Home renovations are usually full of hard decisions. The stress associated with those decisions and the financial outlay the usually involve can be considerable and unpleasant. Sometimes, however, you happen upon products that suit your needs quite nicely and leave you wishing the entire renovation process could be that easy.  When that occurs, you can breathe a sigh of relief and move on to the next job knowing that you made a good decision of which you will reap the benefits for years to come.

In terms of flooring options, one of those decisions could just be as simple as choosing engineered wood flooring for your home renovation.  There are numerous benefits associated with this type of flooring that was first invented more than half a century ago.  The design of this flooring provides strength and eliminates expansion and contraction.  These qualities are achieved in part by stacking layers of wood in opposite directions.

Engineered wood flooring can be used in areas that would not be viable for traditional hardwood such as damp areas or near radiators or other ambient heat sources.  Another benefit is that there is no need for sanding when you install this type of flooring.  It is also quite easy to install yourself which can be a great money-saving option.

You have the option to choose among three installation types – floating, nailed and glued.  You also have a wide array of timber species, sizes, styles and grain patterns from which to choose.  Add to this, the relative sustainability of engineered wood flooring when compared to other flooring options especially when sustainably harvested or reclaimed wood is used to make the key and very visible veneer layer.  This flooring option will suit many tastes and last for many years after its easy installation process is complete.

Once solid wood flooring has been manufactured and installed, there are the important tasks of finishing, refinishing, sanding and caring for this precious floor.

Sanding is used to level the floor, compensating for the unevenness of the primary floor below. Another use for sanding is to renovate an existing floor so that it can once again be given some finishing or refinishing. Sanding is done by using increasingly finer grade of sandpaper to help eliminate the signs of the courser paper initially used, as well as to allow for even stain penetration should a stain have been used.

The two most popular ways of doing finishing and refinishing are oil and polyurethane.

• Oil finishes (and refinishes) are the most commonly used.  This is because the oils used are 100% natural and derived from vegetables etc.  This makes is VOC free and very environmentally friendly.
• The 1940’s introduced solid wood flooring to polyurethane finishes.  Although there are various kinds of polyurethane finishes, the most commonly used are straight polyurethane and oil-modified polyurethane.
  Straight polyurethane finishes produce a harder finishes, but offers a higher abrasion resistance. This makes it is easier to maintain and provides the floor with a variety of glosses – from a matt gloss, to high mirror gloss. However, as it ages, this finish may darken.  It is also very vulnerable to scratches which are not easy to repair. Expect some malodorous air in your house while this finished is being applied to your floor.
  The oil-modified polyurethane has similar properties to the straight polyurethane and is also quite abrasion resistant. It provides a different gloss to that of the straight polyurethane –its gloss being smoother and could be described as satin. This finish may also require more frequent maintenance.

Solid wood flooring is a hardy floor and with proper vacuuming, sweeping and washing, the floor will remain scratch free and easy to maintain. It is always important to follow the manufacturer’s advice on which floor soap to use when washing the solid wood floor and to avoid any oil-based soap.

When maintaining the floor, it is important to remember that heavy traffic on the floor, along with dust and dirt will affect the quality and the appearance of the floor.  This may result in more frequent refinishing than could be desirable. The use of linseed oil on an oil-finished floor will also help to keep the floor in good condition.

With a well-kept, cared for solid wood floor, there is no doubt that you will have many pleasurable moments just walking on your floor.

There is something about wood flooring in a home that brings a sense of warmth and cosiness that cannot be found with any other type of flooring material. Using the natural beauty of wood to enhance the look of your home is something that many homeowners install. There are a few things that you should know about wood flooring before you get started though. Once you learn what you can about this type of flooring and its care and maintenance, you will be able to make an informed decision for your home.

The first thing that you should consider is whether you want to use laminate flooring or real wood flooring. The laminates are much cheaper and easy to install. However, many people prefer the natural wood in their home. Be warned that natural wood requires a bit more work and expense to look great in your home.
The area of your home where you plan to install the flooring material is another consideration. Wood flooring is not an appropriate choice for a bathroom or a room where there is frequently water on the floor. Kitchens are one room that is difficult to use wood flooring in because of the chance of spills and water from the sink. Consider carefully before you decide to install wood flooring in either of these rooms. You may end up with damaged floors quickly if you install it in a place in the home that is not appropriate for wood floors.
Neither laminate flooring nor natural wood flooring is completely waterproof. You will have to take care to clean the floor without saturating it and wipe up any spills immediately. Wood expands when it becomes wet, which affects the actual construction of the floor. When the wood becomes dry, it will contract and could leave cracks behind. It is essential that hardwood floors be installed in the appropriate conditions to prevent mistakes in measurements because of swollen wood.

