Wood flooring Norwich local experts in wooden flooring from engineered wooden flooring to solid hardwood floor boards we have it and can lay it.
When arranging to place wood flooring the first thing you want to inspect is the shape of the under surface as a more uneven surface could force you to special engineered flooring instead of solid wood flooring. Or if it is truly crappy you would need some type of underlay. This would also be a good thing to use if you are living in a flat and want to decrease sound disruption to the neighbours below.
In surface texture you have a number of alternatives to choose from, such as: Brushed, Hand scraped Distressed, Stained, Smoked, and Carbonised. Some surface type seems to stick to a particular type of wood. For instance scraped is one of the most common types in oak flooring and everything comes down to your liking. When you would prefer a wooden floor to be darker choosing a other surface method but sticking to the same type of wood might be an alternative to think about.
While you check the label it might also be a good thing to ask for the variations in the warranty per wooden floor firm . Warranties usually only cover fabricating errors and then you will notice. there is not much to fail with solid flooring. Engineered wood flooring on the other hand is a sophisticated gluing process where manufacturing mistakes can be made by plain factors like lack of pressure during the bonding process or with less expensive floors not pressurized long enough.
Wood is divided in a variation of grades to help to differentiate the aesthetic variation between each piece of wood. The main three grades are: Classic, Character and Rustic. Timbers with a large colour variation will have the colour added to its grade. For instance Classic White Ash .
Read more on: wood flooringAs with any wooden material you want to make sure it is sourced responsible and sustainable so reading the label and checking what the label essentially means is a good practice to get into, not just for flooring. This counts especially when it comes to hardwood as still considerable bits of hardwood are still unlabelled because they are not grown eco friendly or even worse they just have some label stuck on it without any meaning.
The common options go from Lacquer, Natural Oil to UV oil. Lacquer is the most resilient of all finishes and with that also requires the minimum amount of upkeep despite the fact that scratches can still happen . Natural Oil is a tad . less resilient but has the easy option that repairs can be made promptly which can fill in most scratches. UV Oil is a bit in between both. Lacquer, even matt once, do leave a clear sign that the wood floor has received a finish. The oils are far better in masking their presence as they get soaked up by the wood making it the favoured option if you want it to look like it is not treated.
Moisture movement is another thing to assess when picking your floor. And with moisture I imply moisture in the air. Oak is a wood that increases in length a great deal when the air is moister . and when using an oak floor it need to have more than enough space to expand (called an expansion gap) otherwise the wood will be deforming and making a very ugly and uneven surface. Every wood has moisture movement you just need to know how much . and make certain your expert know what they are doing. And if your climate has a large temperature and moisture variance you might want to pick a wood type that expands much less .
The finest grade for wood is the classic grade it has the lightest colour difference , the straightest grains and a minimum number of knots. Character grade wood has more variation in colour and in texture , a wilder grain and some surface checks. Knots are up to 30mm in diameter and in hardwood. version they are usually filled in . Rustic Grade wood has even more pronounce . elements then Character graded wood and can feature cracks and black knots. All rustic graded features are filled in prior to sealing but generally could use a bit more sanding.