Into the Wood
Latest Interiors looks at the benefits of real wood flooring
The Wooden Flooring Centre 01273 423600 www.woodenflooringcentre.com 116-120 St Andrews Road, Portslade, East Sussex BN41 1DE
Real wood flooring is hardwearing, practical, beautiful, and very now. Choose the right product, and it can also be one of the most eco-friendly floor coverings, too. This week, Latest Interiors puts some of the most stylish wooden flooring to work…
The basics
Single strip wooden flooring, £poa, www.johnlewis.com
The simplest – and often least expensive – choice for a real wood floor is sanding, and staining or varnishing, existing floorboards. This is an option if your floorboards are in good condition (and you don’t mind the mess and sheer hard graft of sanding and finishing!). If one or two boards are beyond repair – look out for woodworm in old houses – they can be replaced with new or reclaimed wood. If you’re partially replacing sections of floor, be careful to select a stain or varnish that blends new boards in with old. There are some great eco-friendly stains and varnishes available, too.
If you’re on a tight budget but can’t face too much hard graft, painting floorboards white or off-white is a short- to medium-term option. However, even the toughest paint will show wear-and-tear quite quickly, and your floors will look tatty when chipped and worn. Paint is also a nightmare to remove if you change your mind later, so use with caution. You can always commission an expert to do the sanding and preparation. Get at least three quotes before you decide on one.
Fancy floors
New wooden flooring falls into two main categories. Engineered or wood-laminate flooring consists of a plywood base with a coated veneer of real wood on top, and is usually cheaper than solid wood. Boards can be laid on top of existing wood or concrete floors. The second type is solid hardwood flooring – solid timber planks that can be laid straight onto joists or on top of existing wooden floors, which come either pre-finished (sanded and treated) or unfinished.
The Wooden Flooring Centre 01273 423600 www.woodenflooringcentre.com
‘Antiqued’ and darker shades of wooden floors are the most popular right now: French or black oak, walnut, and ‘coffee-bean’ bamboo all give an understated, stylish finish. Always choose an environmentally friendly product (the Forest Stewardship Council – FSC – kitemark is a good indicator): a sustainably sourced hardwood can be re-sanded, and will give you a lifetime of faithful service.
