Why Hardwood Flooring is Still a Solid Choice
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Why Hardwood Flooring Continues to Shine
Why Hardwood Flooring Continues to Shine
We have supplied hardwood flooring to thousands of homes across England and have developed a strong opinion. Supplies have come and gone but the feedback of customers with standing hardwood flooring has survived the test of time. From Victorian conversions to ultra-modern new builds.
For example. three years ago, a lady from Cambridge asked for flooring in her 1930's semi to be replaced. We thought it strange that she thought the hardwood boards needed replacing after 90 years of family life. She sent us photos before ordering to confirm the exact spec she needed.
We thought the timber was in good shape, just tired and weary after decades without work. We recommended refinishing the boards instead of having them replaced. Half a year down the line, she called to get some hardwood for an extension to her kitchen and told us the neighbours were curious and asking who she got the "new" dining room flooring from.
Character vs. Prime Grade: The Choice, Nobody Tells You About
The difference in character vs prime is more of a gap than species in variety, and yet, it is the one customer realise the least when ordering. Little do they know, it is this difference that alters the look of the floor the most. Character grades can include knots, natural features, and other colour variations. With prime grade, you would receive a more classical, formal appearance since it has fewer knots and variations in colour. Neither option is a better choice, as they meet different needs and looks.
In Solid hardwood, you have a higher-quality wood that, given its density, can be sanded and refinished. We've been told by some of our customers that they ended up refinishing the floor every 3 to 4 years for the next 30 years. Each time they refinished the floor, they would effectively be getting a "new" hardwood floor for the cost of the professional refinishing.
The backing of engineered flooring for example is cheaper, and it has a thin hardwood veneer. You'll probably get one, maybe two refinishes, and after that, it's time to replace it.
Climate Change Consideration
In the last five years, British homes with the most extreme heat and humidity have shown improved performance of solid, rather than composite, materials.
When fully glued, engineered floors do not perform well with extreme heat and humidity. There have been multiple reports of cracking, lifting of the surface veneer, and the backing expanding and contracting rates and degrees of separation of surface and backing materials.
Solid hardwood, unlike engineered wood with multiple glues, floors, and boards, contracts and expands as one singular piece. As the real thing timber has done for centuries, heat and humidity gaps will appear; however, the floor will remain completely intact no matter the weather.
What Property Type Really Matters
Period Properties: The Natural Match
Solid hardwood floors are the most suitable for real Victorian, Edwardian, and Georgian buildings for not only match the age and quality of the building but also respect it's building traditions.
In Bath, last year, we were asked to supply hardwood for a listed Georgian townhouse. The planning officer said solid hardwood would be suitable for the building character and at the same time would be unsuitable for office modern alternatives.
New Builds: A Long-Term Investment
Not many people understand the characteristics of modern homes and the impact of solid hardwood. Builder grade materials that are used on the floors of new-build homes look very old and tired after only a few years. Solid hardwood portrays no age at all. It elevates the feel of a new home and ages beautifully as it settles and takes on character with the house.
Conversions of barns and rural properties
Hardwood has an affinity with the character of rural properties. We have supplied materials for dozens of barn conversions where hardwood flooring interlinks contemporary living with agricultural flooring heritage and practicality for country life. Bottom line, and in response to twenty years of feedback, solid hardwood flooring has become the accessory of choice, as it does deliver long-term value which other alternatives fail to meet. While the price point is higher initially, it balances out over the years due to solid flooring's multiple refinishing cycles, ability to be repaired instead of replaced, and decades of issue-free performance. While some new flooring technology has the same spiel about solid wood flooring being in the past, the fundamental truths have not changed about hardwood flooring: It has high-quality materials, and it is professionally installed.
Frankly, some of our customers have been the most hesitant and discouraged and have done the most thorough research. Other customers have decades of performance and value from hardwood flooring, and as their complaints have become overwhelming, it's instead for new additions to their existing hardwood floors, and refinishing over the years new maintained their decades of performance and value.
If you want longevity as opposed to cheaper initial costs, select hardwood. Choose hardwood if you prefer materials to be repaired and maintained rather than replaced. Most critically, buy the proper quality you require from suppliers who can appreciate and understand the variance between decent hardwood flooring and the low quality. Both options are readily available on the market, and the price difference is minimal compared to the difference in quality.
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sales@uksleepers.co.uk.
