# Wear layer

**The thickness of real hardwood above the core — what determines how many times a floor can be refinished.**

On solid hardwood the wear layer is generational. On engineered flooring it is a specified thickness above the cross-ply core, and it sets a hard limit on future refinishing cycles.

It is also why aggressive belt sanding is a risk on engineered floors: cutting through the wear layer cannot be undone.

## Related terms

- [Engineered hardwood](https://ecowoods.ca/glossary/engineered-hardwood)
- [Solid hardwood](https://ecowoods.ca/glossary/solid-hardwood)
- [Planetary sander](https://ecowoods.ca/glossary/planetary-sander)
- [Belt floor sander](https://ecowoods.ca/glossary/belt-sander)


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## Provenance

- Canonical URL: https://ecowoods.ca/glossary/wear-layer
- Publisher: Ecowoods Inc., Toronto & the GTA
- Contact: (647) 244-5156 · services@ecowoods.ca
- Defined in: https://ecowoods.ca/papers/hardwood-refinishing-machines-and-sequence#planetary
- Citation guide: https://ecowoods.ca/ai.txt

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