Wood floors

Different types of wood flooring

Hardwood flooring is still the most popular type of wood flooring, but the price, maintenance and installation process has meant that people are starting to look to other types of flooring which will create the wood effect.

Laminate flooring

This is a good alternative to hardwood as it can create a similar effect, yet is inexpensive and durable. It has become very common in many houses. The laminate is not attached to the sub floor, which means that levelling is key to its installation to make sure that the result is high quality. If the sub floor is uneven then the laminate will have a spongy feel.

Engineered flooring

This type of flooring is pre-finished and comes in long strips or planks. It is made from a number of layers of criss-crossed laminated wood which are finally topped with a real wood surface. Engineered flooring can be used in situations where normal wood flooring cannot as it has restricted normal expansion and greater dimensional stability. The thickness of this type of floor is about ¼ inch, whereas the thickness of solid wood flooring is about ¾ inch. It can be stapled, glued or "floated" down. The disadvantages of engineered flooring are that it does not have the same life span as hardwood floor, and if any extreme damage is caused to the wood it cannot be repaired as easily.

Pre-finished flooring

This type of floor comes with a factory finish already applied. It can be glued or stapled to the sub floor, and does not require any sanding or finishing to be done in the home thus is a cleaner floor to lay. The simplicity has made it a popular type of flooring, supported by the fact the laying time is also much shorter. However, one drawback is that marks and imperfections are more noticeable.