About Wood Flooring: –
Wood Flooring is becoming more popular in homes all over the world. It is replacing carpets which after a couple of years start to look worn and dirty, for with wood as long as it is looked after will always look new and clean. Although the initial out lay for Wood can be expensive, the long term value can often work out cheaper, For example you could pay for a quality lounge carpet but need to replace this maybe 2 to 3 times in 10 years but with wood you can pay once and it can last 20 to 30 years. So the long term aspects of wood work out cheaper than carpet.
These days wood is produced with high impact laquers on the top surface making it more durable to things being dropped onto it or to prevent scratching. It can also add value to your home by making it more desirable if you come to sell your house. Over all it can be a great investment making your home, furniture, decor stand out and giving a warm, inviting feel when people visit your home.
Different types of Wood Flooring: –
There are various types of wood floors from Oak, Beech, Mahogany to Maple, cherry and much more.
Choosing the wood type is a matter of choice depending whether you require a dark wood (Mahogany, walnut) or mid range (cherry, Oak) or a light wood (beech, Maple) and with the hard wearing laquer that the wood floors have choosing a wood for it strength no longer matters.
An alternative to real wood is Laminate Flooring which looks like wood but is a Laminated veneer. These are an economical solution if real wood is to expensive. Laminate is hard wearing, easy for cleaning and does not require sanding or sealing, Ideal for rental properties, or for a cheaper way to brighten your home.
Another Floor that is getting more popular is bamboo flooring, A more ecological friendly floor as bamboo grows at such a rate, so there is no shortage. Basically a grass more than a wood but when made into a floor gives a very similar appearance to oak floors and bamboo also varies in colours and styles.
Installation: –
I would always recommend installation by a qualified installer, for they can fit the floor in a quarter of time with much higher quality finish and in a lot of cases can actuall work out cheaper this way.
many wood / laminate floors are what is known as floating floors, these are actually easier to install.
Basically take existing flooring so you are back to floorboards / concrete, then lay foam underlay on which wood goes onto. When Starting off always start on the longest squarest wall laying 3 rows together to give you a base, using wedges to give you the 10mm required expansion gap. Generally the cut that comes off the end of the first run starts the second and so on. Once fitted either fit back new skirtings or if using existing fit a wood beading to cover the expansion gap.
This is basically the method of fitting but can be explained in much more depth.
Pro's and cons: –
Wooden floors always look warm, clean and expensive, they can brighten up any home. They are easy to clean and can be quite low maintenance (depending on styles etc). Wood floors will last for years, even lifetimes if treated with respect for example taking shoes off when you come in etc.
The cons are that wood floors can scratch but as i said earlier the laquers are very strong now that protects the wood, Or if get wet they can lip or slightly buckle.
But the Pro, s far out way the cons as the cons can be prevented with the right care.
Basically I have wood floors through out my Home, I have 2 dogs, 2 kids and it still looks as good as the day I fitted it. For me they are one of the best investments I have made for my Home and would recommend wood floors for all Homes.