Wood and laminate FAQs

When considering a new floor, you should always do your research, ensuring you choose the right flooring for your home, your lifestyle and of course your budget.

We've listed here some common questions we get asked when considering laying a laminate or engineered wood floor.

1. Do you need additional DPM on products that have an in-built underlay?

A DPM is only required if you are installing the flooring on a new concrete floor. If there is an ongoing damp problem, this should be resolved before fitting the new floor.

2. Does laminate and engineered wood flooring require an underlay?

In short, yes. The majority of our ranges have a built-in underlay providing specific benefits to both the laminate and engineered wood flooring. However, two ranges, Raen (laminate) and Abyen (engineered wood) do not have an integrated underlay and therefore will need a separate underlay purchasing.

If the product already has an integrated underlay, do not install additional underlay, to do so could damage the floor’s locking mechanism and will void the warranty.

3. Can you use underfloor heating?

Both laminate and engineered wood can be used in conjunction with water based and electric underfloor heating, to a maximum temperature of 27°C.

Water based heating systems require a screed of 50mm deep (a UK building regulation) and electric heating systems require a 13mm thick screed.

4. Can laminate and engineered wood be laid in a conservatory?

We strongly advise against using these types of flooring in a conservatory due to the extreme changes in temperature during the day/night. The fluctuations in temperature can cause the boards to warp, damaging the locking system. Also, due to the amount of direct sunlight the floor will fade quite rapidly.

5. What is a 4V groove?

V-grooved means the planks have a bevelled edge, creating an authentic look similar to a real solid wood floorboard. 4V means the bevel is applied on all sides of the plank which will emphasise the size and wood-like finish of the plank. All our laminate flooring has a 4V groove and all of our engineered wood flooring, with the exception of the Abyen range, also feature a 4V groove finish.

6. What is Hydro+?

Hydro+ is a water repellent coating that is applied on the joints of the planks to make laminate flooring water resistant. It is a hydrophobic coating (not a wax or oil) that protects the laminate flooring, whether it has a bevel edge or not.

This coating is applied during the manufacturing process so that the flooring is ready to be installed. This special coating provides resistance against spills for up to 24 hours, this is why it’s recommended to clean up any liquid spill within 24 hours, but preferably immediately.

7. Do you need to use click guard waterproofing treatments between joints to use in a bathroom?

This is not recommended. During manufacturer a resin is added to the joint edges, so when fitted, the resin joints join up to seal the planks. Alongside this, our laminate flooring has a V313 heavily water-resistant core and most of our engineered wood have a water-resistant SPC core.

8. Can engineered wood be sanded down?

The majority of engineered flooring cannot be sanded as it damages the veneer. However, our Abyen 3 Strip engineered wood can be resanded if needed. Usual resanding is 0.5mm per sand so it’s advised to resand no more than 3 times during the product’s lifetime.

Has your question not been answered? Check out our fitting and cleaning guides for more information about laminate and engineered flooring. Otherwise, pop in store and ask one of our flooring experts for help!