UFH and engineered wood floor, confusing advice

[Coolhurst]

We're looking to put an engineered wood floor over UFH and are getting a little confused with the sales patter. We've been told:

1. "Never glue down an engineered floor over UFH to the sub floor- float it, gluing only the T&G". (our room crosses both concrete and a suspended floor - it's a new open-plan extension.)

2. "Oiled finish will mark much more easily and need more maintenance than lacquered".

3. "Engineered flooring using multi-layered beech ply as the base is not suitable for UFH".

4. "watch out for lots of rubbish on the market, a decent floor will cost north of £50m2 + (our spec. is long lenghts, wide planks, oiled, prime grade)".

Any views on the above?

 

[WoodYouLike]

Views aplenty

1, 2 and 3: total nonsense.
4: couldn't agree more.

Further views:
you mention your underfloor is of mixed materials, do both types have the UFH underneath it?

Oil does not mark easier than lacquer (on the contrary even, wet shoe prints show up immediately on lacquer/varnish finishes) and both types of finishes do need regular maintenance, where an oiled floor becomes more beautiful over time with every bit of TLC you bestow on it.

I never heard of beech plywood being used as backing for wood-engineered floors, birch plywood is common (and definitely suitable for UFH). Beech on its own is not suited due to being a so-called "nervous" wood species which reacts much more to changes in humidity and temperature than Oak and other species.

 

[Coolhurst]

Appreciate response WYL,

I can't believe there's so much contradiction out there on something as apparently simple as wood flooring!

So gluing direct to the subfloor is the way to go?

My fault, I meant birch ply. One supplier said a 3 layer ply is best?
Was also told the thickness of 15mm in total is most efficent with UFH?

The UFH will go across both a screed floor and suspended. It will be a water-based system although still defining exactly what kind for suspended (pipes in chipboard or the kind that sits between joists). Talking to fitter at the moment.

We want the oil but one suppliers intake of breadth on the mere mention of it was comical. Anyway, we're going for it.

 

[WoodYouLike]

Whatever you do, stay away from chipboard!!!! If you need overboarding the pipes, opt for plywood. Chipboard really limits your installation options in normal circumstances, with UFH and fully bonding the wood floor you're out of luck - modern adhesives do not bond with modern chipboard.

Our Duoplank Oak range (20mm) has 11 plies of water-resistant-plywood (birch) and has been tested and approved by TNO (well known Dutch testing organisation) for UFH.
15mm or 20mm wood-engineered, its' more down to the materials used as backing.

I would opt for oil too, specially with UFH

 

[Coolhurst]

Untitled

• Coolhurst
• 27 Jul 2010
• 1

I think they are considering this kind of floor with inlaid pipes over the joists.