Unfinished Engineered Wood Flooring FAQ's
What is Unfinished Engineered Wood Flooring?
Engineered wood flooring is a modern and innovative alternative to solid wood flooring. Made from multiple layers, our engineered wood flooring offers additional stability as well as a higher resistance to temperature and humidity changes.
When it comes to choosing an engineered wood floor, there is the choice of pre-finished or unfinished. Unfinished engineered wood flooring is simply the wood flooring untouched, without any sort of lacquer, oil, or wax applied. This means that a finish will need to be applied before or after installation for durability and protection. However, the freedom to choose any finish is what makes our unfinished floors so desirable. Offering the opportunity to match the flooring with other floors, furniture, dado rails, or banisters.
How To Finish Unfinished Engineered Wood Flooring?
To finish your engineered wood flooring, you will first need to decide on a finish. This can be a daunting task for some, with so many finishes to choose from. However, it’s one of the most important steps to finding a flooring solution you will be happy with for years to come. Some of the most popular finishes include oil, lacquer, and wax.
Oiled finishes are great at protecting the deeper grains but will need replenishing every 6-12 months. When looking at oil finished you'll notice that you have the option of matt, satin, gloss, coloured, or invisible. Alternatively, if you’re looking for something super specific there are other options such as semi matt or satin matt.
Lacquered finishes are often favoured in rooms such as the kitchen, thanks to the surface layer it creates to help prevent damage from spillages. Again, these come in a wide range of different types including gloss, satin, silk, matt, invisible, as well as silk matt, semi-gloss, and more.
Can You Leave Wood Floors Unfinished?
As flooring experts, we would always advise that you finish your unfinished flooring as this protects the wood from damage. However, if you love the look of your flooring already, you can get some great finishes that are unnoticeable such as invisible oil or invisible lacquer. These finishes have been specifically designed in a way that doesn’t disrupt the woods’ natural appearance.
Does Unfinished Engineered Wood Flooring Scratch Easily?
Prefinished engineered wood flooring can be susceptible to scratches but will withstand daily use even in busy households. Unfinished engineered wood flooring, on the other hand, can be extremely susceptible to scratches. Therefore, it’s important that you take great care of your boards during acclimatisation, and at any point up until applying your finish.
Once your finish has been applied, all you need to do to maintain your flooring is keep up with regular sweeping and an occasional mop.
For more information on how to care for your engineered wood flooring, visit our maintenance centre.
Is Engineered Wood Flooring Waterproof?
No. Engineered wood flooring is not waterproof. Unfortunately, due to the composition of real wood, this will always be the case with wood flooring. Finishes such as lacquer can help improve the water resistance, but will never make your flooring 100% waterproof. However, this is worth keeping in mind with unfinished engineered wood flooring as this has no additional protection.
For further information on how to care for your engineered wood flooring, visit our engineered wood maintenance guide.
How Long Does Engineered Wood Flooring Need to Acclimatise?
Engineered wood floors must be acclimatised for at least 48-72 hours before being installed. Otherwise, your floor could end up warping, expanding, or retracting due to temperature changes. For more information on how to acclimatise your flooring, visit our guide.