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Nowadays with so much choice available it can be hard choosing a wood floor.
In this blog I’ve put together some key points to consider, this is by no way a full comprehensive guide to ‘all things wood flooring’ but will certainly give you the knowledge to guide you on your search and help you to find the perfect wood floor.
Wood is a natural product and there is always variation in each batch so
try not to get drawn into examining each individual sample, it’s important to think about the overall look and feel of the floor.
Focus on the general tones that will be included in the floor rather than the one sample piece. Looking at pictures or seeing wood floors ‘in the flesh” that have been installed will help to see the variation in tones and what to expect from your own floor.
Lighting will make a difference whether it’s direct natural sunlight or warm or cool electric bulbs, this will all have an impact on the look of the floor.
Looking to the future wood will slowly change tone as it gets older. This is called the oxidisation process, most woods will turn darker over time.
How much do engineered wood floors cost?
This can vary hugely for many reasons but our expertise is matching the best quality floors to any budget.
Please don’t be fooled by big online retailers offering £100 per m2 floors for £40 per m2! They are simply £40 per m2 floors.
Check to see if the boards have a plywood or soft core backing.
Also with plank floors always check the lengths as often with the cheaper online retailers the floors are usually shorter lengths, although they will give a maximum and minimum length often there will be only 1 or 2 long lengths per pack. Our floors consist of just one split board per pack the rest we be full length.
Every process that is used to create a floor will add to the cost so put simply, the more processes involved the higher the cost.
A lot of our floors are bespoke and made to order so we can control a lot of the processes. We also spend a lot of time sourcing the best quality ‘off the shelf’ products which are produced on a much larger scale and therefore more cost effective.
Key factors to consider when you are searching for a wood floor (in no particular order).
DESIGNS & DIMENSIONS - The most popular design options are Plank, herringbone & chevron. Nowadays however the choice has opened up to many different patterns such as mansion weave, basket weave and design panels becoming more popular.
With all designs you have to consider the width and thickness of the timber of your chosen design.
GRADE - Typically Rustic Grade (with knots & character) or Prime Grade (no knots)
Unfortunately there are no national guidelines for grading so every supplier has a different criteria, you will have to enquire exactly what the supplier specifies and be clear on what you would like to see in the surface of your floor before ordering.
TEXTURE - Brushed surface or smooth sanded. Most floors have a lightly brushed surface especially on coloured oiled finishes as this helps the pigment of the oils to take the colour more effectively. Also there is a heavily brushed option as in our Dorset County Range where the surface has a deep texture which really highlights the grain structure.
Tumbled/Distressed is a process where the timber is placed in drums with nails and chains etc to distress the surface to give an aged/reclaimed appearance as found in our Vintage Herringbone Range.
SURFACE FINISH & PROCESSES - This relates to how the floor has been finished, for example Hard wax Oil and Lacquer are the main finishes used today.
Which is better? This is the million dollar question which I’m not getting into on this blog! There are small pros & cons to both finishes but from my point of view it comes down to lifestyle ie how much foot traffic, children, pets etc will be using the floor but with the correct maintenance program in place and using the recommended products both Lacquer & Oil finishes will perform equally well.
Most pre-finished floors use a UV cured Oil which is a process where the timber has the oil applied and then passed under a UV light to harden the surface producing a very durable finish.
The finishing techniques for wood flooring have developed hugely in recent years where not only do you have the ability to have smoked/fumed floors (darkens the timber) but also reactive stains are used to colour the timber before coloured oils are used to help produce countless different combinations of finishes.
Once you have chosen your wood floor and had it expertly installed we will send you a post-installation document which is full of valuable information for the maintenance and cleaning of your wood floor.
This will also include a list of the correct products to use and web links on where to buy them from.
Finally in summing up, wood flooring is my business which I’ve worked exclusively in for the past 20 years so rather than spending hours searching on the internet and ordering samples why not schedule a quick meeting with me and I can answer all your questions and show you a vast range of options all in the comfort of your own home.
If you have found this blog useful and would like to share with others please do.
Tom Smethurst
Dorset Wood Floors
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