Deep Singh

Firstly apologies for so many 'home' related threads, but I'm in the middle of a refurb.

I'm looking to put wood floors in a couple of my rooms. A few questions

1) I notice that some engineered floors are as expensive as some solid wood floors ie £40m2 upwards. Why is that?

2) When looking at solid wood floors they seem to say different things about the finish ie oiled, lacquered etc What does that all mean?

3) I have no intention of fitting them myself. Are the labour costs of having them professionally fitted as high as stone tiles ie £40+m2?

Many thanks

Petem95

*waits for someone to come along and suggest laminate*

Bug Eyed Peas

Make sure that the flooring has been kiln dried if you are seriously considering solid wood. I have been working with wood for 15 years now and it does give, that means warp no matter what type you get. I have recently got a brand callled Karndean in my front room, its a laminate but very very hardwearing, guaranteed for 15 years. And its considerably cheaper than solid wood. And if you want to change the floor, say in a few years you can replace straight over the top without removing. With solid wood it would be a pain in the ar$e. Hope this helps.

Anthony

Deep Singh

Hi Anthony.

When you say it warps, what actually happens? Does engineered wood also warp?

Thanks
Deep

wakeboardar

labour cost is around 12 quid a m2
if i was having oak maple or beech i would go for solid wood
anything other than that i would go for mdf backed with a solid veneer on top
all wood warps if you treat it right it warps less
the worst would be expansion and lifting in areas on your floor
open joints look ****e also, they look great when its finished a week later is when you see it
oiling a floor is always the most problem prone although this gives true feel to to wood and is highly desired
oiling the surface makes the it season in a differant way to the back causing curl and shake better to oil the underside as well even it it seems a waste of time
ive done some fine floors and fuked up a few in in my time as a chippie

Bug Eyed Peas

Wakeboardar is correct. But at the end of the day, its up to you which route you choose to go down. We are just here to help.
Yep solid wood does look the dogs particulars when first laid but after a period of time will shrink etc. As previously said, worked with solid wood for a period of years and know the pros and cons. Karndean for me everytime

Anthony

Deep Singh

Thanks

Whats an 'open joint'?

Does egineered wood warp?

How long will engineered wood last if looked after?

Thanks again