Engineered hardwood floor comes in endless sizes, species, and styles. To find the flooring that best suits your home, you need to know what all the different details and choices mean. One of the most important decisions to make is how thick you want your wear layer to be. The thickness of the wear layer affects both the price and durability of your floor. Before purchasing your beautiful new floors, be sure to make the best decision for your home with this guide to understanding the wear layer of an engineered hardwood floor.
What Is the Wear Layer?
A plank of engineered hardwood flooring consists of an inner core of plywood and a thinner top layer of hardwood. This top layer, often referred to as the wear layer, is what gives engineered hardwood the beautiful appearance of solid hardwood. However, unlike solid hardwood, this wear layer isn’t always thick enough to sand and refinish. One of the perks of having wood floors in your home is the ability to refinish them every 10 to 20 years. While some engineered hardwood floors allow this, others don’t hold up against the process. That’s why understanding the wear layer of an engineered hardwood floor can help you choose the best option for your room.
How Wear Layer Thickness Affects Your Floors
Generally speaking, a thicker wear layer means more durable flooring. This also means that engineered hardwood flooring options with a thicker wear layer are often more expensive, but they will last much longer than thinner options. For example, if you have engineered hardwood floors with a 1mm wear layer, you should never sand and refinish them—although you can recoat them. As a result, flooring with a 1mm wear layer has an estimated lifespan of about 20 to 30 years. If you have a 2mm wear layer, you can safely sand and refinish it one to two times, giving it an estimated lifespan of 30 to 40 years. A 3mm wear layer can withstand three to four refinishes and has an estimated lifespan of 40 to 50 years. The thickest available wear layer, 4mm, can take three to four refinishes and has an estimated lifespan of anywhere between 50 to 100 years as a result.
Choose the Right Engineered Hardwood Floor for You
From the Forest wants to help you find the perfect flooring option for your home. Therefore, we proudly offer a wide range of options. In addition to choosing the best wear layer thickness for your floors, you can also shop a variety of species, colors, and more. From white oak planks to engineered walnut flooring, you’re sure to find a style that complements your home perfectly.