Solid Wood and Hard Wood Floors (inc. Parquet)

A solid wood floor can add a timeless, traditional touch of beauty, elegance and quality and are popular in character homes or buildings where modern shiny floors look out of place.

Popular solid wood floors include oak, walnut, beech, bamboo and mahogany but there are lots of additional treatments and stains that can be used to enhance the colour and grain.  Solid wood floors are natural and sustainable and overall are a long lasting investment.

Solid Wood Floor Construction

A solid hardwood floor is made from tongue and groove planks of single piece air-dried or kiln-dried timber, sawn approximately 18mm to 20mm in thickness.

Parquet floors are once again considered a much desired floor and with the correct floor sanding and varnishing an old parquet floor can be restored to really add a style statement to any property.

Floor Maintenance and Care

Our technicians can use different sanding techniques as well as re-stained and finished many times.

Notes!

Stiletto heels are the enemy of sold, hardwood floors as they leave dents in the floor.

Engineered Floors

Engineered wood flooring looks like solid wood however, it is composed of thin layers of wood of different thickness’s glued together.

Floor Construction

The top layer is a veneer, which gives the flooring its colour and pleasing appearance. Engineered flooring is the best product for use over concrete, because it resists moisture better than a solid floor it can also be used in conjunction with  under floor heating systems.

These can be laid or floated over existing floors or fitted underlay.

Floor Maintenance and Care

Refinishing will depend upon the veneer depth.

Once sanding and varnishing is complete engineered floors can really make a statement.

Sprung or Floating Floors (inc. Ballroom)

Sprung floors or floating floors are generally found in ball rooms, dance and sports halls as they absorb shock improving performance and reducing injuries to dancers and athletes.

Floor Construction

Modern sprung floors are supported by foam backing or rubber feet, while traditional floors provide their spring through bending woven wooden battens.  There are principally four types:

• Traditional wood basket-weave
• Wood with high durometer neoprene pads. Sometimes both basket-weave and neoprene pads are used.
• Foam rubber with a wood or other area elastic layer on top
• A few sprung floors use actual springs – the special spring floors used by cheerleaders and tumblers often have coil springs under them.

The construction may be built into an area, or it may be composed of modules that slot together and can be disassembled to move locations.

A semi-traditional floor would have wood battens laid on pads made of neoprene, which is more durable than rubber.

A traditional floor might have three layers of this springing. Then two layers of plywood are placed on top, offset by 45–90 degrees so that the joints don’t match up. The plywood spreads the load. Finally, the actual surface is made from a layer of strong, durable wood like oak, beech or maple, or other types of wood that are covered with a vinyl surface.

A gap is left between floor and walls to allow for expansion and to allow air to circulate. This is often covered by a skirting board or molding, to make the gap less apparent. It is because the floor is free-standing rather than connected to walls or joists that it is also referred to as a floating floor.

Sprung Floor Maintenance and Care

Sprung floors can be sanded and finished many times.