Engineered timber in a Singapore home

Water

Water-resistant, not waterproof. Never leave it wet.

• Hartco says standard engineered wood is generally water-resistant, not waterproof, and a bathroom install stays somewhat risky, though less so than solid wood.3
• NWFA says never to leave wood floors wet, because excess water can seep into the seams and damage the wood.7

Sun

Oak changes colour very little; an oil-modified finish ambers over time.

• Wood Floor Business says oil-modified finishes generally amber over time while water-based finishes generally stay clear, and oak changes colour very little.8

Scratches

Real wood dents and scratches. Depending on its wear layer, it can be sanded a few times.

• Bruce lists Janka hardness as 1,360 for white oak and 1,000 for teak; the higher the number, the more the wood resists denting.9
• Kährs says its engineered floors can be sanded up to four times, depending on the thickness of the wear layer.10
• Under NWFA guidelines, an engineered floor with a wear layer under 2.5 mm generally shouldn't be sanded.11

Quiet

A hard floor. A wood-floor underlay cuts sound in the room and below.

• Quick-Step says its Basic Plus wood floor underlay reduces sound both in the room and to the rooms below.12

Easy care

No wet or steam mops; a pH-balanced cleaner.

• NWFA says not to use wet mops or steam mops, which damage the finish and the wood over long periods of time.13
• NWFA recommends a pH-balanced cleaner and warns that vinegar's acidity can damage the floor and its finish over time.7

• Wide-plank engineered oak
• Smoked engineered oak

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  3D render

A typical natural oak engineered board, not a specific product