How to Choose the Right Wood Flooring: An Expert Guide

Step 2: WHICH WOOD FLOORING GRADE? 

When it comes to wood flooring, grade isn’t about quality. Wood flooring grades are aesthetic and define how much natural variation a floor will feature. In simple terms this means how many knots and how big these are, as well as how much colour variation is permitted. Natural variation is a key part of what makes real wood flooring special, but a rustic wood floor with lots of colour variation and large knots doesn’t suit every style so it’s important to understand wood flooring grades and to choose the right one for you.

Sadly, wood flooring grades aren’t standard and each manufacturer has to create their own. You’ll find details of our wood flooring grades  in our flooring help & guidance section, along with images to clearly illustrate the difference.

Bear in mind that the finish applied to a wood flooring grade will affect the level of variation you see – lighter and more transparent finishes will enhance or amplify natural variation, whilst darker, more opaque finishes will minimise it. This is why a dark wood floor made on a rustic grade of timber may look as first glance as though it has a similar level of variation to a white wood floor on a less rustic grade.

Step 3: is plank or parquet better for my space?

Plank and parquet floors are both beautiful it can be difficult to choose between them.

Plank floors are quicker and easier to install than parquet, which means that they will be less expensive to fit. They are also a simpler DIY option. That said, parquet floors have an undeniable wow factor, and create a feature all on their own. This is one of the reasons that they are such a popular choice for hallways, which can often be difficult to furnish due to their size and the need to move through them freely.

if you’re having trouble choosing between plank and parquet wood flooring, our plank vs parquet guide looks in detail at the different design possibilities and fitting options.

 

STEP 4: Do I need solid or engineered Wood flooring?

Whether you need solid or engineered wood flooring will depend on which floor you choose, as well as how and where you want to fit it.

Solid wood flooring is  made from a single piece of timber and engineered wood flooring is made from multiple layers of wood laid in different directions. In the case of  planks, this layered construction adds stability and means that some engineered plank floors can be fitted where solid plank floors cannot. It also means that engineered plank floors can be floated. Read our detailed guide to find out whether you need an engineered plank floor .

Due to their size, parquet blocks are inherently stable and an engineered construction doesn’t add to this. There is no difference between how and where you can fit our solid or engineered parquet flooring so if parquet is your preference you don’t need to worry about the solid or engineered question at all.

Step 5: WHICH SIZE OF WOOD FLOORING ? 

If you are choosing plank wood flooring, the width of the boards will have an impact on how the finished floor looks.

Wide plank floors are a great choice for larger spaces: they balance the scale of the room, add a sense of intimacy, and also create a more streamlined, contemporary feel. In smaller rooms, using narrower planks will optically expand the space and make it feel bigger.

Using a mixture of widths will instantly create a traditional looking plank floor, as historically this is how floors were made and laid to make the most of the available timber. This is easy with our floors as all widths in the same type of plank are compatible.

If you are choosing parquet wood flooring, the size of block you choose will have a similar impact to the width of boards in the case of a plank floor. Smaller blocks will make a room feel more intimate, larger blocks will balance the scale of more generous rooms and create a more contemporary feel. Blocks often feel bigger once laid in a herringbone pattern, and a little more length and width can make quite a difference to the size of the overall pattern, so we would always advise viewing different options in a showroom if you can, or ordering several samples so that you can lay the beginning of your desired pattern to help you decide which size will work best.

 

Step 6: WHICH WOOD FLOORING IS underfloor heating compatible?

If you are choosing wood flooring to fit over underfloor heating, you will need to make sure it is compatible. It is a common myth that solid wood can’t be laid over underfloor heating and that all engineered flooring can be, but this isn’t true. It depends how the timber is selected and dried and how the flooring is made so you should always check with the manufacturer of your flooring and follow their advice.

We have been successfully supplying solid and engineered flooring to use with underfloor heating for over 20 years and are recommended by Nu Heat, the UK’s largest underfloor heating supplier.

All of our floors have options that are suitable for underfloor heating as long as you follow our simple guidelines, and options that are suitable are clearly marked in the product description of each product page. We will be very happy to answer any questions you might have and offer you any advice you might need on fitting wood flooring over underfloor heating.

Step 7: HOW TO CHOOSE THE RIGHT WOOD FLOORING FINISH 

There are basically 3 kinds of finish for modern wood flooring: Varnish or lacquer finishes, Oiled finishes, and hardwax oiled finishes. Hardwax oil finishes are natural looking, durable, and easy to renovate. Oiled wood flooring finishes are also natural looking, but are less durable and need more maintenance. Varnish or lacquer finishes for wood flooring are slightly more resistant initially, but can’t be easily maintained or renovated and eventually need to be sanded off and replaced.

Hardwax Oil and lacquer finishes are typically available in matt, matt satin or gloss options. Oiled finishes are typically matt.

Our favourite is hardwax oil, which combines a natural look with long term durability and low maintenance.  To find out more about looking after wood flooring. To find our more, see our Aftercare Guide.

We tend to prefer a matt satin option which is not too shiny, but has a soft, natural looking sheen that catches the light to pick out the grain of the timber and adds depth the colour of the floor.  As all of our floors are made to order, we can change sheen levels from our standard option if preferred.

 

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If you’d like to download our 3 minute flooring guide to refer to at a later date or to send to your contractors, please click below.