Talk to me about real wooden floors - what do I need to know before I get a man in to quote?

[TheBlonde]

We have scabby looking old floorboards in our reception room

I don't want carpet due to children and buggies

Can I just get new floorboards?
If you have real wood floor do they lay it on top of the old boards?
Is it hugely expensive? Hugely messy?

Feeling clueless

If you go for it then buy the most expensive you can.
We went with a cheaper quote in our old house and they ended up really gappy. They looked brilliant but were a nightmare as it got very dirty between them and so hard to clean.
Tongue and groove is probably the best plan.

my dp lays real wood flooring i think you can sand and polish old boards or they will lay over the top of floor boards

my dp doing our living room its not too messy can work out expensive depending what you have done best to get it in mind what you are after

you can get already finished boards which we are having lovely oak finished

or you can get unfinished that then need to be sanded and polished

best just to get some people to have a look see if anything can be done with old and get quotes from several flooring companies

not a very messy job can normally be done in one full working day 2 depending on cuts of wood and what ever else you have done with it

i love our flooring wouldn't be without it

just need him to lay living room sick of the sight of packs of wood lol

tongue and groove for definate you can have alook round b and q and they have lovely wood in there

You might also find it's cheaper to buy the wood yourself and hire a local handyman to fit it, rather than going to a flooring company?

Thanks all

The old boards are v gappy and have already been sanded and filled once but it's all falling apart now

I don't want to spend shedloads as we are hoping to move house in the next year or two

If the boards are in a bad way, you may need to lay chipboard over them to even up a bit first. You should also have all the skirtings removed and replaced at new height afterwards as this will give much better finish. Doors may have to be trimmed to accommodate. Fitters will charge depending on complexity of job (lots of alcoves, fireplaces, bay windows to work around will obviously cost more than a completely square room).

It does look gorgeous afterwards but is quite expensive because the fitting adds so much to the cost (£13 per sq m after loads of phoning round but I live in London).

how much is the actual floor per sq m?

About £25.

It isn't as hard wearing as you might think. It will get scratched.

Don't let friends come to dinner parties at your house wearing high heels!

It should only be washed with a proprietary wood cleaner and with a barely damp mop - so don't have it in a bathroom or kitchen area....

we are a strictly shoes off household

If you are likely to move in the next couple of years I'd suggest engineered wood flooring. This is a bit like posh laminate but it is a real layer of wood on the top (unlike laminate which is just a photo).
It usually costs less than solid wood but more than laminate and is easy to clean as no gaps. IME it is pretty child friendly.
Some good names are Kahrs, Junckers etc etc.

www.hardwoodfloorstore.co.uk/Kahrs/linnea_selection.htm

Thanks

That's what we have - engineered wood flooring (Kahrs)

We have recently moved into a Victorian property lounge/diner that's been knocked through completely. We've had chimney breasts reinstated and are now in the process of redecorating, changing skirtings and putting down new floors. Where the lounge/diner's been knocked through, at floor level the bricks stand slightly proud. Also, joy of joy, we uncovered a very 1960s style laminate tiled floor in the dining area, glued to the floorboards. Would we be able to lay engineered or real wood flooring over this? Would underlay help to even out the floor? And finally, would engineered or real wood flooring have to be glued or nailed down? We have fallen in love with real wood flooring but need the right option for this room (30m sq), and are not sure whether real wood or engineered wood would be the better option.

Any advice, hints or tips?

Hi, I used a company called Smart Wood flooring. They are based near Worthing in West sussex.. but they are Fantastic and would highly recommend them. They will travel to London for jobs too. I had solid oak put down throughout the ground floor of my house, it wasn't cheap @ £7k for the lot, but it looks amazing and they really do provide a first class service. If you afford it go for solid wood, engineered can get damaged much easier and there is often not a huge difference in the price!

It's not always about affordability fluxy - if you have a modern property with low ceilings, engineered wood is often recommended because of the thickness of solid oak floorboards.

I agree, and the question for me wasn't about affordability, it was really about the best, most sensible option, given the surface we have already. Although we'd love solid wood, conversations and research this week have indicated that engineered wood would be better...

Our house had a Junckers Beech floor in the kitchen when we moved in. Gorgeous. Trouble is, although maintained with Junckers products
(cost a bomb !), it became scabby. So it was resanded and sealed again and was fine for a couple of years then became scabby again. Another Junckers floor was laid and this too has become scabby. Looks good for a few hours after washing, but then shameful never really looks clean even after a scrubbing. Id never have a Junckers floor again.........HELP!!!
I had a B&Q solid oak floor put down in my sitting room. Still look wonderful and low maintenance after 6 yrs. so would strongly recommend this one and less than half the price.