5 Advantages of Oak flooring

Are you thinking about starting to refurbish your home? Maybe you are tired and frustrated with your current interior and want to update your flooring. Wooden flooring offers timeless style, beauty, warmth, character and if done right, value, to your home.

We have a large range of wood flooring on offer at our showroom in Alresford. These floors are available in a number of different styles and options to suit most budgets. We specialise in distressed, hand finished oak floors which come into their own in an older house and looks stunning. There are literally hundreds of colour choices available to suit all tastes and we can colour match to just about any colou

Out of all the wood flooring Oak is by far the most popular. Oak is a timeless classic and quintessentially English, hard wearing and easily takes finishes.

1) It offers great value for money. It is hard wearing, beautiful and will be enjoyed for years to come. It can be refinished as your tastes change. Unlike carpets, oak flooring doesn’t collect dust and dirt on the surface and can easily be cleaned – an ideal choice for people with allergies.

2) It is extremely durable. One of the reasons people choose oak flooring is because it is extremely hard wearing and durable. Used in the building trade for hundreds of years oak is well known for its durability. From the maintenance point of view there are various cleaning products available to keep the floor looking fresh. When it becomes dented and damaged it can be sanded down and refinished.

3) It has a beautiful, timeless appearance. This is due to the natural grain and colour of oak flooring. It will compliment most modern or traditional interiors. It takes colour stains and a host of different finishes well.

4) It ages well. Like good wine, oak flooring improves with age; the colour becomes richer making it mellow and settles into its environment. Unlike carpets which become shabby, oak flooring can be easily cleaned and re-finished.

5) It is a great natural insulator. Because it is organic in nature oak flooring doesn’t become cold to the touch like tiles or other hard floor coverings. This helps the house to retain its heat in the winter and keep it cool in the summer.

If you choose oak or any other species of wood flooring to enhance and add value to your home we have something to suit most tastes and budgets. From prime to rustic, lacquered to oiled, dark to light, we can help.

For any more help and advice please feel free to call us on 01962 733016, email info@winchesterwoodfloors.co.uk or pop into our workshop and we can get your flooring project off the ground today! 

Can I Sand & Refinish An Engineered Wood Floors?

A question we get asked a lot and a concern a lot of people have is ‘can engineered wood floors be sanded’?

Generally speaking people’s knowledge is much better than even a few years ago regarding the difference between laminates and engineered flooring. Laminate flooring is, simply put, a photo of wood, sealed onto a hardboard backing; an engineered floor is a solid piece of wood glued onto a ply base layer.

Just to be clear we are talking about engineered wood flooring here!

Engineered flooring comes either pre-finished or has a finish applied on the bare timber once the floor has been laid. We can provide our customers with both pre-finished and custom finish options.

Depending on where in the home the floor is laid and the amount of use the area has will depend on how long the floor looks good. Another important factor that often gets overlooked is how often the floor is cleaned. Cleaning with the recommended cleaner and not getting the wood too wet will keep the floor looking its best. For example, hallways and kitchens are often the areas that will begin to look shabby quickest.

Once the floor is past its best and no amount of cleaning can bring it back to life then the only alternative is to have the floor sanded and re-finished. This process removes all the old finish leaving the timber bare. Once the floor has been completely stripped it can then be stained if required and then sealed with a hard wax oil or lacquer.  This process completely transforms a room and if looked after properly, will last the homeowner for years to come.

As a general rule every time a floor is sanded you will lose about 1mm of the surface. Sometimes this can be more depending on how badly the floor is marked or damaged.

Most engineered floors have a wear layer of between 3 and 6mm with a backing of 15-21 mm; on this basis if you are looking at sanding a floor with a 3 mm wear layer it can be sanded up to twice and if it has a 6 mm wear layer it can be sanded up to 4 times. We always recommend erring on the side of caution as the last thing you want to do is sand through the wear layer!  This also depends on who is sanding the floor, so let’s say a floor has been really badly sanded the wear layer will be reduced quicker and the life expectancy of the floor will be less.

We always urge our customers to go for the thickest floor (wear layer) they can simply because the cost difference between a 3 mm and a 6 mm floor is not huge and the floor will theoretically last for a lot longer.

People are often put off by engineered wood flooring as they assume that it cannot be sanded as much as a solid wood floor. Assuming that both floors are tongue and grooved, which most floors are nowadays, then you can only sand down to the tongue (or just above it) so there is no discernible gain in the lifespan of a solid wood floor over an engineered floor.

For any more help and advice please feel free to call us on 01962 733016, email info@winchesterwoodfloors.co.uk or pop into our workshop and we can get your flooring project off the ground today! 

