Wood flooring type depends on the different structures, profiles and size of the flooring. It is really important to choose the correct type of flooring for your project. Remember that the species of wood determines the colour and grain pattern that you will see. The type of wood flooring is more to do with the fitting and size of the planks.
What are the main wood flooring types?
There are three main things that you need to think about to determine which type of wood flooring is best for you.
1. Solid or Engineered Hardwood?
Solid wood flooring is made from a solid piece of wood. It is usually available in random lengths and can have different surface finishes. A very popular choice of flooring, but it must be fixed into position (by gluing or nailing) as it is not stable enough to be floated. It cannot go in rooms where temperature fluctuates.
Engineered wood flooring is much more versatile than solid wood. It has a top layer of real wood, but the base layers give it strength and stability. Consequently, it can be used in areas where the temperature changes (conservatories), and it can be used with underfloor heating. You would also have the option of floating an engineered floor over an underlay or fixing it into position.
solid and engineered construction example
2. Fitting Profile
Here you have the choice of either tongue and groove or click fitting. Tongue and Groove flooring is the more traditional fitting method of wooden floors. Each plank of flooring has 2 edges with a tongue and 2 edges with a groove. These fit snugly together to create a seamless finish. All solid wood floors have a tongue and groove fitting profile, as does some engineered hardwood.
Click fitting hardwood flooring is always engineered wood. A click fitting system makes the installation process much easier. It allows you to float the floor over an underlay without the need for nails, screws or glue. You simply click and lock together the edges of the planks to create a tight fit.
Click fit engineered hardwood flooring
Tongue and Groove Fitting System
3. Style of Flooring
There are two main styles of hardwood flooring for you to choose from. Firstly, you could opt for plank flooring. This is the typical planks of flooring and is the most popular choice by far.
Alternatively, you could go for parquet block flooring. These are smaller blocks of flooring that can be installed in such a way to create geometric patterns, such as basket weave and herringbone.
Dark Oak Parquet Block Flooring
If you are unsure about which type of hardwood flooring to choose. We would always recommend coming into our showroom, where you can see all of your floors on display, and we have technically trained staff that you can speak to. If you can’t make it into our showroom, then please call us, where we can explain things in more detail and send you some free samples of flooring.
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