Some expert advice on wooden flooring by Matt Torr

After years inside the wood flooring business we realize all the ins and outs so we thought we'd share these with you! If you are thinking about buying or fitting a wooden floor then look no further.....read our article first and also you'll get a leg up...a jargon free...fact rich gem of the article that will ensure you set off inside the the right direction. Thanks for looking!!!!



Trust us....we've done it.... 100 times or maybe more!



We've been in the wood flooring business for many years, selling and fitting...so there eally aren't many problems which we've not come across before. We supply and fit solid wood flooring, engineered wood flooring and laminate floors....and every once in awhile correct, repair or relay the floors which people have installed...and we've seen some shockers! Sometimes a poor finish is only the result of someone going an undesirable job...which we actually can't do just about anything about but the single, most significant thing is to buy wooden flooring which is appropriate in your environment.



So we begin with some questions you may want to think about



What sort of environment do yo have?? Do you have high fluctuations in humidity??



What attitude must you how your floor looks..how can you feel about scratches??



Do you desire it to take a look perfect all the time or are you happy with a more 'lived in' feel'



Do you've got pets or kids (personally I see them as pretty much the same intended for flooring wear...and eating routine!!)??



Do you've got an underfloor home heating??



Lets have a look at solid hardwood flooring



Doesn't really need an explanation...its a great lump of wood...from your tree! Solid wooden flooring looks and happy but it's not for all.



It's an all-natural product and hence has a few characteristics which need pointing out. All timber once felled will continue to reply to it's environment with regards to moisture levels. Higher humidity = expansion, lower humidity = contraction so if you have an environment where the humidity fluctuates significantly you should think seriously before installing solid wooden flooring. Older properties with less effective damp proofing, kitchens Boston MA and bathrooms can all potentially create problems as can newly built houses with residual moisture in concrete floors. If you are in different doubt we might recommentd obtaining a local flooring specialist to accomplish a quick moisture test. Underfloor heating could also pose significant problems to solid wood flooring and as a broad rule of thumb, we may discourage our customers from installing soild wood over underfloor heating.



So...lets can get on to wear and tear. Solid wood will mark. Period. If you're going to get stressed about dings and scratches forget it. Unless you would like to put socks on your own dogs and earn your house guests wear slippers! It's an all-natural product and will produce a 'patina' with time. Personally I love rustic grade soild wood...because it's starts out rather less than perfect and includes a great, warm, lived in feel to it and you won't get stressed when the dog skids in chasing the kitty or your child drops a metallic toy...life's to short to acquire stressed!!



What about Parquet Flooring?



This looks like a good point to discuss parquet flooring. Parquet...or block flooring is mostly installed by sticking oak blocks in a very regular pattern...typically herringbone with a soild floor. The installation of block flooring should just be attempted by full competent individuals who have access to specialist tools. We do not recommend the DIY approach!



Lets take a look at engineered hardwood flooring



Engineered...what'..Don't worry, nobody has have you heard of engineered hardwood flooring. So here goes...prepare to be enlightened. It's basically a layer of 'real wood' bonded to some softwood base....that's it...easy wasn't it? Why? well it is all about dimensional stability...we're will no longer dealing with a fully natural product here so the manufacturers build in greater stability. The bottom line is it is going to look and feel like timber but you may use it over underfloor heating as well as in areas which aren't suitable for solid wood installations. It comes in a very traditional tongue and groove..(think nailed down floorboards) and floating or click system..akin to laminate floors. So it actually is incredibly versatile...it uses less of the raw natural resource..that's no bad thing and it can be as fast to lay as a click system laminate. We recommend using engineered flooring to any or all of our customers.



So it's perfect, right?? Well do not forget the top layer is still real wood so you will need to keep in mind the wear and tear points raised inside the soild wood section.



Lets take a look at laminate kitchen floors



OK this can be easy..nearly everyone knows about laminates. They are produced by bonding a photo...basically a photograph onto a softwood base. An ultra durable surface might be appied. They come in endless sytles and coulours and may be fitted by you aren't reasonable level of skill. Some laminates feature a 50 year domestic use guarantee...which offer you some idea how hard wearing they are. So if you have a busy house or you need some of the slightly more 'out there' desings they really are a fantastic choice.
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