10 Frequently Asked Questions – New Wood Floors

Wood flooring looks gorgeous in any home but its benefit factors don’t stop with appearance! Wood floors add so much character, warmth and also value to your home. Another point is unlike carpet, laminate and other types of flooring is that wood if cared for gets better with age.

However, of course wood flooring is an investment so take time with deciding the different wood looks and the options available, such as solid or engineered wood. Here at Alresford Interiors we have a flooring room with loads of samples and laid floors around the building which we are happy to go through with you, just pop into our workshop!

What are Wood Grades?

Grades of wood are useful for assessing the overall look; we refer it to the amount of knots or other natural marks on the boards. The four wood grades include: Prime – the lowest knot content, Select, Character and Rustic – The highest knot content.

What rooms are not recommended for wood flooring?

Because wood floors can be mark by water and liquid, especially if not cleaned up promptly as well as them not tolerating moisture well. This means we do recommend not necessarily installing a wood floor in rooms which are exposed to excess moisture, heat and condensation. These conditions could leave you with a wooden floor that has expanded and warped. The main room that is a concern for laying wood floors in is places such as the bathroom!

What finishes are available?

We use a whole variety of brands so have lots of finishes available and colours. If you would like to see finish options / colours are available feel free to pop down to our workshop in Alresford near Winchester, we have loads of examples in our flooring room and an experienced team happy to go through the options with you. We actually have a whole blog dedicated to this subject – What are the different finishes for sanded wooden floors?

Shrinking and Expanding Wood Floors

Solid wood flooring has been taken over by engineered; a modern version built up with layers making it much more durable. Wood is a living material and reacts to both temperature and water which will most likely effect its positioning, especially solid wood. If the humidity and moisture levels rise in summer where there is more contact with humidity, the wood will start to absorb the moisture leading it to expand.  Reversibly in a home with the heating on, let’s say in winter, this will evaporate and suck out the moisture leaving it to shrink. However, fitted correctly and ensuring there is no dramatic contact with moisture the floor should remain looking the same throughout its lifespan size wise.

Investment

The price of a wood floor is something that commonly puts people off, however a wood floor is truly worth the investment. Its lasts for a minimum of 25-30 years, longer than most people live in one home for and it also adds value to your home, not forgetting it is for sure the most stunning option.  It brings so many benefits to a home both financially and appearance wise.

How to prepare for Installation?

We recommend moving the wood floor boards to the environment they are being laid so they can adapt to the temperature and humidity of the room. A recommended room temperature is somewhere between 18 – 22 degrees Celsius / 65 – 72 Fahrenheit. If the wood floor reacts to a temperature / humidity change once laid it could move and change size. We lay the floors in a way that can cope with slight change so your floor should always look perfect.

Who should lay my floor?

Installing a wood floor isn’t the easiest of jobs and is pretty irreversible once finished. It is highly recommended to get a skilled professional floor fitter in, someone with experience. Here at Alresford Interiors we supply and lay fresh, brand new wood floors weekly and would be happy to help with your flooring dreams.

How should I look after my floor?

Of course when you get a new floor that looks gorgeous you want to keep it that way. You can take steps to help look after your wood floor such as protecting your floor from furniture by using cloth / felt pads on the legs of your furniture. They are hidden so wont effect the appearance of your furniture. For other tips visit one of our previous blog posts which is all about this topic – How to keep your oak floor in perfect condition.

Is solid wood flooring compatible with underfloor heating?

It is recommended not to place a solid wood floor over underfloor heating. Solid wood floors can’t deal well with a continuous fluctuation in temperature. However, there is another option! Engineered wood flooring – it gives you the same look and feel but is a lot more durable with things such as heat change. If you want to learn more about engineered wood flooring visit one of our previous posts – Engineered wood flooring: Everything you need to know.

Options for dog owners

Most homeowners want to know what the hardwood flooring options are if they have pets – particularly for dogs with their muddy feet and scratchy claws! Fortunately, if you have a pet and want a gorgeous hardwood floor for your home, the two aren’t mutually exclusive.  Engineered hardwood flooring is a great option, particularly when it has a strong finish applied. Read more here – Pet owners: What wood flooring should you choose?

More brilliant blogs posts up on our site about wood floors!

Engineered wood flooring – Pros & Cons

What is reclaimed wood flooring?

What you need to know about laying wood floors

We also have plenty of photos in our gallery to show you more examples of our gorgeous wood floors: https://winchesterwoodfloors.co.uk/services/wood-floors/

Or if you already have a wood floor and it’s not looking its best, we have loads of helpful blog posts about floor sanding. Our website is full of informative and interesting content.

Hopefully this blog post has answered some of your questions, if you have any more queries or just want to discuss getting a new wood floor don’t hesitate to give us a call on 01962 733016, email info@winchesterwoodfloors.co.uk or visit our workshop, we are happy to help. 

