ᐅ Engineered Wood Flooring from the Home Improvement Store: Is a 2.5 mm Wear Layer Practical for the Long Term?

Created on: 16 Nov 2018 23:24
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sco0ter
Hello,

Today I saw parquet flooring from the company "Haro" at the home improvement store, offered at 40% off as clearance. It seemed quite interesting.

More precisely, it was "Living by Haro." Does anyone know exactly what that is? It seems to be the home improvement store version of the regular "Haro." Is it low-quality seconds or simply the cheaper variant with a 2.5mm (1 inch) wear layer? The surface seemed reasonably good to me.

Another option would be birch parquet from Skandor (Hornbach), available at a similar low price (probably because it’s birch).

We plan to glue down the parquet due to underfloor heating. However, only in the basement, where the rooms are used less frequently.

Is this any good?
Does anyone have experience with it?
Is it worth gluing 2.5mm (1 inch) parquet, considering it might not be possible to sand it down and could cause trouble when removing it?
Will we regret it in 5 years because it’s cheap home improvement store material?
blaupuma17 Nov 2018 20:33
What does affordable parquet mean?

I am supposed to pay 53 euros per m² (53 euros per square meter) for my desired parquet.

Whitewashed and planed oak.
I don’t know the wear layer thickness at the moment.
S
sco0ter
17 Nov 2018 20:39
blaupuma schrieb:
What does affordable parquet mean?

I am supposed to pay 53 euros per m2 (about $57 per sq yd) for my desired parquet.

Whitewashed and planed oak.
I don’t know the wear layer thickness right now.

18.50 euros (about $20) clearance stock (instead of 31 euros regular) for ash with 2.5mm (0.1 inch) wear layer. 22 euros (about $24) for birch, 3.2mm (0.13 inch).
blaupuma17 Nov 2018 21:29
Phew, that’s quite cheap (inexpensive?).
Hmm

I was once told that offers usually start at 40 euros.
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Bookstar
17 Nov 2018 21:42
18.50 is indeed extremely cheap and makes one skeptical. Normally, you would pay around 40 euros per square meter for parquet flooring at a hardware store, and with promotional discounts, you might get it for about 30 euros. But 18.50? I’m not sure I would go for that.
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sco0ter
17 Nov 2018 22:09
It’s just clearance stock and end-of-line items. Only the packages you see were left, about 50 sqm (540 sq ft) available. Otherwise, it costs 31 euros.

And the other thing: Birch is generally quite affordable.
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nordanney
17 Nov 2018 22:30
I’ll be a bit blunt and say: Check out e*b*y for example.
For instance, country house oak flooring from €25 per square meter (about $27 per square foot). Two-layer – ideal for gluing. I’ve seen many offers like this and have even glued some myself.
Precision-cut and engineered hardwood at €80+ per square meter (around $8 per square foot) is processed better, but once installed, the difference isn’t very noticeable.
I’m also familiar with very high-end Haro parquet (which was well over €100 per square meter, about $10 per square foot), and there was no noticeable difference after installation.

So, in response to the original poster’s question: Thumbs up for affordable DIY store flooring.