The Switch to Engineered wooden Flooring

Why British consumers are choosing Engineered wood flooring Over Solid Wood Flooring

Todays Wood flooring article concentrates on Solid Wood Flooring & Engineered Wood Flooring and the reasons “ Why “ consumers are switching over from solid wood. Let us explore the differences between engineered wood flooring and solid hardwood wood flooring.

•           Engineered flooring, by the very virtue of its naming, implies that it is not 100% wood but a wood floor product that has undergone some kind of processing. Engineered wood flooring is generally made of a Plywood core with a Solid Wooden Veneer on the surface to give the look and feel or Solid wood, there may be more than one variety of wood and special components to enhance the flooring. For instance, engineered wood flooring may also use recycled rubber wood for a base.

•           Engineered wood flooring usually has a number of layers. This allows it to be vastly more stable since contraction and expansion is far less. It is no secret that solid wood flooring will expand and contract sometimes way beyond acceptable levels when there are serious temperature fluctuations or high relative humidity. The popularity of engineered flooring largely rests on the shortcomings of solid wood flooring. Solid hardwood is notorious for expanding, contracting and swelling up. ( With the warm wet summers that we have in Britain coupled with the fact that most sub floors are concrete excess expansion and contraction problems are a distinct possibility ).

•           Engineered wood flooring is easier to install as it doesn’t require sticking down Hardwood or solid wood flooring is a lot more difficult.  Also, many companies that make engineered wood flooring panels offer a glueless click fit system . Engineered flooring can be glued down or floated as a method of installation. Solid wood flooring would almost always require traditional tongue and groove installation or gluing directly to the concrete . This can be a tedious and time consuming process.

Stability of Wooden Floors

Quite Simply the main key difference and the reason why consumers are moving away from the more traditional Solid Wooden Flooring products is due to overall Stability.

Price

Generally the price of Solid Wood Flooring compared to Engineered is similar it all depends on the manufacturer, where you live and who you source it from. Do consider the type of property you have and the subfloor you have before you choose either of the two. 

For further information feel free to give us a call at our Depot in Pontardulais South Wales on 01792 884828 or call in to visit our extensive Engineered flooring display centre.

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Choosing a Laminate Floor

 

Why choose Laminate

 

Laminate floors are becoming more popular today thanks to a combination of qualities which include durability, toughness, easy maintenance, and low, affordable pricing. For those who are considering adding this type of flooring to their home, it is important to understand all the pertinent qualities that make it so desired.  

Plus, when it comes to finding the best in laminate flooring, there are few products that can match the beauty, durability, and affordability of the Quickstep Perspective, the best laminate floor on the market today.

Why Choose Laminate Flooring?

If you find yourself at a laminate flooring retailer don’t always buy cheap as there are a number of factors that need to be considered before taking the plunge, you may notice the low, affordable prices that this product offers. However, that is not the only reason to choose this type of flooring for your home.

Durability: Because laminate flooring is constructed from different materials, they bond together to form a very resistant core. This makes it highly durable and resilient to staining and impacts. It also holds together for many years without dulling when properly maintained.

Easy Maintenance: All you need to do is occasionally sweep or mop the floor to keep it clean however use the recommended cleaning products, throw away the steam cleaner as that will kill the majority of wooden floors. The transparent top layer keeps dirt particles from coming into contact with the underlying design. This means that the occasional sweeping or spot cleaning when you see dirt collecting will maintain the beauty of its appearance.

Variety: You can choose from a wide variety of selections when it comes to color, patterns, and designs to match the décor of your home. You can even use the laminate floor to be the basis of your renovation to provide your home with a new, exciting appearance.

Affordability: While tile and hardwood flooring offers the same advantages as laminate in terms of overall durability and simple maintenance, one big difference is the cost. Laminate flooring is very inexpensive when compared to both tile and hardwood. Plus, laminate flooring is easy to install

What Makes Quickstep Perspective the Best Laminate Floor Product?

There are several reasons why you would consider a laminate floor product for your home.  

HDF Core Board: The glued core board is the backbone of the laminate flooring system, providing excellent stability, durability, and resistance to moisture which keep the product solid and intact under normal use conditions.

