It is true to say that solid wood floors remain an understandably popular choice for those who wish to enjoy the natural beauty of wooden floors. It is also true to note that many individuals and commercial clients are coming to realise that they need wood floors that not only look good but that are technologically up to date, that can withstand a changing environment of temperature and humidity without adverse effects. For this reason, engineered boards are becoming an increasingly popular choice.

FPS is happy to supply, lay and finish a wide variety of both solid wood floors and engineered boards.

Solid Wood Floors
Many of our clients continue to enjoy solid wood floors and we specialise in an extensive range of hardwoods; oak, walnut, cherry, maple, iroko, merbau, elm. With widths up to 250mm wide, solid wood floors have an inherent beauty and remain a popular choice for the modern interior.

Solid wood floors come in boards with square or bevelled edges, in strips, parquet and blocks and tend to be installed by secret nailing to the sub floor. For those which are unfinished, sanding and finishing takes place on site.

Nonetheless, in a changing environment of temperature and humidity there are issues related to stability that affect solid wood floors (gaps can appear between planks, the floor can suffer from cupping (concave curving), crowning and, in the worst possible cases related to moisture, even buckling (lifting of the floor from the sub floor). Whilst this does not deter many clients, there is an alternative – wide plank engineered wood boards.

Engineered Wood Floors
Over the past few years, engineered wood floors have become accepted as offering stability over and above solid wood floors without losing any aesthetic appeal. These boards have the beauty of solid wood with added benefits and can come as wide planks up to an incredible 350mm wide.

Engineered boards are produced by bonding layers of wood (usually three layers) with the core or middle layer having its grain running at right angles to the two outer layers. This make up means that they are, by their nature, less susceptible to changes in temperature and humidity. For this reason, given the increasing demand for under floor heating and acoustic insulation, engineered boards are becoming understandably extremely popular.

Engineered boards are available in a wide range of design, timber and grades and are most frequently fitted by ‘glue down’ or by ’floating floor’ method. Many are pre-finished and therefore are easy to install.

Other Wood Floors
Parquet
Parquet is strips of wood assembled into a square and comes in many different designs the most popular of which is Parquet de Versailles (Versailles panels). Parquet produces interesting geometric designs and is either glued or pinned to the sub floor.

The Advantages of Wood Floors
Today’s wide variety of wood floors and finishes complement modern, contemporary and traditional settings and style choices. Importantly wood floors offer many advantages:

1. Real wood and engineered boards are natural products and therefore environmentally friendly
2. Wood floors offer medical benefits from dust reduction & are particularly suitable for individuals who suffer from allergies or asthma. They offer a healthier surface than carpets
3. Wood floors are practical and long lasting
4. Wood floors are easy to maintain with cleaning being simply a matter of a cloth lightly dampened with a recommended cleaning product
5. Wood floors are durable; modern finishes give wood a durability although it is advisable to use rugs in high traffic areas and have furniture legs on supports
6. Wood floors look good and are a long lasting investment to your home or business