Our guide to wood flooring at home

Wooden flooring may breathe fresh life into each room in your home, not just the one you're working with. In addition to increasing the value of your house, they may also benefit the health of your family by providing a hiding place for harmful pests and viruses.

Wood flooring may be installed in a variety of ways and at a variety of pricing points.

If you have some DIY skills, you may be able to save money on installation expenses by doing the job yourself. However, there are many organizations eager to perform the job for you, so you should be able to receive a reasonable price if you opt to take the professional way. A friend or neighbor who has had comparable work done may provide a suggestion, as might someone from the local Yellow Pages.

What is it about?

When it came to hardwood flooring, it used to mean a crew of contractors would show up at your house carrying huge planks of oak or maple that would be used as your floors. There were four or five persons required to install the flooring, which then had to be sanded and re-varnished numerous times before it was suitable for use. You'd have to leave your house for a few days while the varnish dried since it couldn't be walked on. The final bill would be astronomical if this time-consuming procedure were to be completed.

A high grade engineered-wood or laminate (plastic that mimics wood) product may alleviate most of the difficulty of installing a wooden floor. Stain- and finish-ready materials are often easy to maintain and may be installed in a matter of hours rather than days.

Now, the most challenging element of wood flooring is choosing the proper sort of wood for your home's decor. Consider the material's longevity, comfort, and convenience of installation, as well as how simple it is to clean, when deciding on a flooring option for your house.

There are many different types of wood flooring, and each one has its own set of advantages and disadvantages. Real wood flooring, for example, are an excellent option for a realistic appearance and feel, but they may be expensive. However, laminate wood flooring may work well in a modern family room, but it can also seem slick or false at times.

The best thing to do is to figure out what kind of wood flooring you want and how much money you have to spend on it before you start shopping for it. All wood floors are available in a broad range of protective treatments and varnishes, so you may still obtain the look you want even if you have a limited budget.

When making a significant choice, it's usually a good idea to bring some samples of the wood you're considering home to see what looks best there.

Is there a wide variety of wood available?

Wooden Floors Made of Real Wood

It's rare to find an alternative to the conventional hardwood flooring design made from real wood, commonly known as solid hardwood. Real wood flooring would be the clear winner if money and time were no issue.

Oak, Cherry, Steamed Beech, Maple and Ash are just a few of the various varieties of real wood flooring that may be found.

There are a wide variety of thicknesses and widths of wood available from your wood supplier if you go for genuine wood. Planks ranging in thickness from 9mm to 20mm and in width from 90mm to 200mm are most likely to be found here. The thickness and width of your boards are mostly a matter of personal preference.

It is important to keep in mind that genuine wood flooring despises moisture and should never be installed in places with high levels of humidity. A natural product like these planks will expand and contract according to the humidity in the air. Since solid wood floors are less likely to expand in the summer than they are during the winter, gaps between the planks may appear, but this can also happen during the summer when humidity levels are greater, resulting in bulging in some areas of your floor.

Examine your house thoroughly before spending money on a basement, cellar, or portion of the floor with concrete underneath. Remember to leave a tiny gap along the walls of every room in your home if you want to build your own genuine wood floor. This will allow for some minor natural swelling and contraction. In your local B&Q or Homebase you will find a wide variety of genuine wood flooring. Purchasing lumber directly from a timber yard might be a more affordable choice. If you decide to go this way, you can find local timber yards or genuine wood flooring professionals in the Yellow Pages or Yell.com. To get the best deal, make sure you have accurate dimensions and always bargain!