At Rockform, we believe that wooden flooring can bring a truly comforting and natural aesthetic to any home. Whether you want to create a rustic feel for your living room or a modern look in the bedroom, a wooden floor can transform any room in the home, providing a versatile range of colours, styles and designs.
Whether you opt for faux or real wood, wooden flooring is an incredibly popular choice for the home. There are different wooden flooring options to choose from, including solid wood, laminate and engineered. Here’s a look at the different kinds of wooden flooring available.
Laminate Flooring
Laminate flooring is not made from solid wood but is designed to look like it is. It is a multi-layer synthetic product made from compressed fibreboard plank covered with a photographic applique layer with an image of wood, followed by a clear protective layer.
Laminate flooring is the cheapest wooden flooring option but does not look realistic. It is typically used in high traffic areas that require frequent cleaning, like a kitchen or living room – they are also a good option for people with young children for this reason.
Pros:
- Cheaper than solid wood flooring.
- Easy to install.
- Long-lasting and durable.
- Wide range of imitations of natural materials available.
Cons:
- It will not look natural.
- It can look shabby if mislaid.
- A damaged surface is difficult to fix.
- It cannot be sanded or refinished.
Engineered Hardwood Flooring
Engineered floorboards consist of three or four layers of wood glued together to create planks. It uses real wood veneer on top, so it can be sanded back and treated if the floor becomes scuffed or damaged, unlike laminate flooring.
Engineered flooring can add elegance to a home for a higher price than laminate. While it is made from 100% real wood, it is constructed differently from solid wood flooring. It is an excellent choice for living rooms and bedrooms, though it can be fiddly to lay and challenging to achieve a good finish around corners.
Pros:
- It is a stable product that is more resistant to moisture and heat than solid hardwood.
- It is more attractive than laminate flooring.
- Cheaper than solid-wood planks.
- Durable and long-lasting.
Cons:
- More expensive than laminate.
Solid Wood Flooring
Solid wood flooring is when each board is made from a single piece of hardwood and is usually fitted using tongue and groove. There is a range of wood choices available, and each one has a hardness score that indicates how easily it can be damaged or worn by everyday wear and tear. Solid wooden flooring can be sanded back to restore the finish, even multiple times depending on how deep the tongue is set.
It should be laid anywhere with relatively consistent humidity, especially in rooms like living rooms or hallways where its beautiful aesthetic can be admired.
Pros:
- It has beautiful aesthetics.
- Adds value to a property, a good draw for buyers.
- It can be sanded down and refinished after scuffs and scrapes.
- Long-lasting and durable, more so than other hardwood floor types.
- Lots of customisation options, from tree species to cut pattern and finish.
- Feels great to walk on.
Cons:
- Swells in damp conditions.
- Tricky to install.
- The most expensive wooden flooring product.
Popular Wood Types
When you choose hardwood flooring for your home, there are various tree species to choose from. Each has its own unique colouring, style and aesthetic. Here’s a look at some of the most popular woods people use for their flooring:
- Oak
Oak is a popular hardwood flooring. Its natural pale cream colour and golden tones have a unique grain pattern that makes it a timeless choice for flooring that suits virtually any style and size of room. It is a durable wood available in a range of styles, such as flooring with colour stains added to change the tone of the floor.
- Walnut
Walnut provides a beautiful, dark colour to a floor, with its rich brown tones and contrasting pale pattern. It has a distinct grain pattern but is one of the more delicate hardwood species, making it a bit more challenging to care for. It is a more expensive option than oak but looks truly breath-taking in a room.
- Ash
Ash has a light grain and a pale colour, making it work very well in modern designs. It provides true character to a room, looking similar to oak with a range of shades from a creamy white to a light grey-brown. Its excellent strength makes it very popular as a wooden flooring choice.
- Hickory
Hickory is a darker species of wood with distinctive caramel and golden tones running throughout. It makes it a popular choice for matching it with luxurious interior designs. It is a beautiful choice of wood and is also one of the hardest, making it incredibly strong and durable.
