What is Solid Wood Flooring?
Solid Hardwood Flooring is simply made from a solid piece of hardwood. The wood is cut straight from the tree trunk and it is nothing but hardwood. A homogeneous product from top to bottom and side to side and then made into a plank of flooring by a milling machine. After milling the wood is then planed, profiled and sanded and may be bought unfinished, for completion on site, or pre-finished with either an oil or lacquer.
In comparison to other wood flooring, nothing quite feels like real, solid wood flooring. It is sturdy, feels significant under foot and it maintains its value. This means solid wood flooring is also suitable for areas of very high traffic because it is generally thicker than Engineered Wood Flooring and it can be re-sanded many times during its lifetime.
Which Solid Hardwood Flooring Is Best?
This is a very difficult and subjective question to answer and will depend on your viewpoint, property, subfloor, décor, budget and your own individual style. For example if you prefer dark colours then you may view Walnut, or Coffee Stained Solid Oak Flooring as the best flooring for you. If you live in an old property then you may view a rustic looking oak floor as the best flooring for you. From our perspective nothing can match the beauty of natural wood flooring and in particular Solid Oak Flooring.
What Styles Are Solid Wood Floors Available In?
Solid Wood Flooring is available in a huge variety of different Wood Species that vary in colour, grain, pattern, strength and cost. You will be able to find Solid Wood Flooring with different species of wood, varying plank sizes and a choice of finish, or you could opt for Unfinished Solid Wood Flooring.
Wood Species refers to the type of wood – oak, walnut, birch etc and the wood flooring falls into either domestic or exotic species. Domestic species, such as oak, maple, or beech tend to be cheaper and have milder colouring. Exotic hardwood flooring, anything Brazilian, may have dramatically contrasting colours and be harder woods.
How to Install Solid Wood Flooring?
With an unmistakable and completely irresistible feel and character, solid wood flooring can bring something very special to your home, though it does require special care and attention to acclimatising as well as installing. It is a natural living product and as your room changes temperature, as humidity rises and falls, solid wood will shrink and expand. Therefore, really careful attention has to be paid to installation to make sure that the planks are given sufficient room to move. One of the most popular ways to install solid wood flooring it to bond it directly to the subfloor using a Flexible Adhesive. If you are installing yourself please refer to our Solid Wood Flooring Installation Guide.
What Are The Advantages of Solid Wood Flooring?
- It is the most traditional and luxurious type of wooden flooring. It looks fantastic and can add real character and warmth to your home as well as adding an estimated 2.5% to the value of your home.
- The planks are made from just one solid piece of hardwood.
- Your solid wood flooring has a long-life expectancy, offering a timeless and charismatic appeal. You also have the option of sanding and re-finishing your flooring a number of times if and when required.
- You can find solid wood flooring in a wide variety of species of wood, ranging from light to dark with different patterns and grains.
- The planks of solid flooring can be found in random lengths and different widths so that you can choose something which suits your surroundings.
- The tongue and groove fitting system are the most traditional and well-established method of installation.
- You have the choice of either unfinished or pre-finished planks of solid wood flooring.
- Solid Wood floors are incredibly durable, especially when compared with carpet, which can often require frequent repairs, cleaning and in some cases replacing.
- This type of floor can last a lifetime without having to be replaced. Real wood flooring also attracts less dust, allergens and mould than its alternates.
- Installing real wood flooring isn’t an overly complex task. However, if you have any doubts, then we would recommend hiring a floor fitter to do it for you. If you do want to install it yourself, it is best to fix the planks down as opposed to leaving them floating, as this can cause the flooring to be lifted.
Are Solid Hardwood Floors worth it?
Whilst Solid wood floors are usually more expensive that engineered wood flooring they can still be found in a range of prices to cater for every budget and at Flooring365 we have the best deals you’ll be able to find online, or offline, so if you are after a superb real wood floor then explore the range of cheap Cheap Solid Wood Flooring in our clearance sale.
If you are more limited on budget, then check out some of our more affordable Cheap Engineered Wood Flooring, Luxury Vinyl Tiles (LVT), or Laminate Flooring that we stock.