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Real Oak Floors guide to wood flooring

Archive for category Engineered

Eco-Friendly Engineered Wood Flooring: A Revolution

Jul 26

Posted by admin in Engineered, Wood flooring | No Comments

Eco-Friendly Wood FlooringEco Friendly Engineered wood flooring is a new and innovative product that combines beautiful wood flooring with eco friendly ethics. If you, like so many others, are concerned about climate change yet feel that a wonderful home is equally important then you won’t have to compromise when it comes to engineered wood flooring. Not only will you feel that you are doing your bit for the environment but you will also be able to choose from a multitude of colours, designs and finishes too.

Eco-Friendly Wood Flooring
Engineered wood flooring is available in many different designs. To begin with you have to choose which style you would like. There are four different styles which resemble the planks you would normally find on real wood flooring. The premium option is a single plank which is the most popular type of engineered wood flooring style. The next most popular tends to be the special style. This looks like two shorter planks so it looks more like solid wood flooring. You can also buy engineered wood flooring in two or three strip styles.

Once you have chosen which style you want you can then decide on the colour of the wood. There are so many different choices such as oak, elm, cherry, alder, acacia, walnut, hornbeam, steamed beech, maple, birch, beech and ash. The colour of the wood you choose will depend on your interior scheme and personal preferences. Of course different houses lend themselves to different woods. Modern houses with a minimalistic look will look amazing with a walnut floor while older houses look great with oak. The beauty of engineered wood flooring is that you can even choose which finish you would like. Some people like to wait until their wood floor is in their homes before deciding on a finish while others like to have their floor ready and raring to go so they can use it as soon as it is installed. You can even choose which width plank you would like. The click lock system means that no matter which size you choose they all will be easily installed.

There are a few different finishes such as oiled, un-oiled, smoked, un-smoked, lacquered and un-lacquered. The advantages of having your wood floor oiled is that it will keep for longer and will also slow down the aging process so you get to keep the colour you originally bought. Having your wood floor lacquered will protect it and make it last longer although some people prefer to have a more natural look to their wood floors and as such choose not to lacquer their floors.

Engineered wood flooring is the ideal solution to an eco friendly wood floor as all of the wood is made from trees that have been sourced from sustainable forests. You really can have a beautiful floor that will transform your home without the guilt of damaging the ozone. If you are conscious about climate change and are looking for a wood floor then look no further than engineered wood flooring.

Popularity: 5% [?]

Experience the Flexibility of Engineered Wood Flooring

Jul 13

Posted by admin in Engineered, Wood flooring | No Comments

Engineered wood flooring is a new and innovative take on wood flooring. It is a collection of custom made flooring to suit the tastes of the consumer. So if you like antique pine or maybe lacquered milano is more your style then you can design your own with the engineered wood flooring.

With engineered wood flooring there are many different options. These include 21 different colours from 4 different categories. These categories are the smoked collection, the oiled collection, the distressed and aged collection and the unfinished collection. You can also choose from many other options once you have picked your colour such as plank thickness, prime grade or rustic grade, brushing options or smoking options, bevelled or square edged boards and lastly the finish. These engineered wood flooring boards are designed to your specification and as such give you a far more personal touch to your floor.

148mm Engineered Oak Natural Oiled Flooring

148mm Engineered Oak Natural Oiled Flooring

One decision that often gets people is the choice between bevelled wood flooring and square-edged wood flooring. Square-edged wood flooring gives you a nice clean finish. You could cast your eye over the entire floor and not see a blemish in sight. If you are looking for the minimalist or modern look to your floor then I would suggest the square-edged wood flooring. If you are looking for a more rustic approach then the bevelled wood flooring may be more your style. People often go for the bevelled wood flooring if they want to make it look as if the floor has been there for hundreds of years and would definitely lend itself to the aged and distressed collection. Of course it is your decision and you may choose to be completely different and unique by mixing and matching any of the choices that are on offer to suit you.

Another tough decision is the finish on the floor. Finished wood flooring can look spectacular when it is lacquered and given a good polish but you have to be careful when using cleaning products. Use a cleaner with to high a pH level and you may find your finished wood floor has been stripped of it lacquer! However the lacquer and polish does give protection to items such as heavy furniture, pets nails and women’s shoes. Unfinished wood flooring on the other hand has no such protection. You have to be very careful what you place on it and who you let walk in the room. An unfinished wood floor will look fantastic in a country style kitchen and will also give your room a more natural feel to it.

