Talk to me about wooden flooring...

[ravenAK]

I want darkish oak to go in a (roughly) 5m2 living room.

I think I want engineered - & not to fit it myself - have done laminate (fiddly & looked a bit cheap) & sanding (NEVER AGAIN) in the past.

We're in West Yorkshire.

Any recommendations or advice would be much appreciated

[ravenAK]

bump! OK, I know it's flooring, it's boring, you're all already snoring...

[kif]

Walnut?

Why engineered rather than solid?

[ToughDaddy]

I had engineered wood made by kahrs at previous house. Was very good e.g. well sealed for spills. Nothing bad to say about it. It is sandable a few times but never had to over those 5 years

[ravenAK]

Um, engineered because it's probably cheaper & doesn't need to sit around for 3 weeks before getting laid?



I really, really don't know, hence thread! Am losing will to live poking amongst flooring sites & want someone to say 'We've got this, it's great, ring this bloke'

Walnut sounds a good idea though!

Thanks toughdaddy, will google kahrs.

[Doozle]

Walnut is expensive though, but very lovely.

If I was to do my floors again, I'd buy smoked hardwood floors. The reason being that if you scratch them, it doesn't matter too much, it's the same colour throughout the wood.

I love the hardwood floors we have now but I'm forever worried about scratching them because it's a lighter shade underneath the varnish.

I can recommend a good company in Blackpool, is that too far to travel?

Do think you need to see the wood in person.

Also what's your budget per sqm?

[Doozle]

How about this one?

Dark smoked oak

[MrsSpringsteen]

we are in west yorks and had oak fitted by a local joiner

all looks good and when lorry came it was British Hardwoods

[Vamonos]

I'd recommend trying to find a local independently owned wood flooring company, and asking them for a quote.

They should be able to measure up and give you a free quote for all the different options you're interested in, and also leave you brochures and samples.

We looked into this and as I remember, engineered flooring came out as the best option (out of engineered, solid planks and parquet) on price, ease of installation and looks.

[ravenAK]

That does look lovely Doozle.

TBH, we don't have a clear budget - still selling previous house & if anything goes wrong there (long story, hopefully completing anyday) we'll be trying to rent it out & any big, expensive projects on the new house will just have to wait!

The area's about 28m2, & I'd quite like the budget to be under £1k including fitting. If it costs more we'll have to cut back on the new kitchen I'm also pining for...

Initial forays suggest that that's achievable if we buy the wood from eBay & get a local bloke to fit it. But I'm scared that something will go wrong & we'll have limited comeback.

Aaaargh. I think we're just going to have to get a few quotes & go for it.

[mrsmaidamess]

We got some cracking solid oak flooring form B & Q, its like a worn finish that looks like it's been down for years.(but not in a crap way)

[bodiddly]

to be honest I wouldn't buy from ebay - you could end up with anything! I sell solid and engineered at work (along with everything else) and unless you buy from a decent place you run the risk of the planks being different thicknesses which means that they will not sit nicely when fitted. You even run the risk of this when you buy from Homebase and B&Q on the solid plank floors. I guess this would be less likely to happen if you were to buy an engineered floor but quite often these are more expensive than solid! I think you would be best to spend the money on the flooring and either fit yourself (I know you are not keen) or try to find someone that can help you - it really isnt that difficult - just knackering!

[bodiddly]

as Doozle said ... you need to be careful with dark flooring as scratches etc show up much more - the top layer being obviously stained. If you need to do it for the 1k, could you contact your local flooring companies and ask whether they have any stock of discontinued items etc - they usually sell them off really cheaply. We are suppliers for xylo flooring (London based) and they send us updates every couple of weeks of their end of lines etc - it is an opportunity to get a bargain for really good quality wood!

[ravenAK]

Thanks guys. I've looked in B&Q mrsmaidamess & couldn't see anything dark enough - I want a warm, dark, cognac oak/walnut type colour.

Bodiddly, that's exactly my concern - although dh is an eBay enthusiast & always seems to be lucky - he reckons it's all in the scrutiny you give the feedback...

I'm not keen on fitting it because it's a big Victorian sitting room with a fireplace, deep skirting boards & a bay - I did a quick cheap job with laminate on the dc's bedroom at our old house, which was a nice neat rectangle, & used beading to hide the slightly wonky edges, but I'm not brave enough to start mucking about with funny angles & expensive boards!

[stainesmassif]

we got engineered light oak laid by a friend of a friend a couple of weeks ago- it is beeeeeeeeautiful, i love it. i was also hankering after dark oak after staying in a lovely hotel with shiny polished dark flooring. until my mum pointed out that dark carpet shows bits like a bastard. and so would dark oak. and i remembered that the navy carpets upstairs drive me nuts....just something to consider...

i was v annoyed with mum when she pointed this out btw.