, or Thede & Witte 'Boston' (3-layer with poplar backing, 3mm (1.2 inches) wear layer) for about 50€. The problem is that we prefer to avoid Asian-sourced products, which – due to the poplar core layer – speaks against the Thede & Witte in our opinion. We like the wood quality of the Bauwerk better and would almost be willing to pay the higher price, if it weren’t for the thin wear layer on the Bauwerk parquet. Do you have suggestions for parquet of similar quality to Bauwerk but with a thicker wear layer and priced similarly? Or is 2.5mm (1 inch) sufficient with HDF backing? We have underfloor heating, the parquet will be glued in all living areas including hallway and kitchen, and we have a small dog, so the flooring should be sandable at least once. I find it difficult because the internet often lacks detailed information about the exact construction/material of the core layers.
It would be great if someone could help.
Many thanks
we want to install an oiled oak country-style plank parquet flooring in our single-family house. The parquet listed by the general contractor in the schedule of quantities does not appeal to us after seeing it installed, so we are looking for alternatives. Currently, we have two alternatives: Bauwerk Studiopark Oak 2-layer with a 2.5mm (1 inch) wear layer and HDF backing for about 70€, or Thede & Witte 'Boston' (3-layer with poplar backing, 3mm (1.2 inches) wear layer) for about 50€. The problem is that we prefer to avoid Asian-sourced products, which – due to the poplar core layer – speaks against the Thede & Witte in our opinion. We like the wood quality of the Bauwerk better and would almost be willing to pay the higher price, if it weren’t for the thin wear layer on the Bauwerk parquet. Do you have suggestions for parquet of similar quality to Bauwerk but with a thicker wear layer and priced similarly? Or is 2.5mm (1 inch) sufficient with HDF backing? We have underfloor heating, the parquet will be glued in all living areas including hallway and kitchen, and we have a small dog, so the flooring should be sandable at least once. I find it difficult because the internet often lacks detailed information about the exact construction/material of the core layers.
It would be great if someone could help.
Many thanks
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elminster24 May 2024 08:08claubiblau schrieb:
Ok, you have helped me a lot. The note about the 12mm is also a good tip. And with a 2.5mm (1/10 inch) wear layer, you could at least sand it once; probably you wouldn’t do it more often anyway. Regarding parquet in the kitchen: I know two people who have lived in their house for over 5 years and repeatedly installed parquet in the kitchen. But maybe you have to accept some stains here and there. That’s just how it is. I prefer to install parquet and live with a bit of “patina” rather than vinyl. But that’s certainly a matter of taste.
Thanks again for all the opinions. Around 9 years ago, we installed engineered parquet flooring in the living-dining area. From Tilo, if I’m not mistaken, with a 2.5mm (1/10 inch) wear layer and 12mm (1/2 inch) thickness. It was relatively affordable at about €45/sqm. It’s not in the kitchen, but with three small children under the dining table and in the play area, it has still been subject to wear.
We are very satisfied with it. Will we ever sand it down? I don’t know. There are some dents and even some chipping, but nothing I would say looks bad. We would definitely choose engineered parquet with such a thin wear layer again.
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Bertram10024 May 2024 08:29I can report that I have since treated my parquet flooring with a stain remover designed for parquet and then oiled it with two coats of hard wax oil. The stains are almost completely gone. The wax forms a noticeable top layer on the parquet. Sanding was not necessary.
Nevertheless, the floor in the kitchen suffers the most. But still only to an extent that can be fully remedied. I have 4mm (0.16 inch) oak parquet installed on birch plywood. The finish is “rustic.” I have no damage (even though things occasionally fall on it). I only have stains.
Nevertheless, the floor in the kitchen suffers the most. But still only to an extent that can be fully remedied. I have 4mm (0.16 inch) oak parquet installed on birch plywood. The finish is “rustic.” I have no damage (even though things occasionally fall on it). I only have stains.
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claubiblau24 May 2024 09:13Great, those are some additional points from experience, thank you very much. We have the hardwood flooring practically throughout the entire house, so I want to avoid making the wrong decision here. When only one or two rooms are covered this way, it’s certainly easier to make such a decision and you can more easily fix or replace the flooring later on. Thanks.
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Bertram10024 May 2024 10:39claubiblau schrieb:
We basically have hardwood flooring throughout the entire house, so I don’t want to make a wrong decision there. I also have hardwood flooring everywhere except in the hallway and guest bathroom. It looks nice. I’m happy with it.
You won’t really know whether your choice was “wrong” until at least 10 years later. So don’t stress too much and mainly choose what you like. Just be careful not to pick the cheaper option that also happens to be less attractive by mistake.
By the way, I was a bit “tricked” when selecting the hardwood samples. The small sample piece in the store had far fewer knots than my floor actually does in the full area. I believe especially nice planks are selected for the sample pieces. So be prepared for more natural character in the wood than you see in the photos or sample pieces. For me, that wasn’t a problem—in fact, I liked it. But I was quite surprised because my floor looks quite different overall compared to that little sample piece.
Schorsch_baut schrieb:
A heavy knife, a Hot Wheels car, a jar of pickles – anything heavy and sharp-edged that falls on the floor. Or a small screw from a toy that ends up under a box or a shoe. 2.5 mm (0.1 inches) goes through faster than you think. Our landlord was surprisingly understanding and pointed out the poor quality of the parquet flooring himself. I can only agree with that. In our old rental apartment, we had partly oak planks and partly pine. As soon as something heavy drops or even something light hits with a corner in an unlucky way, you get a dent, no matter the type of wood. The difference is just how big the dent becomes 🙂
Now in the house, we have parquet throughout the ground floor again, this time larch. The architect recommended it as harder than pine but softer than oak. However, our children have already managed to cause various scratches and dents after only 3 months – I think we will definitely sand it down once they are a bit older. And then we will probably lacquer it instead of oiling.
In the kitchen, though, the floor has actually been no problem at all (regarding water, etc.).
Water should not really harm a high-quality, well-oiled oak parquet floor, as long as you don’t leave puddles standing for days.
Although we haven’t installed it yet, after leaving a puddle on our sample for a day, you can no longer see any damage after wiping and drying. Oil, of course, tends to show marks more easily...
Although we haven’t installed it yet, after leaving a puddle on our sample for a day, you can no longer see any damage after wiping and drying. Oil, of course, tends to show marks more easily...
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