We all love wooden flooring, but real wood is not always very practical and needs careful maintenance if it is to retain its beautiful appearance.

Office designers are turning to engineered wood as an alternative. With the same high quality finish and beautiful look as solid wood, it needs less maintenance and is more durable. Due to the layers of timber that create engineered wood, it has an extremely strong and durable finish, able to withstand high levels of footfall, making it ideal for a commercial or office space. Engineered wood flooring is also great for pulling your design concept together as there are various options for wood species, colours and designs.

Depending on the look your designer is trying to create for you there are a number of choices, for example, for a modern look, one of the many lovely shades of oak from the lightest natural tones through to something richer might be your preference, but for a warm, more traditional look, walnut might be more suited to your ideas.

Engineered wood is created from real wood, which gives it the same look, but rather than being one plank of pure wood, it is constructed from multiple layers of different timber. The top layer is the highest quality and most beautiful, giving the floor its final appearance. All the layers are fused and compressed together under intense pressure, creating an extremely stable floorboard.

Due to the way they’re made, the layers of compressed timber create a real wood floor that’s extremely strong. It means that engineered wood flooring can withstand changes in heat -- whether hot or cold. Solid wood shrinks and expands according to temperature, which can ultimately lead to permanent damage and warping. Engineered wood, on the other hand, doesn’t change when faced with altering temperatures, leading to a more stable flooring, making it perfect for situations with underfloor heating for example which would damage solid wood flooring.

Engineered wood flooring can withstand changes in heat -- whether hot or cold. Solid wood shrinks and expands according to temperature, which can ultimately lead to permanent damage and warping. Engineered wood, on the other hand, doesn’t change when faced with altering temperatures, leading to a more stable flooring.

Solid wood floors warp when they come into contact with any form of moisture, making them not only more vulnerable to damage, but also not appropriate for many spaces in the home, including bathrooms and kitchens. However, you can still get a beautiful real wood floor in your bathroom or kitchen by choosing engineered wood. Engineered wood is waterproof, making it the perfect way to create a stunning look in areas that are prone to water spills or humid air.

While engineered wood can’t be sanded, resurfaced, oiled and refinished as much as solid wood, it can still be sanded and refinished several times. It depends on the thickness of the final wood layer (the veneer) as to how many times and to what extent this can be done, but it means that it’s possible to bring your engineered wood flooring a new lease of life decades after you’ve had it fitted!

Even without sanding, engineered wood is a long-lasting flooring option.

Engineered wood flooring comes with easy installation options such as click system boards. These quick-installation options make fitting your flooring simple and low fuss.

Flooring 365 UK Ltd are specialists in high quality flooring at competitive prices. They stock a large range of wood flooring, including engineered wood flooring, solid wood flooring, parquet, Luxury Vinyl Tiles (LVT) and laminate flooring.

For more information visit www.flooring365.co.uk