A Guide To Choosing The Appropriate Thickness For Your Hardwood Floors

November 14, 2020

A hardwood floor will design your house surface with wood harvested from varieties of tree species, providing your space an exotic and authentic look in a preferred way. Apart from selecting the most suitable shade and pattern to increase the coziness, it is necessary to pick the appropriate thickness for your floor to obtain the best outcome and long-lasting presence. Here is a guide on the factors you need to consider before choosing the appropriate thickness for your hardwood.

Engineered Wood Flooring

When it comes to hardwood, engineered wood flooring has a minimal effect on temperature differences in the atmosphere preventing the wood from deforming in extreme weather conditions. This method is often used in commercial and residential places due to its comprehensive flooring options with diverse effects.

From the shades of oak wood to walnut or cherry, you can select across a wide range of timber in the wood flooring process. The selected timber can be used to overlay on existing concrete floors and underfloor heating. 

Veneer, or the top layer of the solid timber, usually consists of a thickness between 3-7mm (millimeters). Underneath this, several layers of thin wood run, providing stability to one another and making it less prone to movements that can be caused by humidity.

How Thickness Matter

Choosing the right layer of wood is vital as it makes a difference to the final result of your space. However, before selecting the appropriate thickness, you are required to check the following factors with your ground.

• Direct fixing to the floor joists
• Replacement of an old floor
• Underfloor heating
• Heavy floor traffic

Depending on the above parameters, the wideness of your wood needs to be elected. If the boards are placed directly to the floor joists, a minimum of 18mm is recommended. When it comes to the floor replacement, the new board thickness will usually be taken similar to that of the old floor. This is because the selection of a new diameter might need to change the door heights making it more costly and troublesome.

If the installation occurs over underfloor heating, a maximum width of 15mm is preferred as it allows to transfer heat more efficiently across the room. Also, if your floor is going to have heavy traffic, a thicker board is favored for reinstating purposes if required, in upcoming years. Hardwood is preferred in most utilized areas such as the kitchen, hallways, and the play area of a residence.

Thickness and Durability

The diameter of the hardwood floor is in correspondence with the durability of the space. Usually, when the floor begins to display visible scratches or dents, a process of sanding and refinishing will undertake to retrieve its initial look. 

During this process, a tiny bit of the layer will be taken off from the wood, and the scratches will be removed by sanding. Subsequently, a coat of finish will be applied, bringing it back to the original sheen. For this proceeding, the thickness of the top layer of your selected wood is important as the less thick one cannot be used in the refining process.

Given below depicts the interrelation between the diameter of the top layer and the durability of space.

1mm wear layer  – This thickness cannot be sanded and refinished to new condition once they are worn. The wood can only be recoated if required. These floors can stay up to 20-30 years, depending on the usage and traffic.

2mm wear layer –  Restoration can be performed to remove deep scratches. The process can be done 1 -2 times generally and the duration of the floor is between 30-40 years.

3mm wear layer- This flooring can last up to 40-50 years and can be put back to the original state 2-3 times over the period.

4mm and above– A wear layer with a thickness of 4mm or above can last a longer period from 50-100 years and can be refinished up to 5 times in that duration.

These key facts will be beneficial for you to decide the thickness of your flooring for your home or commercial or retail place. If you are unable to reach a conclusion, contact our team of specialists for help and recommendations. We will certify to fulfill your requirement with the finest solution.

Visit us at the Nordic Homeworx, one of the top wood flooring company in Dubai, to explore a wide range of floor planning with fresh styles and textures to select the best choice for your space.