Laminate wood flooring is able to withstand water a little bit better than natural wood. It will take a good deal longer for laminate flooring exposed to water to become damaged and buckle.

Laminate flooring is a bit stronger than hardwood floors. You can drop heavy items on laminate wood flooring with much less of an impact than is possible on natural wood floors. Consider the kind of activity that will be done on the floor. A playroom for the kids may be more appropriate for laminate flooring than natural hardwood.
Hardwoods can also stain easily if a spill is not wiped up immediately. The finish will protect the wood a bit, but it can cause an ugly stain in the floor if the material is not cleaned up quickly. Laminate wood flooring can stain as well. There are cleansing products, however, that will clean the stain from a laminate wood floor that cannot be used on a natural wood floor.

Always make sure that you use cleaning products made specifically for hardwood floors. With laminate flooring, you don’t need to purchase special cleaning products to give the floor a wash.

One thing you will almost certainly notice if you replace carpet with a real wood or laminate floor is the noise level when walking on the floor, not only in the room itself but also in the rooms below if your room is on the first floor. This is an especially common problem in flats, where owners and landlords often fit laminate flooring as a cost effective and hard wearing solution, only to find that they receive complaints about the noise from those unfortunate enough to live below them. In extreme cases the noise can be so bad that neighbours have taken legal action against the owner of the noisy floor.

Thankfully there is something you can do to prevent this from happening to you, and that is to use a specialist acoustic underlay when you fit the flooring. Compared to the basic foam underlay that many people use (it’s under the floor and I’ll never see it, so why bother spending more than I need to?) specialist acoustic underlay tends to be much thicker and is designed specifically to dull down both the noise that travels through the floor and the noise in the room itself. As a bonus the extra thickness also provides better thermal insulation and will cope with a slightly more uneven subfloor. If you are fitting wood or laminate flooring in a flat or upstairs room it is well worth considering one of these underlays give you and your neighbours some peace.

Another form of noise often encountered with wood and laminate flooring is squeaking or creaking. This type of noise can be caused by several things but is usually related to an uneven subfloor or expansion and contraction of your flooring after installation. Both of these cases could be prevented through better preparation before the floor is fitted (always follow the manufacturer guidelines). If you’re simply looking for a quick fix, try sprinkling talcum powder around the edge of the offending board. The powder will penetrate the join, reduce the friction between the boards and may quieten the squeak.

For a more permanent solution you will need to find the cause of the original problem and address that. This could mean lifting your floor and preparing the subfloor to the correct guidelines, or cutting the flooring back if it pinches against any fixed points on the surrounding wall, therefore re-installing the expansion gap. Real wood and laminate flooring has a reputation for being noisy, and it is certainly noisier than carpet, but with the correct preparation and a little investment you can enjoy having a beautiful floor that won’t drive you or your neighbours up the wall.

A look at some common warping and bowing questions with wooden flooring.

My flooring is warped / bowed before installation

Wood is a natural product and as such a small amount of bowing is to be expected in any wood flooring board. Engineered and solid wood flooring products are produced in controlled conditions and when packaged for distribution should contain moisture content of approximately 8% – 12%. Most installation instructions state that the boards must be acclimatised in the installation environment for a certain amount of time and should not be unwrapped until they are required. The reason for this is to allow the moisture content of the boards to adjust to changes in relative humidity before they are installed, reducing the risk of problems after installation.

Staggering the joints during installation is also necessary to maintain the structural integrity of the floor and eliminate any deformities caused by exposure to moisture. This in turn keeps the flooring flat and fully supported. Bowing to a degree is not considered a defect in a wood floor board, and does not necessarily indicate a faulty product – provided the flooring is installed according to the manufacturer’s instructions it should not affect the quality of the finished floor.

My floor is warping after installation

Cupping and crowning are common complaints that develop with high humidity or moisture levels, both occurring across the width of the wood flooring material. Cupping is when the edges of a board are high and its centre is lower, and it only occurs after water or moisture is absorbed into the wood from beneath, normally from the sub floor. Cupping is caused by a moisture imbalance through the thickness of the wood. The wood is wetter on the bottom of the board than on the top, and hence the bottom expands relative to the top, causing the cupping effect.

