Purchasing the perfect wood flooring for any project can be a daunting task and there’s lot of things to consider. To help with the decision-making process The Solid Wood Flooring Company have collated a comprehensive list of questions and answers on wood flooring.
CAN WOOD FLOORING BE INSTALLED IN A KITCHEN/BATHROOM?
Yes, wood flooring can be fitted in any part of the home. Remember that wood flooring is a natural product and will react differently compared to man-made like Impervia or stone tile options. Discuss care and maintenance advise with Solid Wood Flooring Company experts prior to fitting in high spillage areas. Solid Wood Flooring Company products are great for kitchens and bathrooms thanks to them being extremely high-quality and very durable.
WHAT ARE THE ADVANTAGES OF ENGINEERED WOOD IN COMPARISON TO SOLID WOOD?
Engineered Wood Flooring comes in a large range of finishes and styles as well as in different structures. There are a number of advantages in choosing engineered boards instead of solid. These are as follows:
- It is significantly more sustainable and friendly to the environment as around five times the amount of hardwood (e.g. Oak, Walnut, Maple etc…) to produce a solid board compared with an engineered board.
- Engineered wood flooring is suitable for use with under floor heating – see our UFH guide for more information.
- Engineered wood floors are more stable than solid, are less likely to move and warp.
- Engineered wood floors can be made wider and longer than solid boards.
- Engineered wood floors can be fitted with no acclimatisation period providing there is no under floor heating where the boards are being fitted.
WHAT DOES UNFINISHED MEAN?
When you see a wood floor, described as “Unfinished”, that means there have not been any protective coatings applied to the boards. This gives you the opportunity to lay the floor and then apply whatever products you wish to protect the floor and give it any colouring desired.
The Solid Wood Flooring Company team are able to assist in discussions about some of the options available in terms of on-site finishing products.
WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN CHEVRON AND HERRINGBONE PARQUET?
The difference between herringbone and chevron parquet is how the boards join together. A chevron parquet ends in a point, as the ends of the boards are cut at typically either 30, 45 or 60-degree angles.
A herringbone parquet on the other hand does not have an angled cut, rather the pieces are rectangular, and one lays across the top of another creating a stepped pattern.
WHICH IS BEST FOR A DURABLE FINISH?
Ultimately this will depend on the usage the floor will get and what the customer is expecting from the floor. The Solid Wood Flooring Company offer either UV Oiled, Lacquered or Hard Wax Oil finished to their products.
Some hardwoods work better with particular finishes (i.e. Walnut is best Hard Wax Oiled). Oak is more versatile in terms of what it can be finished with, however, most clients are very happy with the UV Oiled range, as it gives the benefits of ease-of-repair of an oiled floor with the added surface protection as a lacquered finish.