When the time comes to put down new flooring in the home there is a lot to be considered. The floor will be the most noticeable thing in a room and often dictates how the rest of the room will be decorated and styled. When choosing flooring, you will need to consider the area of the house that requires changing.
Living rooms, kitchens and hallways are generally high traffic areas and will require something hardwearing and easy to maintain. A family with young children will also need to factor in split drinks, food and pen marks, all of which can permanently stain a carpet. If a stylish, hardwearing and easily maintainable type of flooring is what you then solid or engineered wood flooring may prove to be the perfect choice.
There are many advantages to installing solid wood flooring; this type of flooring adds style, warmth and value to a home, it is also appropriate in any room and looks great as a continuing theme throughout the home. Wood flooring may prove to be slightly more expensive than a carpet, but the extra initial outlay is made worth it in the long run, with good, well-maintained flooring lasting up to 100 years. Modern packs of flooring are also designed with the amateur DIYer in mind, with a ‘tongue and groove’ system making installation very straight forward and saving money on a fitter.
Solid wood flooring
Solid flooring doesn’t offer just longevity; it also offers the best resistance against daily wear and tear. A solid hardwood floor should not be confused with laminate or manmade flooring, although the two may appear similar to the naked eye, comparing the two side-by-side will immediately show wood to be much the better product. Unlike laminate, wood is warm to the touch and is great insulator providing warmth under foot. If you are a person that suffers from allergies, wood flooring will prove to be the perfect choice. Where carpets provide breeding ground for dust mites, mould and mildew, wood does nothing of the sort, it is also easier to clean, requiring only a quick vacuum and mop over to remain fresh.
Engineered wood flooring
Engineered wood flooring offers many of the benefits found in solid wood but is available at a lower cost. The reason for this is that the boards are not solid wood right the way through. Each board consists of a top layer of real wood (generally 1 mm) with the base made up of multiple layers of ply wood. This gives the boards more flexibility and allows for easier installation. In terms of maintenance, engineered flooring is much the same of solid wood, easy to clean and long lasting. One downside, however, is the longevity and engineered wood should not be expected to last as long as solid wood, having said that, you can expect packs to come with around a 15 year guarantee.
Whichever option you choose – solid wood or engineered wood flooring, satisfaction will be part of the guarantee.
Engineered wood flooring is becoming such a big market. It’s only a matter of time until it becomes as widespread as laminate flooring has.