Which Type of Wood Flooring Is Right for Your Interior Design Project?

By Editor1SYS | February 11, 2020 0 Comments

One of the biggest considerations when undertaking a new interior design project is the type of flooring that’s best for your plans. 

Real wooden floors have seen a resurgence in recent years and can be viewed as a sustainable choice, especially if you opt for reclaimed wood or choose a retailer that uses earth-friendly methods to harvest and prepare their products. 

Which type of wood flooring is right for your interior design project and why? 

Engineered wood floors

This is a very stable type of wood flooring that is made from a plywood base layer and what’s known as a ‘wear’ layer of wood fixed on top. 

It’s very durable and perfect for use in rooms throughout the house that experience fluctuations in temperature and humidity such as the bathroom and the kitchen. 

Engineered wood flooring like the selection available at woodfloors-farnham.co.uk can be prefinished or unfinished and fitted using a tongue and groove profile or by the use of a click fitting system. 

Due to the way, it’s constructed it doesn’t need fixing in place, though it can be glued down and even placed over underlay if need be. 

Solid wood floors

This type of flooring is suitable for rooms in which there aren’t great fluctuations in temperature, so would be fine for a bedroom or living room, but not quite so good for bathroom or kitchen. The main reason for this is, as it is a solid piece of wood, it will expand, and contract more than an engineered wood floor will. 

It’s made from solid pieces of wood that have been cut and shaped into individual planks and usually comes in random lengths and different thicknesses.  

It needs to be installed using nails, or by gluing it down using flexible adhesive. 

Flooring profile and fitting types 

• Parquet block 

While parquet blocks have traditionally only been available in a solid wood format, some are now being constructed in the same way as engineered wood floors, and these are ideal for use in houses that have underfloor heating. 

One of the most distinctive features of parquet are the small blocks it comes in, which allow for some interesting patterns to be created. Many people plump for the traditional herringbone style, though there are other options available. Parquet must always be glued in place with a flexible adhesive

• Click fit

At the present moment click fit is only available for engineered wood floors and not for solid. It’s a simple process to fit, as the name implies, in which the boards are clicked into place either over underlay or glued to the floor with flexible adhesive, similar to parquet. Click fit should never be screwed or nailed into place. 

• Tongue and Groove

This is one of the most versatile floor profiles as it fits with both solid and engineered wood. It has either a micro bevelled or square edge on its surface. It also benefits from being able to be fixed into place in a variety of methods. It can be glued, nailed or screwed into position. 

Different types of wood floor finishes

It’s also important to choose the right finish for your wood floor, depending on where it will go in your home and how heavily it will be used. There are usually four main choices. These are: 

• Unfinished: This is where the raw material is left ‘as is’ and only sealed with oil or lacquer to prevent water or stain damage. 
• Oiled: A simply oiled surface will give a feeling and look of texture but a very natural, durable appearance. 
• Brushed and oiled: This is the next stage up and still looks very natural and authentic. 
• Lacquered: Lacquering offers a smooth, silky finish to the wood and either a matt or semi-matt look. 

.