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Return To Flooring Article Archive   Search the Article Archives Wooden Flooring and Laminate Floors Add A Natural Touch to the Home By Rami Nseir Wooden flooring has many benefits over the use of carpets. Laying a wooden floor can set your home apart from the rest and increase its value if you come to sell the house. Each floorboard is unique making the effect of a wooden floor very attractive. Unlike carpets, wooden flooring does not trap dust and mites and is therefore highly recommended for allergy suffers. Wooden flooring is extremely hard wearing and will last considerably longer than even the highest quality carpets available. It is easy to keep clean and is stain resistant to food and drink. Any spillages can simply be soaked up and wooden flooring can be easily swept to remove dust and solid matter. Wooden flooring is widely available from all good hardwood flooring suppliers. You can buy wooden flooring in various thickness and widths. Some wooden flooring products are even available in random lengths to add to the natural look of the flooring. A range of finishes is also available including unfinished, lacquered and oiled, which gives a durable protective layer whilst maintaining a natural finish. There are various grades of wooden flooring available with the higher grades having less knots and colour variation. Generally speaking the younger the wood, the lighter the colour. This can mean that even wood from the same tree can have variations in colour depending on how old the wood is. Older wood is found at the centre of the tree whilst the younger, lighter wood is found around the edge. This younger wood is known as Sapwood. Oak flooring is widely used in North America and Europe for both residential and commercial flooring. Both continents are major producers of the flooring with the USA producing Red and White oak flooring and European oak flooring on this side of the Atlantic. An incredibly rich colour can be achieved by polishing oak flooring. Red oak flooring is noted for its warm tones with pink tinting whilst White oak flooring is often lighter with grey tones. Most oak flooring produced in North America is made from trees sourced on the Eastern side of the Rockies whilst European Oak is made from timber found all over Europe. All these different types of oak vary in colour; hardness and grain however all give a stunning finish to any room. Walnut flooring is also heavily produced in North America where the Walnut tree is most common. It is an extremely tall and fast growing tree that produces a varied grain of warm and rich coloured wood. Walnut flooring is generally darker than oak flooring and is incredibly hard wearing. It is commonly used in offices, libraries and dining rooms where a warm yet classic look is required. There is very little that comes close to the look and feel of real wooden flooring however the cost to buy flooring like this is not affordable to every budget. Engineered hardwood flooring is available and can be cheaper than solid wooden flooring. It comprises of a layer of hardwood on top of a plywood base. Alternatively laminate flooring is a good cost effective solution to real wooden flooring and is available in a range of wooden and ceramic styles. Since its introduction the improvements in laminate flooring has been outstanding. Nowadays most laminate flooring does not require glue and simply clicks together. This makes laying laminate flooring faster, easier and much less messy, With such high quality laminate flooring now available it can sometimes be hard to tell the difference between laminate and real hardwood flooring and its popularity for use in homes and commercial properties is growing all the time. About the Author: Rami Nseir is a consultant for the UK Flooring Retailer' voted Britains best for the 4th consecutive year. Cleaning Vinyl Floor

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