Deco Parquet Herringbone

Deco Parquet Herringbone brings together our finest surfaces from the wild grained American black walnut to the deep lustres created by fumed, stained, brushed or distressed European rustic oaks. Finished with coats of durable, grain enhancing natural oil or protective lacquered varnish. Design your floor space the way you want it with our modern twist on traditional parquet flooring. Deco Parquet precision milled engineered blocks have a universal fitting system that creates the perfect herringbone floor as well as many new patterns. The Deco Parquet finishes are available in our matching Deco Plank.

Bjelin Hardened Wood Flooring

Real wood but stronger. A real wood floor with great design, durability and water-proof characteristics. Built for a worry-free life. The unmistakable feel and luxury of a real wood floor combined with next-level durability and high water resistance.

Made in Sweden, Bjelin Hardened Wood Flooring uses Woodura, a world-first — a unique, revolutionary technology that hardens wood to produce beautiful real wood floors with superpowers. The patented process results in a significantly stronger surface with up to 3x more impact protection and enhanced water and moisture resistance compared to traditional parquet floors — while being both cost-effective and sustainable.

Natureffect Aqualock Laminate

Laminate wood planks with added moisture protection. Now introducing Aqualock offering six brand new decors with a water-resistant locking mechanism certified and tested to withstand water ingression for unto 36 hours. This makes for an ideal flooring solution for a busy family home where accidental spills can be mopped up with the added confidence that the floor has not been damaged. Imprinted with a natural textured grain that is warm and tactile under barefoot, this durable and unique surface is the perfect rendition of a real timber floor. Perfect for everyday use in your home.

Equilibrium

The perfect balance of natural beauty and engineered precision. Thick French oak lamella finished in sumptuous natural earthy tones is backed on to Scandinavian fir which is expertly pressed between a base layer of the same French oak that gives this floor its name, Equilibrium. The tension created by the equal top and bottom oak layers makes this Italian made collection our most stable engineered floor and allows for extra wide and extra long planks that will span large areas and different climates.

Linia Eco

Linia Eco is a new even more sustainable way to engineer hardwood flooring. A precision micro sliced top layer allows much higher yield from the sustainably sourced European Oak, whilst the core is made of high density wood fibres from fast growing spruce. The surface is protected with a flexible lacquer that closes around any potential surface scratching, which makes it durable and easy to live on. The result is a collection of beautiful oak floors in a natural rustic grade which includes only subtle knots and variation for a clean design, with subtle warm tones and hardwearing finishes.

Seascapes

A collection of hand finished oak planks offers an expansive palette of natural colour that draws inspiration from the Seascapes that reflect the skies above the ever changing tidal shores that surround and protect the British Isles coast to coast. Designed in partnership and finished our team in York, the Seascapes collection offers a combination of finest European made engineered broad oak plank and generously proportioned herringbone parquet floors, finished to order by skilled artisans in the heart of England.

Few other flooring types can boast the level of versatility, resilience, and elegance that real wood flooring offers. But when it comes to choosing the right kind for your home or business, where do you begin?

There are a number of ways to achieve the ‘effect’ of real wood, some of which can be quite convincing – especially laminate flooring, which is printed with high-definition wood grain – but when it comes to real wood, there are only two types of flooring worth your consideration.

‘Engineered’ wood flooring and ‘solid’ wood flooring. But what is the difference? And which one should you choose as a final contender for your new flooring project? We will answer these questions and more in this comparative guide.

First, we need to define what each flooring type actually is.

What Is Solid Wood Flooring?

Solid wood flooring, or ‘hardwood’ flooring, is what springs to most minds when thinking about real wood floors. They are simply thick cuts of timber, most commonly oak, that are arranged in various ways and either slotted into each other with tongue and groove fittings or, in older properties, nailed directly into the underfloor.

Solid wood flooring comes in a variety of styles and widths, from simple planks to more ornate, parquet arrangements.

What Is Engineered Wood Flooring?

The term engineered wood often makes people think of fake wood or wood replicas such as with laminate flooring. But engineered wood floors are made entirely of real wood, just as solid wood flooring is. The only difference is, the hardwood timber is laid over a layered, plywood base.

The hardwood timber is cut much thinner than that of solid wood boards, with the rest of the breadth made up by its plywood layers. This technique allows for floors that look identical to entirely solid wood variations, with all the same designs, but with a few extra benefits which we will explore in more detail.

Engineered VS Solid Wood Flooring: What Is the Difference?

Though both engineered and solid wood flooring is extremely similar, there are some key differences that set the two apart. To help you make your decision, we have broken down several aspects and provided comparative information on each. Starting with:

Appearance

The first thing anyone considers is the overall look. Engineered and solid wood look almost identical, as both are made with quality cuts of hardwood timber, but they do have some slight differences which, upon closer inspection, separate the two.