If you are looking for laminate wood flooring at the moment but can’t decide which to go for then why not take a look at the engineered wood flooring collection? There are so many different choices that there is little risk of you finding the same floor anywhere else. If you want a unique look with a personal touch then I would definitely recommend an engineered wood floor.

Popularity: 4% [?]

Guide to wood flooring

Mar 9

Posted by admin in Engineered, Flooring, Flooring Accessories, Flooring Installation, Wood flooring | No Comments

Wood flooring is a beautiful thing to have in your home. Most wood floors will last a lifetime if laid properly and maintained regularly. To ensure you have all the information you require before choosing your wood floor and deciding on the laying methods we have prepared this simple guide from choosing the best floor for your home, installing with underfloor heating or moisture problems to fitting tips and maintaining your floor.

Download the complete flooring guide.

Popularity: 4% [?]

Preparing to lay your new wood flooring

Mar 3

Posted by admin in Engineered, Flooring, Wood flooring | 3 Comments

Due to the nature of real wood such as oak it is a living and breathing product. It will expand and contract depending on its environment. A new wood floor looks fantastic but it is always best to ensure it stays looking pristine for years to come. The way to do this is to make sure the preparation for laying the flooring is done correctly, along with a common knowledge of the small issues that can happen with real wood floors.

Solid flooring has a tendency to expand and contract. In summer, when the air is more humid due to the house being aired more often – the boards soak up the extra moisture and tend to expand slightly. In winter, when central heating / underfloor heating are used regularly, the air in the house is very dry therefore resulting in the boards drying and contracting – this often creates gaps appearing between boards – often large enough to put a coin between. These are harmless and disappear in the warmer months when heating is not used in the house as often.

When hardwood flooring gets wet or damp it absorbs the moisture and expands to accommodate this extra moisture. This can often happen even if the room does not feel damp or wet – the humidity in the air can also affect the floor. Before laying a wooden floor in is essential to check that the room is dry and the sub floor contains no extra moisture. It is also best to check the moisture content of the flooring before installing. However the sub floor is the most important thing to check before installing as this will affect the floor if it is not the correct moisture levels.

Where an existing timber subfloor is present, this needs to be checked for wet rot, dry rot and for woodworm. Although these are not commonplace it is always best to check existing floors before laying down your new wood floors which can get ruined by rot or woodworm. It is always best to ensure that the existing boards are also securely fastened to the joists as they will cause creaking if not fitted well. Loose timber boards can be screwed down onto the joists – or additional noggins can be placed between the joists if an old board has been cut in the wrong place and is loose.

When nailing down onto the existing flooring, the boards should be laid at 90 degrees to the sub floor. This ensures maximum stability and strength in the floor. (As an example consider a jenga game where all the blocks are placed on top of each other in the same direction – it is extremely unstable). If you are wanting the boards to be laid in the same direction as the sub floor a layer of plywood can be placed and nailed or screwed down to ensure a stable fit of the new wood flooring.

There are additional precautions to take where a screed or concrete sub floor is present. New concrete dries at a rate of 1 inch per month or 1mm per day. Although the concrete can look and feel dry to the touch, it can often still contain more moisture than the recommended amounts for hardwood flooring. The best way to check is to use a moisture meter – this will give you an instant reading and tell you whether you need to
leave it to dry for longer.

If the new wood floor is engineered flooring that is being laid as a floating floor then it is possible to lay an extra layer of damp proof membrane (DPM) over the concrete / screed to ensure no moisture reaches the wood floor however if the floor is being glued down to the subfloor or battened out it would not be possible to lay the DPM, however a liquid DPM or epoxy resin can be used to create a liquid barrier instead. As solid wood floors are recommended to be stuck down to the sub floor it is best to glue solid wood floors down to the concrete directly therefore it is essential that the moisture is checked before laying.

