Wood Flooring

No matter how close a manufactured alternative laminate gets, nothing can match the beauty of a genuine hardwood floor, especially if you maintain the decor of a period home.

Wood flooring also looks and feels premium in comparison to manufacturer flooring and gives a feel of establishment and period. They also last longer than laminates if maintained properly and will increase the value of your home.

Hardwood floors will last the lifetime of a structure with re-sanding and refinishing throughout that time. However, these costs will be far less than the replacement of laminates between three and four times in the same length of time.

Wood floors are also much better for acoustics, if this is important to you. Chemical emissions from them are far less than laminates and wood won’t retain dust particles as much as a manufactured alternative making hardwood a more healthy option.

Because they are easy to clean and never go out of style like much home decor, they’re the perfect investment for a home.

Benefits of wood floors

Wood flooring has a wealth of benefits, including:

• Wood offers timeless beauty, character and warmth.

• It’s relatively easy to maintain; with minimal care wood will retain its natural beauty.

• Wood it more durable. Unlike carpets it won’t look so tired and worn out.

• Being a natural resource, wood is ecologically friendly.

• It’s available in a wide range of colours and textures.

Hardwood floors should be installed by a professional

If you are considering having wood flooring installed into your property then Builder Guide will be able to provide both national and regional flooring specialists who can do the work.

Whilst laminate flooring is widely accepted as a DIY job, it is essential a wood floor installation is laid by a professional. If fitted incorrectly with gaps at the edges and around architraves it will look poor and will lose the acoustic benefits of hardwood flooring.

A professional will also be able to give you more scope of choice for the direction the wood is laid and the overall look a particular wood will have. Therefore, it is recommended to get a wood supply and installation service from the same firm to insure you get the fit and look you require.

Different types of wood flooring

Wood flooring fits into two categories – solid wood floors and engineered wood floors.

• Solid wood – one complete piece of wood, this type of flooring is available pre-finished or unfinished without oils or lacquers. It is thicker than laminate floors and engineered wood and more expensive. Installation of solid flooring can be tricky, at least compared to laminates or engineered wood, because it needs to be secret screwed or nailed down. A poor installation could result in the floor expanding or shrinking.

• Engineered wood – cheaper compared to solid wood, each engineered wood floor board comprises of three or four layers of wood – the top layer being real wood – which is glued together with the grain running at right angles. For this reason it is less likely to contract and expand as temperatures change.