Wood Flooring

Wood flooring including engineered wood flooring  and laminate flooring  is produced by many manufacturers from around the world, each producing multiple qualities and designs. Wood flooring can be a solid, an engineered or a laminate each available in a small herringbone block or a full size plank. 

Engineered wood flooring is a luxury floor finish and the preparation is a little more involved than most floor coverings.

Like luxury vinyl flooring, the subfloor has to meet the manufacturers guidelines, making sure the floor is as flat and smooth as possible. Along with this, the floor and air humidity are very important and have to be regulated before and after the installation. Excessive moisture in the air or raising up from the subfloor can be harmful to the flooring.

Solid wood floors are manufactured using  one single piece of wood for either a block or a plank. A solid wood floor installed over concrete sub floors needs to be fully bonded with either an adhesive applied using a trowel or an applicator gun. On wooden sub floors an adhesive can be used as well as secret nailing through the tongues.

Solid wood floor made of one piece of wood can be sanded and re-finished many times over the floors life which can be hundreds of years.

Like solid wood flooring, engineered wood flooring can come in a block for a herringbone design or a full plank for a floorboard look. Each one is made and built up using multiple layers of either soft wood or hardwood and this is usually around 12mm - 20mm in thickness topped with a pre finished top layer. 

Engineered wood can be floated over an underlay or fully bonded with the adhesive applied using a trowel or an applicator gun. On wooden sub floors an adhesive can be used as well as secret nailing through the tongues.

Laminate flooring is a product that is installed over an underlay system which can be a green board or underlay on a roll. Laminate flooring is made using either an MDF or a HDF centre core and topped with a high definition photographic image sealed with a protective clear layer.

Like solids and engineered wood, laminate flooring is available in a variety of designs including herringbone, chevron, and full plank design. 

Laminate floors tend to be harder wearing than solid and engineered floors with some safe to be used in bathrooms or areas of moisture.

With solid and engineered flooring there are many different finishes available with each finish having its own benefit to the area of installation. These include UV oiled, lacquered and matt lacquered. 

Full guidance will be given regarding the types of flooring and finishes that are suitable for the area required.