Wood flooring looks great and feels wonderful underfoot. There is a wide range of wood flooring available and the characteristics of your floor will depend on the type of tree it comes from. Wood flooring, as a natural product, offers infinite variations from tree to tree, all of which give your floor its unique character.

Here are some tips to consider when choosing your wooden floors:

Use of the room
As hardwoods are dense and more resistant to damage compared to softwoods they are best for areas of high traffic such as the hall or living room. Dark woods are generally hardest; Merbau being the hardest wearing. Oak is a popular hardwood with a tight, dark grain. Birch and pine are popular softwood. If you maintain your softwood floor, it should last as long as a hardwood.

As a natural substance, wood expands and contracts with extremes of temperature. Sometimes you find small gaps appearing between floor boards especially next to an Aga or conservatory. Don’t be concerned as they will vanish again when the temperature changes.

Colour
The colour of the board depends much on personal taste as the size and age of a property. Oak have distinct colour variation in the natural grain and lend themselves particularly well to traditional style properties. Lighter woods such as Ashes suit the modern Scandinavian look. Maple is a good choice if you are looking for a pale and uniform look with subtle grain appearance.

Darker woods such as Walnut are ideal if there is good natural light. Some exotic woods including Iroko require a maturing period before it reveals the true colour which should become natural within a few months.

Grain Structure
The variations in the structure are technically known in the wood flooring industry as wood flooring grades. The grade of wood is used to determine the degree to which natural characteristics i.e. grain, sap-wood, knothole are allowed in the assortment.

For example, the Select or Prime grade are products made from selected hardwoods. The floor’s overall hue is clean, even and virtually knot-free. The grain patterns delineating the floor’s surface are generally the densest, straightness, and lightest in tone. The Select grade is usually the most expensive.

The Nature grade products are made from core timber. Often the wood’s grain patterns are clearly visible. Small knots are allowed in the assortment giving the floor an interesting appeal.

The Rustic or Traditional grade shows more pronounced variation in the grain. These products are manufactured from heartwood and sapwood. The colouring is variable and contains more natural characteristics than the Select and Nature grades.

Solid Wood Floors
Solid wood floors are cut from a single piece of timber. They can be sanded down and refinished over generations of use making them a long lasting interior material. You can lay them directly onto existing boards as long as these are dry and secure. Alternatively replace the existing floorboards entirely and lay new ones directly onto joists using thick boards with 18mm thickness. As solid wood floors are solid all the way through, they are sensitive to moisture. Hence, it is not recommended to install the solid wood floors directly over new concrete slabs or in areas with higher moisture content such as bathrooms or basements.

Engineered Floors
Engineered floors have a sandwich-like construction of three layers; the top layer consists of a solid wood veneer, while the lower layers are typically softwood. As a result of the multiple layers construction, they are able to withstand changes in temperature, humidity and weight. The exceptional stability of engineered flooring means they are suitable for installing over concrete slabs or in high moisture areas such as bathrooms or basements. The thickness of wood veneer is also an important consideration; the thicker the veneer, the more often the floor can be re-sanded, so prolonging its useful life and hence conserving valuable resources.

Alternatives
Bamboo is an increasing popular option for all floors. Bamboo is made from quick growing bamboo stalks. They grow in large amounts and to a height of 60’ within the first several months of growth and thereafter are harvested every 5-6 years. Solid Bamboo floors are a form of engineered floor. The strips of bamboo are engineered into three layers to provide additional stability and minimise natural expansion of the bamboo, therefore, the floor is stable enough to “nail-down” or glue-down. Due to its high fibre density, they are more solid and harder wearing than many hardwoods including oak and maple.

Finishes
A good finish can protect your wooden floors from the everyday wear and tear. Most new wooden floors are pre-finished in a water-based lacquer, which offers high durability and needs minimal maintenance. The oil finish enhances the natural look of the wood but it requires more maintenance than lacquered floors. However any scratches can simply be buffed away and the surface can be re-oiled.

Soundproofing
The easiest method to soundproof a room from the impact of walking on floors is to use good quality underlay or acoustic insulation. The thicker and more solid the wood, the quieter it will be. If possible, opt for Sheep Wool underlay. Not only are they environmentally friendly, they have inherent thermal insulation performance and can reduce the impact sound level by 21dB.

A green option
From an ecological viewpoint, one of the strongest credentials is that wood derives from a renewable, living source, and one that naturally reduces levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. It is also a good thermal insulator and does not inhibit dust and carpet mites so it is ideal for allergy sufferers.

However, while trees are renewable, ancient forests are not. Unfortunately deforestation and over-harvesting have endangered certain species and damaged natural habitats, in some cases irrecoverably. Thanks to environmental campaigns, many of these issues have been brought into prominence.

When buying any floors, ensure it is certified by the Forestry Stewardship Council (FSC) or Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification (PEFC). The FSC and PEFC label enables consumers to choose forest products with the confidence that they are promoting sustainable practices of the world's forests. By buying from certified sources you are providing an incentive for responsible forest management.

For more information on choosing your wooden floors, call 0845 257 2382.