Laminate Flooring
Laminate Flooring mimics the look and feel of real wood flooring and can be easily installed and give the appearance of a natural wood flooring finish and very effective form of flooring at a fraction of the cost of solid wood flooring.
Laminate flooring is durable and attractive and to the un trained eye difficult to discern from solid wood flooring. The design and pattern on the board is in fact a thin photographic image of the real wood glued on to a décor paper which is glued to the high density backing board and protected to avoid scratching and is very durable for every day domestic use.
Laminate Flooring comes in a vast array of wood effect finishes as well as stone and ceramic finishes. Laminate Flooring is very easy to install and clicks together to form a ‘floating floor’ as they are not directly fixed down to the floor surface. The importance of using a Laminate Floor as with any wood flooring material is the sub floor preparation and level as it is crucial that the sub floor is smooth, dry and as level as is possible and to give the laminate floor a comfortable walking feel it is vitally important to use a good quality underlay.
Most laminate flooring can be simply clicked and locked together [uni-clic®] which is a system that made laminate flooring so much easier to install by the untrained diy enthusiast. Usually wood flooring panels are glued together but with the uni-clic® system laminate flooring panels simply click together to form a durable, tight and virtually invisible join to form a great looking finish.
Wood Flooring
There can be no real substitute for real wood flooring which is both stunning to look at and can actually add value to your property due to the natural material and appearance it provides to the floor of your property. Wood Flooring also provides a sense of permanence and longevity as if it was put there when the house was built.
Many older pre-war properties and Victorian buildings only used solid wood flooring which in many cases is still in situ today. Schools were traditional users of solid wood maple floors which can last for years and simply sanded and re lacquered to provide a durable and fantastic look and feel.
Solid Wood Flooring comes in a vast array of natural wood material such as Oak which is a very popular wood floor in the western hemisphere especially in America and Europe. Renokned for its durability and very decorative appearance Oak Wood Flooring makes an ideal wood floor and is used in both Commercial and Domestic situations.
The main source of Oak wood flooring material is America and Europe including English Oak which may be a little bit more expensive but traditionally a material that is synonomous with architecture and building for centuries in England. America produces both Red Colour Oak and White Oak whilst the Oak produced in Europe is simply known as European Oak and is generally light in colour and both highly durable. Oak wood flooring has varying appearance in both colour, shade, grain and should be chosen from samples before you commit to purchase.