Solid wood flooring is a warm, attractive and sturdy form of floor that offers householders a durable, reliable and impressive base to their interiors. The striking appearance is matched by a long-life expectation that, with the right maintenance, will see the floor provide many years of excellent quality service. The wood comes in thick planks and as it can expand or contract with moisture it must be installed in the correct way to allow it space for small adjustments in size. But as long as this is the case it provides a beautiful centrepiece to a home from a completely organic source, with qualities that artificial flooring may struggle to get near.
Solid wood flooring underlay
There are a number of underlay products that are ideally designed for use with solid wood. An underlay may need to have various qualities depending on the circumstances of the floor, be it adjustment for slight unevenness, a barrier against moisture from below or soundproofing in cases where there are neighbouring residences below.
Some products may need adhesives added, while others come with peel-back strips that can attach themselves swiftly and easily to the plank above.
Providers of such products include UK Flooring Direct own brand items, along with those supplied by Quick-Step, Pergo and Elka.
Solid wood flooring adhesive
Those fitting a solid wood floor may need a flooring adhesive, although some planks may be pre-glued together as part of the manufacturing process and underfloors may have adhesive strips.
Products suited to this purpose include Mapei's Ultrabond solution, which can work on both solid and engineered floors, while the same maker's Surface DPM Membrane provides additional waterproofing to protect against moisture.
For stick down installation, the Mapei P990 1K Adhesive Sausage allows precision installation by firing beads of glue in the right amounts into the right places to hold the subfloor beneath in place.
Real wood flooring
The great joy of hardwood is that it is real wood flooring. Whether it comes in the form of ash, oak, cherry, beech, walnut or maple, hardwood offers a surface that is not only attractive, imposing, tough and long-lasting, but also offers the natural touch that even the best artificial floor materials cannot quite match. It is organic and characterful, with many products offering the option of distinctive markings from the heart of a tree, such as rings, knots and other features. It offers warmth that helps create an atmosphere of comfort in the home as well as strength. Those looking for such products also have a wide choice to choose from, with over 80 different varieties available.
Unfinished solid wood flooring
For those who wish to create a rustic sense of being back-to-nature in the home, using unfinished solid wood flooring may be the very best way to do it. While there is a wide choice of oiled and lacquer products available, there are also 25 unfinished products to pick from, of which two are made by Florence and the rest by Berthold.
The rugged characteristic is common to all of these, but there is also a wide choice of shades from very pale to deep, dark brown. All come with beveled edges, where there is a pronounced join between the planks to create extra profile for the floor.