The first step in repairing a cupped floor is to identify and eliminate the problem moisture source. Once the source of the moisture is controlled, cupping can usually be cured. The floor may improve on its own as it dries out over time, or alternatively you can try and accelerate the drying process using a dehumidifier. Once the moisture content has stabilized, the floor can then be reassessed.

Crowning is the opposite of cupping, where the centre of a board is higher than the edges. Moisture imbalance is again the cause of the crowning however, the excessive moisture is introduced on the top of the floor and not from beneath, perhaps from spilled water or an appliance leak. The end result and problem solving is the same as cupping – to eliminate the moisture source and dry the floor either naturally or with the aid of a dehumidifier.

Flooring installers should always measure the moisture levels of a subfloor before installation. They should not rely on the age of a concrete slab to determine that it is ready for installation – moisture readings are essential before installation takes place. It is equally important to check the relative air humidity and acclimatise the flooring before installation.

Always follow the flooring installation instructions specific to your flooring to ensure you don’t encounter these problems with your floor.

My wooden floor has dents, scratches and marks in it

Wood is a strong and resilient material but ultimately when subjected to enough force it will show the effects – it is after all a natural product which will mark, dent and scratch over time.

Cause: High heel shoes or stones in the soles of your shoes, dropping sharp or heavy objects onto the floor, furniture or appliances being dragged across the floor.

Prevention: Remove footwear or maintain proper heel-tip protectors. Provide large felt or rubber protectors under heavy furniture legs, or alternatively use castors on future. Use the care guidelines of the flooring manufacturer to keep your floor free of dirt and grit. Try not to drop objects on your floor!

Cure: For small dents where wood fibres are not broken, cover with a dampened cloth and press with an electric iron to draw fibres up. If this doesn’t work the only other options is to sand down your floor and refinish the wood.

Gaps are appearing in my floor

Wood based products naturally expand and contract with moisture and temperature. You will typically find that during the summer or especially dry months the joints within the floor will be more noticeable and gaps may appear. There is a possibility that gaps may be installation related, if you notice gaps immediately after installation (within the first few days) this might be an indication that the product has been insufficiently locked together or that not enough time was given for acclimatisation – this is the time required to allow the product to expand or contract to match its installation conditions.

Cause: Incorrect installation is a possible cause but this will usually be obvious fairly soon after installation. The most common reason for gaps appearing is shrinkage due to a reduction in humidity and moisture. If subjected to extreme moisture, the resulting expansion of the wood can cause the edges of the wood to crush slightly, and then subsequent drying and shrinkage can present larger than normal gaps. Square edge (un-bevelled) floors show cracks more than bevelled. Most gaps or cracks are seasonal – they show in dry months or the cold season when heating is required, and close up during humid periods. This type of separation and closing is considered normal.

Prevention: Always acclimatise boards in line with the manufacturer guidelines before installation. Follow installation instructions carefully. Make sure the local living space is suitable for your flooring choice.

Cure: Uplift and reinstall. Add moisture to the air space during dry periods. A constant Relative Humidity (RH) of 50% works in concert with the manufacture of wood flooring to provide stability in the floor. Install a humidifier to control the RH levels.

My floor is lifting

Wood based products naturally expand and contract with moisture and variation in temperature. Therefore if your flooring is lifting this generally gives an indication that it has expanded beyond the amount allowed by the expansion gap around the edge of the room.

Cause: It is possible that not enough time was given for acclimatisation before being installed, or that the required expansion gap around the edge of the room was not given. Other possibilities may include prolonged exposure to water, or a relative humidity (RH) level that is simply too high for the floor.

Prevention: Fortunately the above problems can usually be fixed by simply allowing more room for expansion, by replacing the affected planks (in the case of water damage), or by simply regulating the humidity level. Always acclimatise boards according to the manufacturer guidelines. Follow installation instructions carefully and be sure to leave the adequate expansion gap. Make sure the local living space is suitable for your flooring choice.

Cure: Cut the flooring back if it pinches against any fixed points around the edge, therefore giving the required expansion gap. Control the Relative Humidity (RH) of the room to provide stability in the floor and prevent excessive expansion and shrinkage.