Beauty And Muscle: Why Engineered Wood Flooring Is Great For High-Traffic Areas

When it comes to a commercial property, you would typically look for a floor that can withstand everyday foot traffic. This holds true even in certain rooms of a home that see a lot of footfall, like hallways and living rooms. 

If you love wood and wish it could handle the wear and tear of heavy foot traffic, we have good news for you. There is a wood flooring option that can take it all in its stride and still look great for years. Engineered wood is hands-down the best wood flooring for high-traffic areas.

This type of flooring is quickly becoming a favourite thanks to its extreme durability, gorgeous design options, low maintenance and affordability. It offers the timeless beauty of natural wood with amped-up performance and greater resistance to spills, scratches and heavy traffic. 

Below are some reasons why you should consider engineered wood floors for high-traffic areas.

While the top layer of engineered wood floors provides the classic wood appearance, the underlying layers create stability, endurance, water resistance and a heavy-traffic-resistant surface. Even though it is manufactured using real wood, the planks are structurally strengthened to make them more resilient to everyday wear and tear.

Real wood floors use a single piece of wood to create boards or planks. Which means they are far more susceptible to damage in the long run. Engineered wood floors, on the other hand, are composed of plywood layers pressed together with high pressure and heat. These layers lend a more stable and robust core, adding durability and strength.
The plank’s top surface or the wear layer consists of a 100% solid wood veneer. Generally speaking, the thicker the wear layer, the better for high-traffic areas. Moreover, the thicker it is, the more often you can sand and refinish your flooring to extend its life.

This is where engineered wood trumps other high-traffic flooring options like vinyl or laminate wood-look options. These flooring materials can only be replaced if damage occurs and cannot be sanded down or refinished.

Compared to wood, engineered wood floors accommodate every budget constraint. Besides that, they are also a great return on investment, providing a timeless and sophisticated look at a fraction of the cost. 

Especially when it comes to high-traffic areas, where it is almost inevitable that wear and tear will occur – it would be prudent to invest in a floor that doesn’t cost you too much in the long run. A lot of everyday mishaps can cause lasting damage to real wood floors, since they are vulnerable to high impact, moisture and changes in temperature. This involves ripping out whole floorboards and replacing them. Imagine the costs piling up. On the other hand, investing in quality engineered wood flooring ensures longevity and means reduced maintenance and repair costs in the future. 

For most commercial projects, time is the most crucial factor. In this case, real wood is not a good option since it is laborious, expensive and time-consuming to install. Engineered wood floors, on the other hand, also come in floating floor formats – which means you can easily install them over your existing floor without much prep work. They can also be stapled down, glued down or nailed down, depending on your sub-floor. The installation is quite straightforward and can be achieved quickly, which also helps you save quite a bit.

Engineered wood flooring is relatively easy to maintain compared to real wood floors. A simple sweeping or vacuuming is pretty much all that you need to do regularly. In order to maintain its pristine looks in areas with heavy footfall, it is recommended to use cleaners meant specifically for engineered wood floors twice a week.

In case damage does occur, you can simply refinish the floors with oil or lacquer, depending on the finish.

There is no end to colour or design options when it comes to engineered wood floors. The palette ranges from crisp whites to moody blacks, from pale hues to deep browns, from edgy greys to classic woods. So you can rest assured you will find a wood floor that suits your aesthetics. 

For high-traffic areas, we would recommend brushed floors for that added strength and durability. You can also choose between different thicknesses, finishes and gorgeous parquet patterns for that extra bit of beauty and brawn.

Engineered wood floors have a reputation for taking on everyday wear and heavy footfall and still looking good for years. For floors that meet the highest industry standards at the lowest possible prices, get in touch with Flooring Factory Outlet on 020 3004 6630 or email at [email protected]