Choosing the correct type of flooring for your home or work space is vital, because flooring can be expensive and you need to make sure that the flooring your buy is the correct type and colour, else you will only end up regretting your purchase and spending a lot of unnecessary money. Good quality flooring is essential as it is probably the most used part of any room when you consider how many people will use it on a daily basis.
Both solid Oak flooring and wood flooring has the warmth and depth of colour to enhance any room, from a modern penthouse suite through to a barn conversion. Choosing the right product for you is important, as there are many factors to consider - including colour, board width, engineered or solid, pre-finished or unfinished, the range of oak flooring and wood flooring can be endless and therefore people can often find themselves confused about the type of flooring they need to move forward.
Let's start from the beginning - solid wood flooring or engineered oak flooring

Underfloor Heating?

We always recommend that you consider using an engineered wood or oak floor for underfloor heating systems. However solid wood can be used as long as caution is taken, not for the average DIY enthusiast but more for an expert when it comes to fitting flooring successfully.

There are many products, ranging from 15mm thick through to 21mm with a 6mm solid oak wear layer bonded onto a backing such as plywood. By using this type of product your will reduce the risk of movement, vital to make sure that your flooring lasts the distance and does not become ruined.

Looking At The Board Width

Oak flooring board widths range from 90mm through to 200mm. As a special order we can offer a 250mm board. The board width of the wooden flooring can alter the look of the room. Quite often, wider boards in a smaller room can often make the room feel narrower, so a lot of thought is required before ordering. Solid oak flooring ranging from 140mm - 160mm will be more stable than the wider boards but any width up to 200mm will be fairly stable.

Deciding Between Pre-finished or Unfinished

There are benefits for both pre-finished and unfinished oak flooring and wood flooring.
Pre-finished wood flooring can be oiled or lacquered, therefore saving time. It also benefits as the oil or lacquer is applied in a dust free environment within the factory, which can't always be guaranteed on site.

Un-finished oak and wood flooring gives the customer the option to colour, wax, oil or lacquer to their exact requirements. Also the boards can be lightly sanded after installation therefore less care is required when fitting. We stock a number of unfinished solid and engineered oak floors, all of which are 21mm thick with a tongue and groove on all four sides of the board. As the oak flooring is imported from our mill in Eastern Europe the Oak is slow grown and the growth rings of the wood are very close together, this produces a hard oak flooring similar to English Oak.