Wooden Floors – A Full Guide

Wood floors continue to be a popular choice for many homes and commercial environments. They are hard-wearing, stylish, and suited to a wide variety of settings. Here at Virtuoso Flooring, we provide a range of options for every client. From high-end luxury to low-cost rental, we’ll match you with the perfect floor option. Alongside this, we’re passionate about ensuring every client understands their options, the benefits of each, and how to keep your floor looking its best.

This is why, today, we’ve pulled together our Wooden Floors Guide with everything you need to know about choosing the right wood floor for your building.

Why Choose Wooden Flooring?

As we mentioned above, wooden flooring has always been a popular option within our range. This is largely due to the host of benefits it offers, including:

  • Durability – Wood floors are the ideal option for everyday use. They are very hard-wearing and can withstand repeated impact in high-traffic environments.
  • Warm – Being a natural material, wooden floors have a warmth to them that artificial alternatives don’t. This means they’re enjoyable to walk on all year on.
  • Easy to Maintain – Wood floors just need to be swept or hoovered to keep them looking their best. We recommend that spills are cleaned as quickly as possible.
  • Hypoallergenic – Wood is a natural hypoallergenic. It doesn’t hold on to parasites or dust in the same way as carpet does, making it ideal for those with allergies such as asthma.
  • A Good Investment – Wooden floors can boost the value of your property – especially if you invest in high-quality, solid wood options. This means it’s easier to sell or rent your home with them as a feature.

When it comes to wooden floors, there are two main options – solid wood and engineered wood. Let’s take a look at the differences between them now.

Solid Wood vs Engineered Wood

The main difference between solid and engineered wood floors is the construction. However, there are other reasons why one may be a more suitable option for you.

Solid Wood Flooring

As the name suggests, solid wood floors are made of solid wood. This has been cut directly from the tree and made into a plank. They are made using a variety of different wood types and finishes. To add your own style, these planks can be finished with varnish or paints. During installation, solid wood planks need to be secured directly to the subfloor. It cannot be floated over an underlay as other wood options can. Because it requires good-quality and solid wood to create each plank, this type of floor is more expensive than engineered. It is thought to be more luxurious and add more value to your home.

Advantages of Solid Wood Flooring

  • Luxurious finish.
  • Hardwearing and durable.
  • Long-life expectancy.
  • Can be sanded and refinished several times.
  • Available in a variety of lengths and widths.
  • The traditional tongue and groove fitting system is well-established.
  • Comes in unfinished or prefinished.

Disadvantages of Solid Wood Flooring

  • Expensive to buy and install.
  • Impacted by humidity and fluctuations in temperature.
  • Can be damaged by wood-thriving insects.
  • Not suited for moisture-rich rooms.
  • Can be scratched by unprotected furniture and high heels.
  • Planks can creak or click with wear-and-tear.

Engineered Wood Flooring

In contrast, engineered flooring is made up of multiple layers of wood placed on top of each other. The most durable layer (the top one) is also known as the wear layer. It is this layer that dictates how your floor looks and what wood you choose to display. Engineered flooring can be stronger and more stable than solid wood because of these multiple layers. Again, you can finish the surface with different oils, lacquers, and finishes.

Advantages of Engineered Wood Flooring

  • Generally more cost-effective than solid wood.
  • Looks very similar to solid wood.
  • Less impacted by temperature and humidity.
  • Very stable when installed.
  • Can be fixed to the subfloor, if needed.
  • Two types of installation available.
  • The top layer can be sanded and refinished, as needed.

Disadvantages of Engineered Wood Flooring

  • Low-cost options may have more weaknesses to them.
  • Can only be lightly sanded once or twice because of the thin upper layer.

Best Rooms for Wooden Flooring

Wood flooring is favoured for its versatility. Other than moisture-rich environments, such as bathrooms or kitchens, it can be used in nearly every room in the house. The durability makes it ideal for hallways and living areas where foot traffic is expected to be high. Equally, wood’s ability to hold on to heat makes it comfortable and stylish enough for bedrooms and offices too. There are such a wide variety of wood finishes and colours available, you can stick with your original decor style while benefiting from the host of options above.

Different Wooden Flooring Finishes

If you’re nearly sold on a wooden floor, don’t forget about the range of finishes available. There are always new colours and oils emerging onto the market, allowing you to add your own unique twist. Some of the most popular finishes include:

  • Polyurethane – A clear finish that dries quickly.
  • Oil-based Polyurethane – Very durable finish that is suited to high-traffic and commercial areas.
  • Moisture-Cure Urethane – Very, very hard wearing and dries to a high shine.
  • Wax – low-sheen finish but take quite a while to apply.
  • Shellac – Natural and sustainable option.
  • Oil Sealer – Allows the grain to show through but isn’t very durable.
  • Acid-Cured Finish – Best suited to elaborately patterned floors, such as parquet designs.
  • Aluminium Oxide – Hardest and most long-lasting finish.

Wooden Flooring at Virtuoso Flooring

Here at Virtuoso Flooring, we are constantly singing praises for wood flooring. Being biodegradable, hygienic, anti-allergenic, and naturally thermal, this stylish floor option suits the needs of many different clients. We work with the best suppliers to bring you high-quality wood flooring in Bristol, Bath, and across the UK. We also have a team of parquet flooring fitters who have experience in this specialist field and we have also supplied hard-wearing options to commercial environments too.

If you are interested in having a wooden floor installed in your residential or commercial property, get in contact with our flooring consultation team here today.

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