What is Solid Wood FlooringSolid wood flooring is milled from a single piece of timber to create a plank/board or parquet block, usually with a tongue and groove profile to aid installation. Thickness vary from 10mm for an overlay board (i.e. not used as a structural floor) or 18 - 30mm for a structural floor. Typically a good quality Oak floor plank will be 20-21mm thick. Lengths of the planks vary from 300mm to to over 3m. A good quality floor will have minimal small pieces and have lengths from 1.5 - 3m. Board widths vary from 90mm to over 200mm although the wider the board the more likely gaps will appear between boards over time. Why use solid wood flooringSolid wood flooring is ideal is ideal (in most cases) if you do not need to install an acoustic underlay, have under floor heating or do not want to have exceptionally wide floor boards. How is timber cutThe way the timber is cut has a big impact on the appearance for the floor. There are 3 methods to cutting timber for flooring. Plain Sawn flooring is the most common method used and has the least amount of wastage. The grain of the timber is more pronounced especially in the middle of each plank and as such will have more variations and grain pattern in the floor. 
Quarter sawn flooring is where the log is cut into quarters and then across the grain. This method produces a much more consistent grain pattern with the grain of the floor much closer together and straighter. Boards tend to be longer in length and feature medullary rays. Due to the tight grain and minimal variation. These boards are also more dimensionally stable.  Rift sawn flooring is when each cut is straight to the centre of the tree so that the grain is even straighter than quarter sawn cuts providing even straighter grain and minimal variation providing a very stable floor. This type of cut produces the most waste thus being the most expensive type of flooring. 
What is Parquet Flooring Parquet flooring is when small pieces of wood blocks are used to create a floor. The patterns that can be achieved from parquetry can be very decorative especially when curved pieces are used (Marquetry). Parquet flooring was first used in the palaces of France in the 1600's notably Versailles to replace marble flooring that was rotting the timber joists through constant washing of the marble floors.
How much does it costSolid wood floors vary greatly in price. An entry level solid wood floor will be similar priced if not cheaper than a comparable size board in engineered. |
