Real & Natural Wood Flooring - Quality Oak Flooring in London

Hence, your flooring type should be appealing and functional simultaneously. Moreover, the flooring should withstand scratches and spills and be easy to clean. Several options are available in the market, from solid wood flooring to engineered oak flooring to vinyl and tile flooring.

With 2022 around the corner, it’s time to update your dull garage room to a stylish and modern garage. Choosing the floor for your garage or workshop can be a daunting task as you will select it only once.

Choosing one for your project is both exciting and beneficial as there are so many beautiful and durable options for solid wood. Understanding the distinctions and similarities between the two types of hardwood flooring will help you decide which one is best for your home.

The constructed wood panels look like solid wood when placed on the floor. In fact, designer floors and hardwood floors look alike, but the behaviour is quite different. Simply put, engineered floors are stronger, but hardwood floors last longer.

 1. Construction

 Solid wood flooring: solid wood boards are cut from an individual, this makes it the simplest of all floors.

Engineered wood flooring: Several layers of wood are pressed together to create designer floors. The top layer is always solid wood veneer, just like regular wood floors. But beneath this top layer lies the core, which can be made of Engineered wood.

2. Humidity

Solid wood flooring:  It dries up and shrinks in hot rooms, and in cold rooms, it can absorb moisture and swell. This means that greenhouses, basements and bathrooms cannot be covered with hard floors. With the exception of Junker floors, It is not recommended to use wood floors for underfloor heating.

Engineered wood flooring: All layers of Engineered wood flooring run in different directions, making the Engineered wood floor extremely stable and resistant to humidity changes.

3. Scratch

Solid wood flooring: Wood floors can be polished and finished several times if they have accumulated many scratches and dents over the years. That means they can last a lifetime, and that's why they have such a generous guarantee.

Engineered wood flooring: Most designer floors can not be polished and repaired if they have accumulated a lot of scratches and dents over the years. However, this process can often not be performed on solid ground.

4. Installation 

Solid wood flooring: Solid wood floors work best in raised spaces such as living and dining rooms, kitchens and bedrooms.

Engineered wood flooring: The Engineered wood floor can be placed in the same room as solid wood, but its designed structure is also ideal for basements, radiant heat and concrete floors. Laminate flooring is a little thinner than most hardwoods, so Engineered hardwood floors should fit the height and bottom of the adjacent floors. 

5. Durability

Solid wood flooring: Solid wood's longevity is mostly determined by the type of product, and the level of protective treatment applied. Choose a harder wood, such as oak or walnut, for better resistance to dents, and choose products with a longevity finish for better scratch resistance. In general, wood floors can remain durable for years, even after repeated sanding and finishing. 

Engineered wood flooring: Usually, Engineered hardwood is not as many times as hardwood if the topcoat is thick enough, but it can be sanded and finished several times. Products with a long-lasting finish, such as solids, are more resistant to scratches. If you are concerned about humidity or temperature, e.g. in a basement installation, Choosing an Engineered wood floor over Solid wood is recommended.

6. Recovery

Solid wood flooring: Solid wood requires a higher price than Engineered wood flooring, but there are many varieties. A lifetime warranty, high levels of protective finish, special formulations or technical dyeing techniques can increase your overall cost.

Engineered wood flooring: Engineered wood flooring is usually inexpensive enough to fall into a separate group that resembles hardwood floors.

7. Method

Solid wood flooring: Oak, maple, and walnut are all solid wood options. These are the toughest and most resilient trees. You can find several methods to customise your space with a choice of widths up to 5 inches and a large range of colours and textures.

Engineered wood flooring: Engineered wood has many of the same design possibilities as solid wood. Additionally, designs that are only conceivable with plywood, such as softer exotic seeds, particular textures, specific finishes, colour effects, and extra broad panels, are available.

8. Construction

Solid wood flooring: Many homeowners consider Solid wood to be the "gold standard" for flooring. It is made of 100% solid wood and is known for its durability, reliability and timelessness. Solid wooden flooring is valued for its stability, color consistency and refined grains. 

Engineered wood flooring: Engineered wood flooring is 100% natural wood at the top, wood at the bottom, and a very solid core in between. The core comprises 5-7 layers of plywood and is pressed to a cross shape. This reduces the potential for wood floors to shift, stretch or contract when exposed to changes in temperature and humidity.

Conclusion

Choosing a floor covering for your home can be challenging because there are so many different alternatives available on the market. Even though there is such a broad array of options to choose from for wood flooring, engineered wood floors dominate the competition because they offer the same level of beauty as solid wood floors but at a far lower price. In addition to this, here developed a list of the top five reasons you should use engineered wood flooring in your home, which can be found below.

1. Resilient to expansion and contraction.

Because it does not contract or expand as solid wood flooring does, engineered wood flooring offers one of the most significant advantages over solid wood flooring. This means that engineered woods can be utilized in settings where it would be inappropriate to use solid wood. In contrast to solid wood, engineered wood flooring is not affected by the temperature and moisture changes in environments such as bathrooms and kitchens.

2. Having an exceptionally long lifespan

For homes that get a lot of foot traffic or for people looking for a flooring solution that will last for many years, engineered wood flooring is a fantastic alternative to consider. This is because engineered wood flooring comprises three layers: a surface composed of natural hardwood, a core that provides stability, and a balance layer.

3. The variety of available choices

There is a wide variety of options available for engineered wood flooring in textures, species, and finishes. Alternatives to engineered wood flooring from leading manufacturers, such as those that contain Herringbone designs, can be as straightforward or intricate as you like, depending on your personal preference.