Wooden Floor Insulation

It is becoming more and more common for people to ask us about floor insulation. Having your wooden floor insulated not only eliminates draughts and makes the room warmer and cosier, but also saves money in the long run by cutting down on heating bills.

The bulk of our under-floor insulation work we’re asked to do is carried out under old pine flooring. Although stripped pine floorboards look lovely, they have a tendency of being very draughty and cold as well. To combat this, we would always recommend filling the gaps in your floorboards with Draughtex (rubber gap filler) which could save £40 a year alone, based on a room that’s 12 square meters. By adding insulation into the mix, you could potentially double that saving, as well as making the room a much more comfortable environment to be in.

If you’re lucky enough to have a cellar, then the insulation process is much more straightforward. We’ve completed several jobs where there’s a large enough gap to simply get under the floor ourselves. While it’s not the most glamorous of jobs, with the dust, dirt and thick cobwebs that build up, the less of the floor that’s taken up the better.

In most cases, when there’s no cellar and not enough room to get under the floor ourselves, enough of the floor will need to be removed to get a breathable membrane fitted under the joists, which acts as a cradle for the insulation. We’ve found 140mm thick Thermafleece cosywool insulation to be the best as, on top of its superb insulation qualities, it can easily be fitted around pipes and hard to reach areas. Rigid insulation board can also be used as an alternative, but we find cosywool provides far better coverage thanks to its ability to fit into every nook and cranny.

It’s very important not to block the airflow under a house that has suspended floors as this can lead to damp and dry rot, which would be a very expensive mistake.

From a budget point of view you’re normally looking at around £50 per square meter to insulate, based on a 25-square meter area, but prices can vary from property to property based on how much work is involved. Once the floor is re-laid it will almost certainly need sanding and finishing, which we can do for you as well.

If you need any help or advice,  give us a call on 01962 733016, email info@winchesterwoodfloors.co.uk or visit our workshop to discuss further or arrange a no-obligation estimate for the works involved.

What are the different finishes for sanded wooden floors?

Just to be clear people often refer to staining after sanding, when what they often actually mean is applying a clear finish to protect the woods surface and not staining (changing the colour of the wood). Predominantly the most common types of wooden flooring we encounter for sanding are oak and pine – both woods take most finishes including stains well. Just about all other woods should be finished with a clear finish and not stained. Although any wood can be stained, in our experience woods that are stained other than oak or pine never look quite right and are better off in their natural state.

Anyway, there are 3 Main types of finishes for wooden floors. Hard wax oil, Lacquer and Oil, the main manufacturers we use are Osmo, Blanchon, Junkers and Bona and occasionally we will use Morrells for staining. And various other trade secret products where a certain look is required. Although these oils, Hard wax Oils and Lacquers are more expensive than most they are in our opinion the best.

Over recent years flooring products have improved significantly and assumptions some people make are simply not true. A lot of people will associate Lacquer for example with their old-school hall, being all shiny and requiring constant buffing to keep it looking nice when in fact most modern day lacquers are available in ultra matt finishes and to the un-trained eye can look like oil. Lacquer is essentially a protective layer that covers the surface of the floor. The shinier the finish the more artificial the floor will look almost to the point of being plastic looking.  The surface can be stained first if required before applying the lacquer. It is very important to note that the natural colour of the wood does affect the result of the colour of the stain when it’s applied.  It is usually better to have some test areas on the floor that has been sanded rather than supplying sample boards. For example, a 150-year-old pine floor will have a lot more colour than a 20-year-old newer looking pine floor. Subsequently, if you put the same stain on both floors they will look completely different.  Although lacquer is very tough, if it gets badly marked you cannot spot repair it. The surface will usually have to be stripped and the lacquer will be freshly applied all over again.

Hard wax oil is essentially an oil based product that soaks into the wood leaving a protective layer on the surface. There are literally hundreds of choices of colours with hard wax oil and they can be mixed to pretty much achieve any colour. The most common finish we use is Osmo polyx matt. We have used many different hard wax oils over the years and find Osmo to be the best. That said, Blanchon do a good range of coloured oils too. Although it isn’t as tough/durable as lacquer hard wax oil can be easily spot repaired and re-coated when it’s looking tired.

Like hard wax oil, straight oil looks very natural soaking into the wood floor and sometimes also forms a protective layer. Oil is generally not as hard wearing as hard wax oil but again can be spot repaired and over coated.

We carry a large stock of hard wax oils and lacquers and sell to private clients who prefer to do the work themselves.

If your floors are in need of sanding or you need any help / advice please do get in touch; give us a call today on 01962 733016, email info@winchesterwoodfloors.co.uk or visit our workshop based in Alresford.