Your Guide to Wooden Flooring

Wooden flooring can be an inspiration to the home and if you are having difficulty deciding what type of flooring to go for and if it will match with your other pieces of furniture, then hopefully this guide will aid you in making the perfect choice. Before you even buy your flooring there are certain things you need to consider: • Are you after a contemporary feel? If this is the case then the boards need to be of a uniform variety and need to have a clean look to them. • Are you after a rustic farmhouse effect? To create this effect you need the boards to have colour variations and look as though they’ve been cut from a tree, so having knots in the wood will add the rustic factor you are after. • What’s the layout of your room? If you have a narrow room then slim boards can help the room look much wider than what it actually is and on the other hand wide boards suit a large space enabling the expanse to be contained into uniformed proportion. So what type of

wooden flooring is there for you to consider? There are pro’s and con’s with each type and by following this guide it should allow you to make the ideal choice for living arrangements. Not only do you need to factor in your budget you also need to consider where the floorboards are placed. If the area is a high traffic area such as a hallway, then you need to consider the damage which can be caused by footwear, such as high heels. You also need to take into account the shifting of furniture, such as in a home office, will there be an office chair wheeling about on the boards? If this is the case, then a hard wearing laminate is in order. Also you need to consider matching or accentuating your current furniture with your flooring, you can always take samples of the flooring so you see how the grain sits with your home office furniture or bedroom furniture. Also consider the weight of the furniture, as a heavy wardrobe could dent a softwood floor and when it comes to changing your room about you will be left with unsightly dents which may need to sanded. The following wooden flooring is the most requested: • Laminate Flooring – this is hardwearing flooring and is suitable for high traffic areas, it is stain-resistant and doesn’t fade easily. However if you buy cheap laminate you can end up with boards which do not fit well together. Another advantage with laminate is they can also come with other properties such as antistatic and antimicrobial. • Solid Wood Flooring – If you are thinking of using this type of flooring and you have under floor heating you need to be aware that it expands and contracts so it is not really suitable, also if the area is quite damp, then this is another no, no for the solid wood aspect. However, it is highly durable and will offer the elegance wanted, plus if scratches appear they can be sanded as needed. It is more beneficial to go for a hard wood as soft woods are prone to denting. • Reclaimed Boards – One of the most environmentally friendly options to choose from and one of the added benefits is they are already aged and have character about them from years of use. At the same time, they are probably one of the most expensive options to choose from as the installation can prove more time

consuming and difficult than the fitting of new boards, although pine is one of the cheaper options. • Engineered Boards – If you live in an apartment and you have other residents below you then be aware this type of board is louder than solid wood flooring when walking over it in footwear, however it not as expensive as solid wood. It is hard wearing flooring and is as quick to lay as laminate, plus it can be sanded and used with under floor heating. • Bamboo Flooring – Not actually wood, but well worth considering for the option of flooring. It is durable and a lot more moisture resistant than wood, so ideal for a damp room and it is also environmentally friendly due to the speed of growth the plant. However with bamboo you may not get the wide range of finishes you get with other flooring. With so many options and the variety of colour choices available buying wooden flooring can be daunting but with using a guide to the pro’s and con’s it can ensure you are buying the best choice for your home.