Q: Are there specific guidelines to help in selecting a durable, dent resistant, engineered flooring with a super hard finish that does not scratch with everyday traffic and chair movement?
I would really like specifics such as brand and collection and wood species if possible.
A: I can’t give you any guidance on specific products. There is a huge market. Basically the harder the wood the more stress it can take before it dents. The hardest north American species is Hickory. Jatoba is also very hard.
Scratching is a different thing. There is no finish I’m aware of that cannot be scratched. Most if not all pre finished floors are coated with aluminum oxide coatings which by their nature are scratch and scuff resistant. This also makes it more difficult to buff such a coating to apply a maintenance coat in the future.
Mirage engineered does come in Jatoba and their AO coatings are now done with nano technology which is suppose to make them even harder to scratch. I do have unsettled questions regarding this type of technology and it’s safety when cutting and especially when sanding. Mirage engineered is amongst the best as far as milling and fit are concerned.
Related Q: Is there a hard finish that could be put on our sanded floor to help limit the scratches?
A: There are all types of finishes available. Swedish finishes, called acid cure as well as moisture cured urethanes are extremely tough but are difficult to work with and give off a very nasty odor. Then there are typical polyurethane coatings. Poloplaz Primero is my favourite in this category. There are other types of finishes which, while not offering a hard finish are much easier to touch up. These would include products like Osmo hard wax oil and Waterlox, a penetrating oil.