With all wood flooring, an expansion gap must be left around the edge to ensure there is room for expansion in case of problems with moisture. This can be covered with skirting, beading or an edge profile. When preparation for the sub floor has been completed correctly, the laying of the wood floor is more likely to fit properly and without problems for the future.

Popularity: 12% [?]

Accessorising Your Wood Floors

Feb 9

Posted by admin in Engineered, Flooring, Flooring Accessories, Profiles, Skirting, Wood Doors, Wood flooring | 2 Comments

Accessorising Your Wood Floors

You have just purchased your beautiful wood floor – it is now laid and looks fantastic. Now all you need is to accessorise the floor. The following suggestions will help you enhance your wooden floor.

1. Wood Doors

Change the interior doors to matching wooden doors. There are a large variety of wooden doors now available especially oak doors. There is a full range of veneered oak doors, walnut doors, cherry, beech, pine, pitch pine and white doors – almost any colour to match any wooden floor.

Bespoke doors are also available however these are more costly due to the individual manufacturing processes. The doors can complement a wood floor perfectly and come in a variety of finishes. A large number of oak doors are unfinished when purchased so they can be sealed to match the floor with either an oil or varnish – they can even be colour oiled to blend with a similar colour oiled floor. Oils are the most common finish for doors however varnish / lacquer is adequate. The majority of doors are veneered hardwood for both conservation and stability however there are a small number of solid wood doors available.

Most doors have an identical style in half hour rated fire doors which will pass all building regulations where 30 minute fire doors are required. A new line of supermodel doors also contain glazed fire doors which enable more flexibility with style and design. External doors also come in various timbers – usually veneered again for stability due to the high exposure to cold, heat and moisture. A new front door is a perfect finish to the front of your house.

Wood doors range in style from Victorian style, 1930s style to the modern and contemporary – there is a door style to suit all tastes, colours and styles.

2. Skirting, Architrave and Door casings

The best way to complement a new wood door is to accessorise with the matching door frame, architrave and skirting. There is a large range of door casings, architraves and skirtings available to complement the wood flooring and doors you have chosen in many styles and timbers.

The most popular is the oak – there are both engineered and solid door casings. There is very little difference between the solid and engineered casings however joiners will often specify the types preferred or there will be a preference due to location (ie. In below ground applications) There are two types of door casings – rebated door casings and door linings which come with a loose stop. They are both suitable for all types of doors however where a fire rated door casing is required there are ready made door casings with the
intumescent strip for the building regulations.

Architraves also come in both solid and engineered timber. Sizes vary from aprox 45mm – 90mm or wider depending on the application. A standard size is usually around 57mm for most houses dating from 1900’s. The style of architrave varies and matches most skirting board profiles. It is also possible to have architrave blocks – small squares on the corners – an older design now becoming popular once again. Styles of architrave include original designs such as torus, ogee and lambs tongue, plus other more contemporary styles such as pencil round (bullnose), chamfered and square edged.

Architraves are available unfinished, prefinished with oil, lacquer / varnish or colour oiled to match the flooring or doors .

Skirtings can make your new floor look completely finished – they enhance the hardwood floors giving clean lines around the edges of the room – the floors look like they have been part of the home for some time. Once again, oak skirting is the most popular timber to blend with the oak floors.

Engineered and solid skirtings are available in numerous sizes. The engineered skirtings are veneered with a top layer of real wood and give the option of more types of timber such as walnut which is very rare in a solid skirting but more widely available in a veneer.

The standard sizes of skirtings range from 95mm to 220mm however the most popular ones are between 95 and 140mm. Often you will be guided by the size of skirting previously fitted as sockets and plaster will dictate the height. Styles of skirting match all the architrave styles – original designs like torus, ogee and lambs tongue along with contemporary designs such as square edge, bullnose (pencil round) and chamfered.

Skirtings are available unfinished, prefinished with oil, lacquer / varnish or colour oiled to match the flooring or doors. Oak skirtings have often been used to complement light coloured carpets as well as oak flooring to break up the room between light floors and light walls – this is often done in bedrooms where
people often want the comfort of carpet but with a hint of wood.

Window boards in the same timber as your floor will brighten up any window and make them look like new – as with the skirting, doors and architrave – the most popular ones are oak. The window boards can come in the original bullnose edging or with a square edge for a contemporary look.

