What does it mean to say a floor lasts for a certain amount of time? Is it when it no longer looks good? When does it need to be replaced? When does it lose value? Each of these definitions gives a different answer and the wrong answer can give you a bad deal.
Look at the floor’s maintenance needs. Flooring maintenance is almost universally horrible. It takes a lot of work and equipment to get a floor to its original condition and a very long time to get it to wear out. The lifespan of a floor is really defined by how well it can be refinished.
Engineered wood floors can also be refinished. Refinishing is the removal of the finish, the sanding of the old finish off and the application of a new finish. Some floors can only be refinished once. Most can be refinished twice but sometimes three times.
With engineered wood floors, the wear layer (the top 6mm of solid wood) is the first to wear out. This is the part of the floor that needs to be refinished. With solid wood flooring, the wear layer is all the wood. For Engineered Wood Flooring, visit www.irwintiles.ie/wooden-flooring/engineered-wood-flooring
Refinishing is really the last part of the floor to wear out and that means that an engineered wood floor lasts longer than a solid wood floor.
Solid wood flooring is still a great product but it is expensive. The closer the grain, the more expensive the floor.
Engineered wood flooring lasts longer than solid wood flooring and is less expensive. What does this mean for the environment? The more a floor is used, the less waste. With engineered wood flooring, you will only need to replace the top 6mm of wood, rather than the full floor.