The two can also be told apart by the shape and size of each board, as solid wood planks will tend to vary in length, with some being much shorter than others. Engineered wood boards are cut with uniformity in mind, so there is almost no variation in their size or shape, unless specifically selected.

Both engineered and solid wood flooring can be made from different species of wood, most commonly oak – for its all-round robustness and gorgeous grain – but engineered wood flooring can be made from a wider variety of wood types.

Solid wood floors need to be made from specific hardwoods such as oak and walnut, but due to the layered and reinforced composition of engineered wood, softer or more unusual wood types can be used to great effect.

Cost

Solid wood flooring, being made entirely of one type of high-grade hardwood – and cut to an average thickness of 22 millimetres – will generally cost more than an engineered floor, which uses a 2–6 millimetre cut of the same quality hardwood for its top layer, with our engineered timber base making up the rest of its bulk.

For the same look and benefits of solid wood for a fraction of the price, we recommend opting for engineered wood.

Sustainability

With timber yield per plank in mind, it is no surprise that solid wood flooring has a much greater impact on the environment than engineered wood.

Both can be sourced from managed woodlands – as is our entire range – which considerably lessens the impact manufacturing will have. But as solid wood flooring requires so much more timber than engineered wood, it is not a feasible option for customers seeking an eco-conscious flooring type.

Learn more about how engineered wood is changing the face of real wood flooring.

Durability

Both engineered and solid wood have a set ‘wear layer’, which gives each some give in terms of durability. When compared for their durability, the results are virtually equal – given that each is made from naturally hardy timber such as oak.

Both can also be sanded and resealed if necessary, but we recommend checking the thickness of the wear layer on your engineered planks to make sure they are not sanded too deeply.

Water & Heat Resistance

Real wood is porous, as well as highly hygroscopic – which means it absorbs moisture from its environment and naturally expands and contracts with its intake. This susceptibility makes solid wood flooring an unwise choice for overly wet environments or areas where temperatures fluctuate, such as kitchens and bathrooms especially.

Solid wood has much less dimensional stability in this respect, and is much more susceptible to environmental changes – for example, heat and moisture changes will cause the wood to expand and contract. As a result, solid floors can often fail in modern centrally heated or air-conditioned buildings and homes.

Finishes can provide hardy protection against water damage. But most solid wood flooring comes unfinished, as a standard, so is much more at risk than engineered wood – which will always come pre-finished with some kind of protective oil or lacquer.

Out of the two, engineered wood comes out on top when it comes to water and heat resistance. This is, again, thanks to its plywood core, which provides more stability than solid wood and, most importantly, more flexibility. This means engineered wood is much less likely to warp and subsequently damage as a result of changing temperatures or humidity.

Maintenance & Lifespan

Overall care for both engineered and solid wood flooring is relatively similar. Both should be swept and vacuumed regularly in order to prevent loose debris from embedding into the grain or scratching the wood’s surface, but are equally easy to clean as long as you opt for products specifically tailored to real wood flooring.

As we mentioned before, the lack of finish on the majority of solid wood flooring will put it at risk if liquid spillages are not mopped quickly. Engineered wood flooring can survive longer if water is left to stand, but this is still not recommended.

In terms of lifespan, all hardwood matures with age – so will most often be stronger old than it was new, thanks to the fascinating composition of the wood itself. It is one of the reasons we have been using it in construction, and as a flooring solution, for countless years.

Refinishing involves sanding down the top layer of hardwood, in the case of solid wood flooring, and recoating it in the preferred oil or lacquer, as is most often the case with engineered wood flooring. When sanding, we are working through the natural ‘wear layer’ of the flooring.

Both engineered and solid wood have this layer. Solid wood flooring can be sanded several times in its life, and with the right care can last a lifetime. Engineered wood can be sanded a few times before it will need replacing, as its hardwood layer is thinner than that of solid wood variants.

The Final Verdict

When it comes to looks, engineered and solid wood flooring is virtually interchangeable, so if your choice is purely aesthetic, then both are safe choices. But if you are looking for real wood floors that are highly resilient to moisture and heat, more cost-effective, easier to maintain long-term and, above all, better for the environment, then engineered wood flooring is the only contender.

Engineered wood flooring is the next step in eco-conscious manufacturing, as well as a tailored and modernised alternative to solid wood flooring, and this is why we have specialised in it for as long as we have. Our collections are exquisite in their quality and elegant in their aesthetic, and well worth considering for your home or business.

If seeing is still believing, we have free samples ready and waiting for you.

OUR ENGINEERED WOOD FLOORS

YOUR FREE SAMPLE