4. Quick and simple assembly

Because of how engineered lumber is constructed, it may be assembled in several different ways, including those that do not require glue or nails. These floors can be installed like a do-it-yourself project if it becomes essential; all that is needed is an underlay that is appropriate for the task. For instance, in a home with one story, a straightforward timber underlay can help reduce the amount of moisture absorbed through the floating floor from the subfloor below. Underlay material rated for sound absorption will be beneficial for use in homes and apartments with one story, and it will also be helpful for use in houses and flats with two levels.

Consider installing laminate flooring in your home instead of hardwood if you want to achieve a visually and texturally comparable result.

5. efficient in terms of costs

The fact that engineered floors are available at a lower cost than solid ones is another critical selling point for these types of flooring. Many times, the price of engineered wood floors can be far lower than the price of solid wood floors. It is possible to purchase an engineered wood floor of superior quality and give it a finish of the highest caliber, even on a limited budget.

Conclusion:

Home renovations might prove to be a changing point for most homeowners. Irrespective of whether you a new homeowner or looking at renovating your old house, chances are you are already in two minds about making the right choice. As you take different decisions related to wall colour, furniture combinations, the right flooring type, there is a lot to look forward to.

In order to ease the decision process, you can ask yourself the following questions while deciding on an appropriate flooring option.

Are you installing floors in a high moisture area?

This is an important determinant of the flooring type you have to use in high moisture areas. For example, if you want to install flooring in kitchens, basements, or bathrooms, you can clearly not opt for solid oak flooring and engineered oak flooring.

Make use of tiled flooring, vinyl or porcelain flooring for places with high moisture content.

Do you have pets in the house?

Pets usually mean high foot traffic, pee/poop accidents and nail etching incidents. In such cases, you need flooring which can withstand these problems, yet be trendy enough for the home owners. If you have pets, you should consider ceramic or porcelain tile, plank vinyl flooring, laminate flooring and carpeting.

Let’s talk about your budget

Laminated flooring is a budget friendly flooring option, which mostly fits into every type of budget.

People within the moderate budget category can also opt for solid oak flooring and engineered oak flooring, as it offers best results within a stipulated budget.

For people with higher budgets, do check out luxury vinyl flooring, stone flooring, imported wooden flooring, Mahogany, Brazilian cherry, etc. It all depends on what you like and how much you want to spend at the end of the day.

Planning to install the flooring on your own?

If you are a DIY enthusiast, then there are high chances you can save a lot of money on flooring installations. In this category, you can even opt for laminated flooring and plank vinyl flooring to satisfy your self-installation needs. Avoid self-installing ceramic or porcelain tiles, as you might end up creating more trouble for yourself eventually.

Choosing the right hardwood flooring is one of the very first hurdles homeowners need to cross. But once that’s done, it is time to start thinking about hardwood flooring finishing, which would be the second milestone to cover. Hardwood flooring, like solid oak flooring and engineered oak flooring, have varying levels of finishes, which can determine their wear and tear capabilities, durability, ease of application, amongst other things.

Water based Polyurethane:

Ideal for: Flooring types which need a good, clear finish.

Pros:

It’s easy to apply and clean-up.

Extremely durable

Has low odour

Smooth, shiny finish

Does not yellow with age

Ranks high in environment friendly category

Cons:

Since it’s a clear finish, scratches and scrapes are highlighted.

Don’t get fooled by this finish’s milky white colour in the beginning. The finish is quite smooth and clear, and will resist yellowing, even after a few years. It’s a durable finish, which is moisture resistant and easy to care for. It’s a relatively environment friendly finish, which means it releases less volatile organic compounds than some of the other options in the market.

It dries rather quickly, and has little to almost no odour, which is going to be a plus point for every DIY enthusiast out there, planning to finish the floors on their own. You will need to wait only 2-4 hours between each coat, but do wait for at least 48 hours, before putting furniture back on the floors.

Oil-Based Polyurethane

Ideal for: Areas with high foot traffic

Pros:

Light on the pocket

Ranks high on durability

Moisture resistant

Easy to maintain and clean

Cons:

Takes time to dry

Tends to yellow over a period of time

Flammable

Made out of linseed oil, synthetic resins and plasticizers, an oil-based polyurethane finish is ideal for commercial areas, where floorings experience high foot traffic. Thankfully, you won’t have to bother about refinishing the floors as often as you would need to with some other flooring options.

Oil based finishes have a tinge of yellow from the beginning, which will get darker after a while. It’s available in high-glossy, satin and semi-glossy finishes. The finish has a very strong odour; do make sure you wear a respirator, in case you plan to finish the floors on your own. It takes about 8-10 hours for a single coat to dry, so prepare yourself accordingly.

Flooring can have a big impact on what impression people get when they walk into your bathroom. You can actually add the most value to your bathroom by paying some extra attention to the flooring you choose. Here are the things to know before choosing a flooring material for the bathroom:

Hardwood flooring options like solid oak flooring and engineered oak flooring have been ruling the roost, especially when it comes to residential areas. Ask any interior designer about epoxy flooring and they will confirm that epoxy flooring is the next hot thing in residential flooring.

Unlike their counterparts, epoxy flooring is easy to maintain, durable, and is elegant to look at. Since they are available in different colors, this flooring has rapidly become fashionable for home owners. However, just because these floors are trending does not mean they are a right fit for your house also.

Ask yourself these important, yet practical questions, before investing in an epoxy flooring for your house.

Where should you use epoxy flooring?

Wooden flooring exudes its own style and elegance within a home’s interiors. No matter if you have a single-family home or a multi-unit building, hardwood flooring will always be a smart investment for millennials. Simply put, hardwood flooring’s durable and far less prone to staining than some of its other counterparts.

18mm x 125mm Brushed Oiled Solid Oak Wood Flooring | Nexus Flooring

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