Companies: "Woodura" is the process by which the wood veneer is made extremely hard and durable, and it was developed by Valinge in Norway. Various flooring companies have licensed this technology and are now selling the flooring. All of the companies are advertising the flooring as "Woodura" because that is the technology and process used to densify/harden the wood. Flooret carries it under the name Silvan. Bjelin, and Primco also have a Woodura product.
Colors: It appears the shade / staining is part of the densification/hardening of the wood, because the companies all seem to offer the same colors. As of September 2024 I have seen eight different colors: Two light woodtones: Natural and Honey. Two dark wood tones: Terra brown and Walnut. Two white wash stains: Powder white and Misty white. Two gray stains: Earth gray, and a dark gray (cannot remember the name).
Top Coats: The biggest difference I can see so far is the top coat. I have samples of the product manufactured by two of these companies: Valinge and Flooret. The Valinge product looks like it has a more durable finish on it. I have seen both UV acrylic coating and hard oil coatings advertised.
Other options: I have seen Woodura offered in at least three widths, and both a brushed and non-brushed surface.
Compariing to non-hardened hardwood flooring: Woodura is an engineered hardwood floor, but the wood layer is thinner and is densified, instead of being thicker and allowing for sanding and refinishing. It is installed as a floating floor, and can be dissassembled and planks replaced should it become damaged. This is not as difficult as refinishing, but is still a project that would involve emptying the room, and removing the baseboard that holds down the floor. The center is a high density fiberboard. I don't know a lot about the HDF, other than it is better than the material we call "MDF" in the states, and very water resistant.
Comparing to LVP: The thickness, and ease of installation is similar to LVP (lux vinyl plank), and I have seen some commercial businesses reporting Woodura as more durable than their LVP installs. The big advantage that Woodura seems to have over LVP is it appears to be Greenguard Gold certified by most (perhaps all) of the manufacturers producing it. That means it isn't emitting VOCs (chems harmful to health; volatile organic compounds). LVP products sold in the US on the other hand, are usually made with PVC or Poly Vinyl Chloride. This is somewhat controversial and I am no chemical engineer, but many sites report that PVC is super toxic. A couple websites noted it isn't allowed in floor coverings in schools, hospitals, etc, because of harmful offgassing, but it is currently still allowed in residential flooring in the USA. Attempting to research this gets confusing very quickly, but this fact stood out: I can get the flooring without the controversial chemicals without paying more than I would pay for the vinyl flooring. And it's real wood.
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