Types of Flooring

Buying the right type of flooring for your home makes all the difference.

Laminate flooring

Laminate flooring is compressed fibreboard sold in the shape of a plank of wood or square tile.  It is covered by a photographic image, usually of wood, stone or tile with a protective overlay.

Prices start at £3 per square metre, the cheaper the product the least realistic it will look.

Higher priced brands, such as QuickStep, come with bevelled edges, a more varied set of photos and embossing of features such as knots to give a more natural look and texture.

QuickStep prices range from £13 - £32 per square metre and Pergo range from £18 - £49 per square metre.

The click lock laminate flooring is best laid in living areas, studies and playrooms.  Some products now include a waterproof core, such as Aqua Step, to allow for use in bathrooms and kitchens.

If you are going to lay laminate flooring in bathrooms and kitchens, check the warranty and/or guarantee to make sure you don't breach the stringent conditions.

Pros

• It's cheap and hardwearing. 
• Click-lock designs are simple to install. 
• A wide variety of imitations of natural materials are available.

Cons

• Even the best laminate won't look or feel exactly like the real thing. 
• The joins wear over time, and once the surface is damaged it's hard to fix.  It's easily swollen by moisture, and the damage can't be repaired. 
• Poorly laid laminate will put off a potential home buyer

Engineered wood flooring
Engineered wood flooring consists of three or four layers of wood, glued together at right angles to create a plank around 14mm thick.  It is topped with a real wood veneer of around 4mm thick.  If the wood becomes scuffed, worn or damaged the planks can be sanded back and treated to restore the original finish.

Engineered wood flooring prices range from around £19 per square metre, to more than £166 per square metre for the more expensive woods.

It is best to fit engineered wood flooring in places it will not be exposed to water or humid atmospheres.

It is time consuming and fiddly to fit and can be noisy when walked on.  It can be hard to achieve a good finish in certain places such as toilets and pedestals.

Pros

• The way it is constructed makes it more stable than a piece of solid wood and less prone to changes caused by a room's temperature or humidity. 
• It is more attractive than laminate and cheaper than comparable solid-wood planks.

Cons

• There are very few cons, but tongue-and-groove is harder to install than click-lock. 
• It can be a lot dearer than laminate.

Real wood flooring
Real wood or solid wood planks are often thicker than laminate and engineered wood flooring.  Each plank is made from a single piece of wood of 18-20mm thick.  Solid wood usually comes in the fitting style of tongue and groove.  All woods have a hardness score, indicating how easily they can be damaged, dented or worn by everyday wear and tear.

Solid wood flooring can be sanded back to restore the finish so it looks as good as new.  The number of times it can be sanded is determined by how deep the tongue is set from the top of the board.

Solid wood pricing will depend on the cost of raw wood at the time.  Parawood starts from £15 per square metre and £82 per square metre for IPE tropical hardwood.

Solid wood is great anywhere with a relatively constant atmosphere, particularly in hallways and living areas.

Pros

• It looks fabulous and, provided it's installed correctly, is an appealing feature if you decide to sell or let your home. 

Cons

• Solid wood swells in damp conditions and shrinks in dry ones. 
• It's the toughest to install because it has to be glued or nailed down, and fitting the individual boards together can be difficult because they change shape once they've been manufactured.

Solid wood has the highest price of all your flooring wood options. 

If you need further advice please do not hesitate popping in store where John or Darrel will be able to assist you.