Engineered pre-finished SOLID timber (not floating)

[tax_man]

Hi,
I have been offered this product by a shop in Sydney:
- engineered pre-finished Blackbutt floor, but NOT a "floating floor"
- 18mm thick timber
- the blackbutt veneer which **SIX mm thick** is on top of *hardwood*, not softwood (as is supposedly the case with floating floors)
- they claim it can be sanded same number of times as non-engineered solid timber floorboards
- it is not "select" grade but a bit lower than "select"
- rate is $63/m2 plus laying cost

Can anyone give me any suggestions/warnings/comments on this product please?
Thanks!

[Bloss]

Don't know about the specific flooring, but you seem to think that floating floor refers to the engineered panels - it is actually the construction method.

So you have a couple of issues - the flooring material you describe sounds OK and if it really is as described (ignoring the sales pitch attacking other products - the underlying layer can be softwood or hardwood and is in any case plywood and will have almost no impact on the floor life) then 6mm of 'real' blackbutt would NOT allow sanding the same number of times as solid flooring.

Grading as used when referring to engineered panels is unusual - it is either normal (1st grade) or 'seconds' and seconds will have flaws (albeit will be cheaper). Certainly many engineered panels have a veneer of just 2mm (I've seen them with less) and some have no real timber at all - they are wood-look-alike plastic laminates.

If they are pre-finished then you can expect that any moisture (from mopping or spills) will eventually get in between cracks although some system have a sealer that goes over edges at installation.

That is not really a problem as good maintenance and light re-sanding and re-coating each 6-8 years (depending on wear factors) will see a floor through at least 15 years before a full machine sanding is needed (this takes about 3mm off the top!). So good treatment means a floor that will likely outlast your life in the house.

A floating floor can be built using solid regular floorboards of any thickness (which is not usually used as it is more expensive and harder to assemble) or most often the engineered panels. It is called floating because it is disconnected from the sub-floor, any existing flooring (such as structafloor, concrete, an old timber floor or compressed sheet etc) and the surrounding walls by a space around the edges and a special membrane underneath.

There are some good info sources - go to http://www.timber.org.au/ and download the Timber Flooring Manual (3MB so you'll need fast internet) a fount of good information that will get you up to speed.

http://www.timber.org.au/resources/FWPDC%20Flooring%20Manual%20Final%20Dec%2005.pdf

[123]

Just a couple of things,

What brand is it? only consider it if it is Silkwood or Readyflor,

Softwood or Hardwood doesnt mean anything in regards to the structure of it. the term softwood and hardwood is determained by the shape of the leaf on the tree it comes from not the hardness of the timber.

Yes these can be sanded as many times as a solid timber flooring, only if the coating is NOT aluminium Oxide based.

visit www.marquesflooring.com.au and read about engineered flooring if you need anymore help!

good luck

[glock40sw]

Just a couple of things,

What brand is it? only consider it if it is Silkwood or Readyflor,

Softwood or Hardwood doesnt mean anything in regards to the structure of it. the term softwood and hardwood is determained by the shape of the leaf on the tree it comes from not the hardness of the timber.


Ummm....NO.
Softwood and Hardwood are determined by the cell structure of the wood fibre. Not the leaves.

Have a yarn to QLD DPI&F.

[tax_man]

Thnks for your replies everyone. This product is unique as I was told by the supplier (also the manufacturer).
It has a _SIX_ mm thick veneer.

I thought Silkwood et al only had a 2 or 4 mm thick veneer, as a result of which they couldnt be sanded more than once or twice....??

Putting this board next to a solid timber 18mm board they clicked nicely into each other... the top section was equally as thick (6mm) as the solid timber board.

The manufacturer and supplier is Ankors flooring near Parramatta, Sydney.