20mm Engineered Wood Flooring

What 20mm engineered wood is made of

A 20mm board is typically a 4mm to 6mm oak wear layer bonded to a thick multi-layer core of birch plywood or cross-laid softwood. The thick wear layer allows several sandings; the thick, cross-laid core gives stiffness and stability.

Why choose 20mm?

• The most solid feel: weighty and quiet, like a solid floor.
• Joist fixing: many 20mm boards can be secret-nailed straight to joists at the stated spacing.
• Long life: a deep wear layer can be renewed several times.
• Wide boards: thickness keeps wide planks flat.
• Height matching: lines up with traditional thick floorboards.

20mm and underfloor heating

Some 20mm boards are approved for underfloor heating, but a thick board warms up more slowly and passes heat through less readily than a 14mm or 15mm board. If heating is your main priority, compare the product’s thermal information or choose a slimmer board; keep within the maker’s temperature limit, usually 27°C.

Fitting methods

• Secret-nailed to joists: only for boards approved for it, at the stated joist spacing, over sound, level joists.
• Nailed or glued to a timber subfloor: plywood or existing boards laid at right angles.
• Glued to concrete: with a wood floor adhesive, after a moisture test.

Floor height

20mm is thick. Check doors, thresholds, kitchen plinths and the top stair, especially if replacing a thinner floor. In period homes, it often matches the old floorboards it replaces.

20mm engineered or 20mm solid?

Both feel solid and last a long time. Engineered is more stable, suits wider boards and more subfloors, and some suit heating; solid is the traditional floor and can be sanded slightly more over its life. For most homes, 20mm engineered is the safer all-rounder.

20mm engineered wood room by room

Period homes: replacing floorboards over joists. Large living spaces: wide, long boards that stay flat. Busy family homes: a deep wear layer to renew over the years. Kitchens: with a durable finish. Bathrooms: never real wood.

Fitting tips

Acclimatise the boards, check moisture in boards and subfloor, and leave an expansion gap. Thick boards are heavy: allow time, use a good saw and consider an experienced fitter. Finish with oak skirting or oak beading. Our installation guides explain each method.

Looking after 20mm engineered wood

Vacuum regularly, use door mats and felt pads, and clean with a pH-neutral wood floor cleaner. Refresh oiled floors with maintenance oil; when the floor eventually wears, the deep oak layer can be sanded and refinished.

Choosing a look in 20mm

Thick boards are often made in long, wide planks that show off oak beautifully: natural and white-oiled oak for calm, bright rooms, smoked oak for rich period interiors, and grey tones for modern homes. Prime grades look refined in large rooms; rustic grades hide the wear of busy family life. A deep wear layer means that whichever finish you choose now, the floor can be sanded and refinished in a different colour in years to come.

Comparing samples at home

Order free samples of two or three options and put them on the floor of the room where they will be laid. Look at them in daylight and in the evening under your own lamps, next to the walls, skirting, units and furniture they will sit with. Colours and textures look different in every room and on every screen, so a few minutes with real samples is the best way to avoid a costly mistake. Stand back as well as looking close up: a floor is mostly seen from standing height and from the doorway.

Common mistakes

• Nailing to joists a board not approved for it.
• Forgetting the extra height at doors and stairs.
• Expecting a thick board to heat up as fast as a slim one.