Can't beat a genuine solid floorboard. Australian hardwood is preferable.

The engineered ones can look quite good in particular the one you've suggested. Personal choice on the finished product and the environmental's of it all though.

We have engineered boards and we love them. Mind you, they've only been in for six months, but I don't really see any issues (Our last house had solid timber and that was great too). Engineered was a compromise, but so is life. Just make sure the surface is at least 4mm so they can be resanded in the future. I think Royal Oak is very good from what I've heard and seen; we went with Wild River ( 4mm and the boards need oiling) but there are others out there that seem comparable in price and type of timber. The supplier did a very good job of the fitting. And we love the look of the floors, which is the most important thing.

We went with this one:

http://wildrivertimber.com.au/product-details/34

It's a European Oak, fairly light colour, lots of natural "flaws," oiled rather than sealed, so we will have to have it oiled and buffed every so often, but we love it, and it goes with our style - a good backdrop for oriental rugs and teak/blackwood furniture..

We also looked at some other engineered flooring from other companies, some of it sealed, which looked pretty good as well. This one just hit the bullseye for us, but I'd suggest having a good look around the dedicated flooring stores wherever you live. You might want something completely different in terms of maintenance and looks. The decent stores all have their own installers and they carry different ranges. I lugged more than a few samples to our house to see which would work for us, and you may need to do the same.

Ours cost less than that but also only a 4mm top, which is more common than 6 mm. They can be refinished a few times, but obviously a 6 mm top can be refinished a time or two extra. What you're talking is, I think, about as good as engineered goes. We borrowed some sample boards off the flooring company and took them to the house (which was under construction at the time) before making a decision. Since the house doesn't have great natural light, we picked a lighter floorboard than we would otherwise have done.

Here's the result:

Don't notice it at all.

Further to above, I assume you're talking about caulking where the timber meets the tiles and the skirting. Nope, not noticeable at all. Just a very thin strip of timber-coloured caulking. You have to look at it pretty closely even to see it.

No, it's really not noticeable at all. I can't see it unless I'm bending down looking for it. Mind you, my eyesight isn't what it used to be :)

Here's a very close up:

That's not bad at all is it. I love your boards, they're lovely.

Did they need to take the skirting off?

Nope. They didn't take the skirting off.

I'm not trying to sell you on engineered boards in general, or any brand in particular (aside from making sure you've got at least 4mm top). I'm just saying, we had to make a quick decision, this is what we went for with not a whole lot of research or time, and we're happy with the look. Others would want sealed boards, 6mm tops, different surface looks. I like what we chose. Have a look around, pick a look that fits with your house, and go for it.

Check out a few others and Royal Oak for sure. I'm not trying to push you one way or the other. There are lots of good providers out there. Just find something that strikes a bell, as we did. Good luck!

Hi Kelly

Just wondering how your floor looks? What did you go with and are you happy with it?

I am in the process of choosing floorboards and can't decide between engineered and solid timber; dark or light. It's doing my head in!

I am looking at enginered flooring at the moment and love Havwoods international 6mm oaks. Can do floating 4mm thick or the 6mm Glued. Nice product and they will send you out samples

Hi there, I see this is an old post but would love some honest feedback on how the engineered boards have held up? I’m building and am struggling to install engineered (even though I want to) as I know it’s very soft and I fear it won’t withstand my two young children. Thanks

Engineered flooring consists of a layer of real hardwood on top of an engineered base of plywood,etc. It is no softer than genuine hardwood because the surface is the same.  

If the wear layer (the layer of real wood) on the engineered wood is 4 to 6 mm, it is about as durable as hardwood and superior if on a slab.  If your floor is on joists, go with hardwood; if on a slab, engineered every time.  Realistically, a good engineered floor is going to be indistinguishable from the real deal.

Gailgartland, maybe you are getting confused with vinyl floor boards. Engineered floorboards are not soft. And hopefully your children will learn to play outside, and they will not be little for long.

The engineered floorboards are what they are calling hybrid floors aren't they? They are "floating". Whereas the vinyl look planks are glued down and don't make the click clack sound when you walk on them. I was recently told that the only surface that can withstand water spills is the vinyl floor. I think they said that the hybrid floor will last for 24hrs with water on it without being ruined. I would be interested to see what other people have found to be the case. I have puppies at my place and I would hate for them to wee somewhere and me not see it and them ruin the floor. I like the hybrid floor because it feels more real, but the guys at the flooring shop loved the vinyl planks and what they said about water spills had me thinking that I will need to go with vinyl planks

I have spent months looking at flooring for our house. Engineered flooring on the Janka rating sits at about a 5 and solid spotted gum is an 11. I have tons of engineered samples and have been doing my own test by dropping everyday household items on them and they are soft and are showing the marks. Yes my kids won’t be little for long but after we build this house we will be staying in it for a short period of time before we sell so I need something that will still look brand new in 12-24 months but I love the engineered look.

In my experience with hybrid, laminate, tiles and real hardwood ( never owned engineered timber or vinyl flooring) all of them can be scratched and dented (or cracked in the case of tile) by carelessness.

If you will really only be there for 12-24 months I would go with engineered timber with a enough thickness to refinish. And budget to re-sand and finish just before you sell. It may not need it, but better to be prepared.

There's no point paying extra for hardwood; as the previous poster said, you truly can't tell them apart once they're down.

And lots of rugs and runners really helps

"Engineered flooring on the Janka rating sits at about a 5 and solid spotted gum is an 11."

The janka rating for engineered flooring would depend on the janka rating for the wood species on the exposed surface. For what it's worth, I had genuine spotted gum hardwood in my previous home and it could still scratch and dent. It was a beautiful flooring though. If you don't want scratches or dents you pretty much have to go to tile.

I have engineered in my current home and it's pretty tough. And no, engineered wood is not necessarily floating. It can be glued down.

In reality, a timber floor is going to be walked on (some areas will have higher traffic than others) and with occasional furniture being rearranged. If you are or your kids are going to be dropping items on the floor or throwing things around, then maybe carpet rugs are needed over your engineered timber floors.

Chart showing the different wood species and there hard to soft ratings, which seems more relevant than a Janka rating.
Maybe look at engineering timber’s that have a hard timber as the surface.

Thanks for the replies. Yes my husband wants to direct stick engineered if we do it.