What is solid oak flooring?

What is solid wood flooring?

Solid wood flooring is a product that is made from one piece of wood, from top to bottom. It is usually tongue and grooved, so the boards can be installed with ease.

How is solid wood flooring constructed?

Each plank is milled from a single piece of timber. To add stability to the floor, some shallow relief grooves are routed into the bottom, so that seasonal changes do not adversely affect the shape of the boards.

Why would I choose a solid wood floor?
Solid wood flooring gives you a great opportunity for customisation. Your choice of species, stains and finishes all contribute to the personalisation of a solid floor. You can purchase an unfinished floor, which you would finish yourself once laid, by adding a lacquer, varnish, wax or oil. Or you can stain it to match your interior. If you prefer not to undertake this process, there are hundreds of products available in different widths, lengths, finishes and stains all ready to be installed and walked on straight away. An advantage of solid wood flooring is the thickness, (18mm+ products) as these can be laid straight over joists, saving money on a subfloor. Solid wooden flooring is a flooring material that will last for generations - all supported by very long warranties and guarantees that reflect this fact.

Where can I fit solid wood flooring?
This is an excellent choice in most areas of a home on the ground level or above. It should be installed in a moisture-controlled environment therefore it is not recommended for areas such as cellars, basements, conservatories or over under-floor heating systems. Solid wood floors are great for people who suffer from allergies, as dust does not get ingrained, as with carpets.

How do I install solid wood flooring?
Solid wooden oak flooring can be installed by 4 different methods. Which method you use is dependent on the flooring type, location, budget, schedule or skills. Fitting a solid wooden floor isn’t a difficult task but does require sound DIY knowledge and precise preparation. Nailing a timber floor is the most affordable and preferred way to install. If you have a timber framed property this is the best method. A nail is driven through the tongue of the board, at a 35 degree angle, into the wooden floor or joist. This is done every few inches. A tool called a Portanailer can be used to ensure regular accurate fixing.

Gluing solid wood floors to concrete subfloors is a good alternative to nailing, this involves either troweling and adhesive across the floor and laying boards into it, or using adhesive dispensed from a gun that creates beads of glue running down the room, while laying your floor onto the glue, across the room. This provides an alternative to joists or battens, and are often referred to as liquid battens.

A relatively new method of using a sticky underlay can be used, this is done by laying the underlay down, and peeling back a plastic layer to reveal the sticky part, whereby you lay your boards onto the adhesive. This can be a little more fiddly than the method above, but still keeps installation within reach of the end user.

The clip system method is used soley by a manufacturer called Junckers. This is a system that uses shallow metal clips to hold the rows of boards together, using a groove in the bottom of the board. Read more flooring advice.