Best oak flooring solid timber engineered wood and parquet

Real wood flooring might be forgotten in favor of laminate, vinyl, or tiles that have the look of wood. The greatest wood flooring has earned a reputation over the years for being more expensive, more difficult to install, and more labor-intensive to maintain than its imitations. Wood, on the other hand, is the best option if you want a durable and beautiful floor that really improves with age.

This article serves as a handy refresher course on the many advantages of wood flooring, from the wide variety of colors and tones available to the many ways in which it may be used to enhance the look and feel of any room. We’ve answered all the questions you should have while shopping for genuine wood flooring, and we’ve chosen the finest wood flooring you can purchase on a budget.

 Read on to find out this and much more! Keep scrolling if you’re looking for an alternative to our recommended items.

 How many distinct wood flooring options exist?

 The beauty of wood flooring is that it can be used in either a modern or traditional setting without seeming out of place. The overall look may be slightly altered by employing a wax or oil finish, as well as by selecting broad, thin, long, or short boards, or even blocks. It is possible, however, to classify the various wood flooring options approximately as follows.

You’ve certainly seen wood floors before, but solid wood flooring consists of actual wood planks. Of course, the structure and content might vary. There are two distinct types of boards, each with implications for installation. An example is tongue-and-groove, which is designed to fit together at the edges. The second kind, with square edges, is trickier to set up, but it comes in more dimensions. Tongue-and-groove floors can only be sanded down to the locking mechanism, but square-edged boards may be sanded and refinished numerous times.

A wide variety of woods are readily accessible. Bamboo is a more environmentally friendly option since it is a fast-growing plant rather than a wood, although oak is one of the toughest and most popular. Since solid wood floors expand and contract in response to changes in humidity and temperature, installation is best left to the pros.

Traditional parquet is constructed from tiny pieces of wood that are placed together in a beautiful pattern like chevron, herringbone, or basketweave; it is quite similar to solid wood. Each block is bonded into place and the floor is sanded flat during installation, which is best left to the pros. Once installed, its greater stability over solid boards makes it an excellent choice for busy kitchens and other high-traffic areas. Although oak, maple, and beech are the most common species used for parquet blocks, darker woods like walnut, teak, and wenge are also available. Easy-to-install engineered parquet flooring is now available for purchase.

If I’m looking to purchase wood flooring, what else do I need to think about?

The kind of flooring you end up purchasing might be determined by the room’s intended use. For instance, using thin boards in a small space might make it seem even smaller, and bathrooms should only have water-resistant engineered flooring. Underfloor heating (UFH) is compatible with the vast majority of engineered wood flooring, but may not be compatible with solid wood or parquet flooring depending on how it has been prepared. Make sure to double-check with the vendor.

Spend as little as possible on the flooring itself, but don’t forget to include in the cost of installation, which may add up quickly. Price for solid wood increases with increased dimensions. Because of this, thin, short boards made from smaller logs are often less expensive, but you should still budget at least £40 per square meter (m2). You should allot at least £35-50 per square meter for engineered boards, or £60 per square meter and higher for recognizable brand names.

Keep reading to find out which laminate flooring we recommend.

The 2022 Hardwood Flooring Market’s Top Picks

1 Oak: https://www.ecohardwood.co.uk/oak-flooring

These solid wood planks with a brushed finish are a great option for any space in your home. The boards come with a deep beveled edge, and they come in a range of lengths in each pack so that the number of visible seams may be adjusted. It’s easy to install since the edges are tongue-and-groove rather than square.

It has certain restrictions, however. Even though it’s varnished to prevent stains and scratches, it may still be damaged by furniture legs dragging over it, and it won’t work with underfloor heating. Minor scratches and scuffs may be polished off and stained to blend in seamlessly. It’s cheaper than other oak flooring, but you’ll still need to budget for an underlayment of cork since it can’t be installed straight into a hard surface.

Engineered wood is a kind of lumber that consists of a hardwood veneer bonded to a core of medium-density fiberboard (MDF) or plywood. A backing board, either solid wood or plywood with the grain running in the opposite way for strength, is fastened to the floor.

 

It won’t warp or expand or contract with the weather, and it’ll look like solid boards once it’s placed down. Boards are secured with adhesive in a tongue-and-groove arrangement. A few, however, feature click mechanisms similar to laminate, making them viable options for the capable do-it-yourselfer. If the top layer is damaged, you can sand it and give it a new finish, but it’s not solid and won’t hold up to repeated sandings.