Winter is a time to take stock of your home and many of us feel the urge during the darker months to make our homes more cozy and enjoyable. One of the things that we notice more at this time of year are our floor coverings. Those faded carpets or tatty vinyl floors become irritating the more time we spend inside looking at them. Solid wood flooring is a great way to spruce up a floor and give a room a new lease of life.

Wooden flooring is becoming more and more popular with trends for 2017 to include UV oiled finishes, grey and white paint and chevron patterns. Choosing the perfect flooring is an important task, we believe that wood is the best solution for any home and have listed the advantages and disadvantages of solid wood flooring.

Solid wood flooring – Advantages

High-end design

A solid wood floor will add a significant element of quality and elegance to any home or workspace. There are good reasons that wooden floors are so popular with interior designers, they afford timeless refinement and a feeling of solidity and can be the single feature that pulls everything else in a design together.

Durability

Solid wood floors are by far the most endurable type of flooring available. Not only will your wooden floor last longer than a vinyl or carpet option but also as time goes by its look will improve as the wood matures and settles into its surroundings.

Easy to clean

All a wooden floor requires to be clean is a quick brush or hoover. A carpet takes much longer to hoover and will continue to trap dirt and odours after hoovering.

Good for your health

Solid wood floors are natural and trap less dust than synthetic floors such as vinyl, this also means they encourage less of the moulds and allergens that cause irritating or debilitating allergies. Some synthetic floors also bring their own allergens with them; by far the best flooring choice for eczema, asthma and allergic rhinitis sufferers is a clean solid wood floor.

Less prone to damage

Floors take a lot of wear and tear and there will inevitably be accidents when things get dropped onto them. Wooden floors are less likely to be dented by heavy objects than laminated or engineered floors and are less prone to damage from shoes than vinyl.

Easier to fix

In the unlikely event of your wooden floor being damaged, it will be a simple task to repair it with some sanding and the reapplication of any finishes.

Easy to lay

Working with wood is a craft and in most cases an experienced fitter should install solid wood floors. That said they are easy to lay with the minimum of mess and household disturbance. Solid wood floors can be laid over concrete or wood, they have a tendency to move around and should be fixed to the surface below, unlike engineered floors, which can ‘float’.

Thick boards

Some floors, particularly older or larger ones, have an uneven height. This can be problematical with thin laminate boards but solid wood floors tend to have be thicker, allowing them to cope more easily with height differences.

Comfort

For a hard substance, real wood is remarkably comfortable on your feet, even if you like to walk around barefoot. Babies and toddlers will find a new solid wood floor easy to play on compared to tiles, concrete or even some vinyls.

Acoustics

If you are considering flooring for a music room or recording studio then a solid wood floor makes a great option because its even surface allows for a more natural sound.

House value

Solid wood flooring is growing in popularity and estate agents know that a house that has such an investment is always going to impress prospective buyers.

The environment

Solid wooden flooring is the only completely sustainable option for your floor and uses considerably less energy in its production than any alternative.

Solid wood floors have many advantages but no floor system is perfect and they all require a certain amount of care and attention. To help you to determine which type of flooring is right for you, we look next at the disadvantages of solid wooden flooring.

Solid wood flooring -Disadvantages

Regular maintenance

A solid wood floor is a thing of beauty and requires a certain amount of care and attention. This includes regular dry i.e. brushing or hoovering and damp cleaning, plus a polish every 3-4 years.

Water leaks

Solid wood floors do not respond well to water and whilst cleaning with a damp mop is fine, puddles of water caused by leaks must be dealt with as soon as possible.

Noise

One of the disadvantages of solid wood floors is the noise level when people walk across it. This can be an issue in properties that are divided into flats but can to some extent be counteracted by the installation of acoustic matting or the selective use of rugs.

Your choice of flooring will have considerable impact on the look and feel of your home or workspace. Great design flair in furnishings and decoration are important but it is your choice of floor covering that will immediately draw the eye and impress. We recommend solid wood flooring as a durable, timeless and elegant option for your home or workspace.

At Indigo Flooring we offer a wide range of hardwood flooring options for use in both residential and commercial setting. To start using hardwood flooring in your home or business, get in touch with one of our flooring specialists today.

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