How to Choose Wood Flooring

This guide explains the pros and cons of our wood flooring types and we have even included LVT flooring. It’s quite new on the market and often a great alternative.

There is no “best wood floor”, as each everyone will have different priorities. While aesthetics may be the top priority for one person, durability may be more important to the next. Maybe you won't mind if a floor becomes worn or scratched, but for some, this would completely ruin their floor.

Let's take a look at each wood flooring type and explore the advantages and drawbacks of each.

Laminate Flooring

Easily the most popular of wood floor types laminate flooring has some fantastic advantages.

Pros:

• The Hardest to scratch of all wood floors
• They are long-lasting
• Often the easiest to install & great for DIY
• Low-cost options with our cheap laminate flooring
• The biggest choice of decors & styles
• Available in wood, tile and stone decors
• Water-resistant laminate options available
• Pet-Friendly
• The lowest maintenance of all wood floors
• Suitable for underfloor heating

Cons:

• They lack the authentic feel of real woods
• The boards can repeat in a pattern

Solid Wood Flooring

The oldest floor covering in the world and still one of the most popular. Solid wood flooring has some great qualities

Pros:

• They will last hundreds of years
• They can be refinished to look like new
• You can stain a solid wood floor to any colour
• Authentic real wood warmth & feel
• A luxury finish
• Pet-Friendly
• Low maintenance

Cons:

• Professional installation is recommended
• Real wood can scratch so use felt pads on furniture
• Not ideal for underfloor heating
• Cannot be floated. Must be glued or nailed down
• Colour Variation is expected, especially in rustic wood floors. You may decide not to use some boards
• Extra waste should be purchased to allow for any planks which are not deemed suitable for installation
• Different batches will often vary in colour and form. Because wood is a natural product with natural colour variations, and different production lines can be used for each batch.

Engineered Wood Floroing

Engineered wood flooring looks and feels just like solid wood flooring, but underneath the real wood surface is often a stablising base layer adding extra versatility.

Pros:

• Looks and feels just like solid wood flooringVery long-lasting especially on thicker top layer floors
• You can stain an engineered wood floor to any colour
• Authentic real wood warmth & feel\
• A luxury finish
• Pet-Friendly
• Low maintenance
• More stable for heat and moisture changes than solid wood
• Suitable for underfloor heating
• Can be installed using wood floor underlays and floating
• Easier to install than solid wood flooring

Cons:

• Professional installation is recommended
• Real wood can scratch so use felt pads on furniture
• Colour Variation is expected, especially in rustic wood floors. You may decide not to use some boards
• Extra waste should be purchased to allow for any planks which are not deemed suitable for installation
• Different batches will often vary in colour and form. Because wood is a natural product with natural colour variations, and different production lines can be used for each batch.

LVT Wood Flooring

Although it’s not made of wood, LVT Flooring (or LVT) often comes in wood effect finishes along with many other decor types. It is extremely versatile and the fastest growing floor covering in the world.

Pros:

• Highly water-resistant
• Suitable for heavy traffic
• Quick and easy click installation
• DIY friendly
• Ready to use immediately
• High durability
• Suitable for underfloor heating
• Decors for all tastes
• Very low maintenance
• Hard to scratch
• Pet-friendly

Cons:

• Often more expensive than laminate flooring
• They lack the authentic feel of real woods
• The boards can repeat in a pattern