FLOORS solid wood or laminate?

Wood Flooring Supplies based in Morecambe are very knowledgeable when it comes to fitting flooring, if you are considering whether to fit solid wood or a laminate flooring then this article is for you.

SOLID WOOD FLOORING
Solid Wood flooring comes in all wood species, each having different density’s, for example Pine is a soft wood so can be easily dented, while European Oak is roughly three times harder. Brazilian Walnut ( IPE) is the densest wood flooring. There are woods a lot tougher than that but generally not used for flooring due to difficulty in cutting and nailing down.
If you are wanting a pristine looking solid wood floor, then you have to ban stilettos high heel shoes, the pressure they produce is enough to damage any hard wood floor, regardless of the density. On the other hand some people like the lived in appearance, so the odd scrape and dent gives it more character. A brushed and oiled or matt lacquered oak floor will help hide such imperfections. A well looked after Solid wood floor will last a hundred years, Hardwood flooring can be sanded many times and re-finished.
LAMINATE FLOORING
Laminate flooring is known to be extremely tough and durable, it is made up of four layers, the bottom is a barrier layer, next is the base layer which is made up of very dense particle board, usually High Density Fibre board (HDF), then the layer on top of that is a photo paper soaked in a resin, finally the top layer is a strong transparent layer, all are glued together under extreme pressure and heat. The good thing about Laminate flooring is, if you get a chip, it can be repaired using the appropriate colour match filler.
There are different wear ratings for Laminate flooring, Manufacturers give it an AC rating ranging from AC1 to AC5, AC1 is for bedrooms and would be the cheapest in price, AC2 is for bedrooms, dining rooms and living rooms, AC3 is for heavy domestic areas like hallways, dining rooms and living rooms. Then there is the commercial grading, which starts at AC3, that is suitable for hotel rooms and small offices, AC4 is suited for small shops, offices, and finally AC5 which is the highest rating is used for department stores, large offices and public buildings. Some offer a 25 year warranty, but many people probably won’t have a laminate floor for that length of time, due to change of décor and fashion, but at least you know if you did go for a quality make, then you should have no problems.

Read the article in the magazine here

http://www.woodflooringsupplies.co.uk