Oak in planks and herringbone, floated or glued
Real and engineered wood
Engineered oak with a 3 or 4 mm top layer that can be sanded twice, solid oak where the floor allows it, and herringbone for Victorian halls. Brushed, lacquered or oiled, floated on an underlay or glued down, with the doors and thresholds finished properly.
A wood floor is the one people keep for twenty years. Engineered oak is real oak, a 3 or 4 millimetre layer of it on a birch-ply core, so it does not shrink and swell with the seasons the way a solid board can, and it can go over underfloor heating and on concrete. When it is worn, it can be sanded and lacquered again, twice.
We fit it two ways. Floated on an underlay is quicker and suits most rooms; glued to the floor feels and sounds more solid and is the way herringbone has to go down. In a Victorian hall we often lift the old hardboard, check the joists and boards, and lay ply first so the herringbone sits flat to the front door.
Finishes matter more than people expect. Lacquer is tough and easy to clean but shows a scratch as a white line; oil wears in rather than scratches and can be touched up with a cloth. With a dog we usually suggest oil. The packs are priced in the measurer with eight per cent for cutting.
What is included
- Engineered oak with a 3 or 4 mm wear layer
- Solid oak where the floor allows it
- Herringbone and chevron, glued on ply
- Lacquered, brushed or oiled
- Over underfloor heating, with the right board
- Thresholds in matching oak
What it costs
From £75 a square metre fitted for 14 mm engineered oak with underlay. Herringbone and solid oak quoted on the home measure. Including VAT. The room measurer works out your room in engineered wood, with the roll or the packs we would order.
Questions about real and engineered wood
Solid or engineered?
Engineered for most houses: it is stable, works on concrete and over heating, and looks identical. Solid oak suits joists and a room that is never damp.
Can you sand our old floorboards?
We do not, but we will give you the number of the two sanders we would send our own mothers to.
Start with the home measure. It is free.
Rhian or Lewis measures every room with a laser, checks the floor underneath and every door, leaves the samples with you, and writes the quote before they leave. Usually within three working days.