How to Choose a Family Friendly Wood Floor

Choose a WOOD floor in a natural or mid tone

Wood flooring in a natural or mid tone is a great choice for a busy family home as it will show wear and tear less than darker or paler floors. Any scratches will be less obvious and easier to repair.

Choosing a wood floor in a natural or mid tone doesn’t have to limit your design options either. We have an extensive range of different styles and shades of wood flooring in the natural and mid tone spectrum, in plank and parquet, solid and engineered, traditional and contemporary. Some of our favourites for busy family home are Warm Oak planks or parquet from our Nuances Collection, Malmesbury planks or parquet from our  Cotswold Collection or Worn Oak Vintage Parquet.

If you do have your heart set on a darker or paler wood floor, our recommendation would be to choose one with some texture, like our Textured Dark or Whitewashed Oak, which will be more forgiving and easier to look after in a busy family home.

Choose WOOD floorING with some natural variation

Natural colour variation and knots in timber add character, and give wood flooring a relaxed, inviting style that is well suited to family homes. They also help to disguise the signs of day to day wear and tear, which is an important criteria for a floor that pets, toys and children will inevitably put through its paces.

The majority of our wood flooring is made on our Cottage Oak grade, which features a spectrum of knots and warm natural shades and is well suited to stylish, comfortable interiors and busy family homes.

Choose AGED OR RECLAIMED STYLE WOOD FLOORING

Aged or reclaimed style wood flooring that features worn edges or a distressed patina as part of its design is an inherently family friendly choice. Any small scratches and dents tend to just blend in and over time actually help develop the patina and beauty of the floor. An aged or reclaimed style wood floor is also really versatile. It will work just as easily with modern interiors as traditional architecture, and create a timeless feel in any room so you don’t have to trade style for practicality.

Choose A low maintenance WOOD FLOOR

For most of us, family friendly also means low maintenance. Between work, family life and a myriad of activities there is rarely much spare time, so it’s important that any wood floor that you choose for a family home is practical and doesn’t have laborious maintenance regime. Hardwax oil gets another tick here – as well as being durable and easy to renovate, it’s also easy to look after.

Day to day, a quick hoover (Dyson) and wipe over with a damp mop should be all you need. Diluting our Wood Floor Cleaner in your mop water will lift dirt from the floor without compromising the finish, and a quick once over with our Wood Floor Wax periodically will extend its life, restore sheen and repair small scratches.

In addition, use good dirt trapping mats at entrance doorways, and change these regularly. This will keep dirt and grit off your wood floor, minimising maintenance and keeping your floor looking good alongside family life. Our favourite way to do this is to create a matwell in the wood floor, nicely framed in matching timber, and to sit a coir mat within this. It’s a nice design feature that ensures that mat doesn’t move, get kicked out of place or caught under the door.

For detailed aftercare advice, please see our flooring aftercare guide.

If you’d like some friendly expert advice on how to choose the right wood floor for your home, contact our team or visit one of our lovely and inspiring showrooms.