FAQ

• Engineered
  • An engineered floor has a very stable construction which consists of more than 1 layer. Each layer is glued together in opposite directions which helps to stop the flooring expand and contract in changing humidity, thus making it very stable. This stability has enabled manufacturers to make very wide planks, that can be laid without the increased worry of the boards cupping curling or shrinking with humidity changes.
  • Engineered floors will have a top veneer of real wood usually between 2-6mm depending on the floor thickness and make up. This real wood can be maintained like any other wood floor and sanding of the veneer is ok, but obviously, the 6mm veneer can be sanded more times in its lifetime. The top veneer is glued to the base layers of either softwood spruce or hardwood plywood core depending on the manufacturer.
  Solid floors 
  • Solid floors are machined from one single piece of timber, which is usually a hardwood species.
  • Solid flooring will need to left on site to acclimatise in the conditions at least 1 week before laying to ensure that the moisture content has adjusted to the surroundings.
  • Most manufacturers do not recommend laying over underfloor heating, although with the correct controls and conditions this is possible and some will guarantee..
  • Quite often solid flooring is used in traditional herringbone or parquet installations, but also still very commonly used in sports halls and commercial environments
  • Solid floors will need to be either fully bonded or mechanically fixed down to the sub-floor with the exception of Junckers clip system

• An engineered floor is less likely to fail in changing climatic conditions. Can be manufactured in wider width planks with confidence. Engineered floor is much better and usually guaranteed with underfloor heating. Most engineered boards are prefinished, therefore less time spent sanding and finishing on site. Much better use of the slow grown hardwood as engineered floors uses less on the veneer layers. Engineered boards can be laid floating on an underlay

• Generally it is considered that most engineered floors can be fitted on underfloor heating, however certain hardwoods are generally not suitable particularly tropical species. You must check with all manufacturers before specifying or purchasing.
• Solid floors are generally not considered for use with underfloor heating due to the instability, however some manufacturers guarantee this but it has to have very strict guidelines. Always check before purchasing or specifying a solid floor on underfloor heating.
• When installing the heating must have been commissioned and turned off or down to a minimum. After installation the floor can be turned on and gradually brought up by 2 degrees C per day and never exceeding 27 degrees c surface temperature.
• Always check for recommendations before purchasing floors to be laid with underfloor heating.

Each manufacturer has distinctive styles and grading references but generally grades are considered as follows:

• Prime Grade – Generally, prime grade has very few if any knots at all. The knot sizes will be minimal and any defects or colour variation will not be permissible or very minimal.
• Character Grade – This will have a much wider range of permissible colour variations and large filled knots. Defects and sapwood are allowed and will use filler for any open defects or shakes.
• Rustic grade – Rustic can have very large knots and filled defects within the boards with colour variation prominent. The size and variations can be limitless.

The building must be weathertight and conditions ambient with a minimum temperature of 17 degrees c. All heating should be working and any wet trades should be complete and dried out before starting. Sub-floor should be tested for moisture to ensure dry enough before laying. General rule of thumb is 75% or below for standard screed and 65% or below if it has underfloor heating. Liquid dpm can be used in certain situations to enable the floor to be laid. If in doubt ask. The sub-floor should be flat to SR1 building tolerance. This is + or – 3mm over a 3 metre straight edge. If not, then smoothing or self levelling compounds can be used to rectify. Always check the requirements before installing any floor

UV Oiled floors are factory cured using UV lights and very hard wearing, whilst still having the authentic appearance of Naturally oiled floors. UV oiled floors in general cannot be overcoated with additional oils as it will not take to the surface. Natural oiled floors need more care and attention, with regular applications of maintenance oil to replenish the surface. Naturally oiled floors are easier to repair local scratches with quick and easy methods, however the surface can become soiled quite quickly particularly in heavy traffic areas like hallways and doorways. Lacquered floors are hard wearing and need the least maintenance, however the floors can show up scratches more and much harder to repair.

All the flooring from Wooden Floors UK are from carefully selected sources, minimalizing the impact on the environment.

All floors will need to be regularly cleaned using a dry mop and the cleaning solution specific for your surface finish. We can offer special cleaning kits for lacquered, UV oiled or natural oiled floors.

Brushing is a process that removes the soft oak grain using wire brushes, creating a textured and very distinctive appearance.

Floating floor installations are completely free from mechanical fixings, thus allowing the floor to be floated on a suitable underlay over existing floorboards, concrete and screeds. This makes the installation very easy, however must have a flat and stable sub-floor before commencing. Floating floors are a good way to acoustically isolate the impact sounds as they offer a complete separation layer between floor and substrate.

Floors can be fully bonded using a suitable Polymer based adhesive and a notched trowel. This gives a direct contact with the substrate and a ‘solid’ feel underfoot, which is sometimes preferred as a more traditional method. Fully bonded floors are considered more efficient for underfloor heating as they have a direct contact with the substrate and heat transfer is maximised.

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