The sizes of the window boards are available between 100mm – 350mm in both a solid board or veneered oak MDF board. The window sills are available unfinished or prefinished in a lacquer / varnish, oil or colour oil to complement the room.

These boards can also be used as stair cladding to clad over an existing staircase. The bullnose is perfect for the tread of the stair and square edge can be used for the riser – no need to rout out the existing overhang as the stairs can be packed first for the cladding to go over. A perfect accompaniment for all wooden floors.

Popularity: 7% [?]

Brand new range of rug designs

Feb 3

Posted by admin in Engineered, Flooring Accessories, Rugs, Wood flooring | No Comments

Wood flooring company Real Oak Floors have just introduced a brand new range of rugs. These rugs are perfect to complement your new wooden flooring and they are available in so many different designs and styles that there is bound to be something to suit every home and everyone’s taste. They are available in a range of sizes and materials including 100% pure wool rugs with styles such as modern rugs, shaggy rugs. Have a look at our new rugs now.

decadence rugs

Decadence rugs

Popularity: 2% [?]

Current Bargains at Real Oak Floors

Dec 23

Posted by admin in Engineered, Flooring, News, Special Offers, Wood Doors, Wood flooring | 1 Comment

Real Oak Floors currently have lots of bargains on wooden doors such as the versa wood doors range. This range covers four different styles incuding both glazed and unglazed doors that are simple yet beautifully designed and ideal for a contemporary look at a very low cost.

Real Oak Floors also currently have an offer of up to 20% off the excellent Supermodels internal wooden doors. These high quality doors are available in Oak, Oak (Wenge Stained), Walnut and Beech. This range covers glazed and unglazed doors and all these wood doors are available in a range of sizes.

As always there is a range of wood flooring special offers. These are limited time only pallet deals, once they’re gone they’re gone!

Popularity: 11% [?]

Real Oak Floors Best Seller!

Nov 27

Posted by admin in Engineered, Flooring, News, Wood flooring | No Comments

At Real Oak Floors the current best selling wood flooring combines low cost with high quality! The Brushed and Oiled 189mm Engineered Oak Flooring is finished with three coats of natural oil and has a brilliant matt finish due to the brushing process.  This oak flooring has a 22mm thickness which means that it can be laid directly down on to joists and is suitable for use with underfloor heating.

Specifications:

  • Wood Species: Oak
  • Finish: Brushed and Oiled
  • Edge: Bevelled Edges
  • Grade: Natural
  • Width: 189mm
  • Thickness: 22mm (includes 6mm real wood layer)
brushed and oiled oak flooring

Real Oak Floors best selling 189mm brushed and oiled oak flooring.

Popularity: 12% [?]

More wood flooring in the creative range of bespoke flooring

Nov 7

Posted by admin in Engineered, Flooring, Wood flooring | 1 Comment

Real Oak Floors selection of wood flooring is always growing. The Creative Flooring Collection of bespoke flooring has recently had new products introduced, “Luca” a castle grey wood flooring and “Soleto” a thermo treated and oiled oak flooring. Thermo treated flooring has a greater resistance to changes in temperature and has a darker, more unifirmed colour.

If you require any more information on these or any of our products you can get in touch with our sales team by either emailing us at sales@realoakfloors.co.uk or by phone on 0844 848 6840.

soleto thermo treated oiled oak flooring

Soleto thermo treated oiled oak flooring

Popularity: 12% [?]

New range of 148mm engineered wood flooring

Oct 27

Posted by admin in Brand Name Flooring, Engineered, Flooring, News, Wood flooring | 1 Comment

Wood flooring company Real Oak Floors now have available a selection of 148mm engineered flooring. It is very competitively priced from only £22 per square metre and is available in both rustic and prime grades. It measures 10mm in thickness with a 2mm real wood layer for prime boards and 2.5mm for rustic boards.

This oak flooring is available oiled either white or natural or can be left unfinished leaving you to add the oil or lacquer of your own choice. It is also available carbonised.

If you have any queries regarding this or any product get in contact with Real Oak Floors either by phone on 0844 848 6840 or by email sales@realoakfloors.co.uk

engineered oak flooring

engineered oak flooring

Popularity: 12% [?]