Durable Overlay: The overlay is a transparent substance that provides excellent resistance to scuffs, scrapes, and stains. The layer can even absorb impacts, chemical spills, and burns that would otherwise mark or damage the floor.

Design & Balancing Layers: The balancing layer prevents the flooring from bowing or cupping and ensures proper installation over a flat surface. The design layer is just under the transparent overlay and provides a vision of real wood that is finished with a melamine resin for extra durability.

All the features are put together to form laminate flooring that will resist staining, impacts, dust, dirt, and debris over a long period. When shopping at a laminate flooring sale, you will want the quality that Quickstep Perspective offers which will protect your floors for many years to come.

Helpful Tips

There are a large number of poor quality laminate floors on the market here are a few tips for making sure that you choose the correct laminate.

My advice when purchasing a laminate floor is don’t always go for the cheapest laminate flooring product.

Use a recommended time served tradesman to fit the floor.

Speak to the floor Fitters as no carpenter likes to fit a poor quality laminate floor they will advise you on decent laminate floors.

Get a sample piece of the flooring to test out for your self.

Don’t pay more than £14 Per Square Meter for fitting unless the floor is going to be fitted in a hall or bathroom.

Always use the recommended cleaning products on the Laminate floor. ( Don’t use a steam cleaner ).

The information about Choosing a Laminate Floor appeared first on DG Heath.

Scratches on Wooden Flooring

Repairing Scratches on Solid Wood Floor

 

 

If you are looking to add style and value to your home, solid wood floors can be a great addition. They offer a natural beauty that most homeowners find appealing. Even if you are looking to sell your home in the future, wooden floors can be a great investment that will pay off. Even though wooden floors are stylish and functional, the downside is that scratches are sometimes unavoidable. This means that you need to know the most helpful tips designed to repair scratches on solid wood floors. If you know the basics, keeping your hardwood floors looking like new is not impossible.

 

Here are the best tips for repairing scratches on hardwood floors:

 

Light Scratches

 

There are different types of scratches that can form on the surface of your hardwood. If you notice that the scratch is light and not very deep, it should not be a complex process to repair the scratch. For light scratches, you can use a small piece of fine steel wool to rub over the light scratch. Just make sure that when you are rubbing the wool on the wood that you are rubbing along the grain.

 

Deeper Scratches

 

When you are dealing with scratches that are classified as deeper, it is a better idea to use sand paper over steel wool. When you are using sand paper on the deeper scratch, you still want to be sure that you are moving in the direction of the grain. If you move in the opposite direction, you will simply create more scratches that you will need to repair.

 

Mineral Spirits

 

Once you have sanded out the scratch or used the steel wool over the light scratch, you can then use mineral spirits over this area. You apply a small amount of mineral spirits to the sanded area and then you can smooth out the scratch completely and also make sure that all the fine dust is removed.

 

Wood Filler

 

You also need to finish by filling in the scratch with a pre mixed wood filler. Just make sure that the wood filler that you choose is the same shade as your natural wood floors for a appealing look. You can apply the filler using a putty knife. Once you have applied the filler and allowed it to dry completely, you can use sand paper to allow for a smooth finish. The scratch will no longer be noticeable at all.

 

Quickstep Flooring Repair Kit

 

There is a wood and laminate floor repair kit that has been produced by a company called Quickstep. As a fitter of flooring this product is a must to have in your everyday bag of tricks as it enables you to fix those stubborn scratches or in worse cases gouges in your wooden floor. The flooring repair kit works on the basis of heating up various colours and shades of a wax based product mixing them up to achieve the desired shade and then gently working them into the damaged area. It will work for all wooden and laminate floor products that need attention. The kit however comes with a hefty price tag of between £28 - £35.

Why is it best practice to purchase a purpose made scratch repair kit

The reason that this is a more favourable option than the previous alternatives is due to the fact that you aren’t removing any of the surface finish on the boards you are merely repairing the scratch or Mark.

 

SAVE Money

If however you want a budget flooring repair kit then you can pick up a Wax kit for under £10.

 

For further information on sorting out scratches on Laminate or Wooden floors give us a call on Swansea 01792 884828. Or pop in to our South Wales Depot.

 

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Madrid Wooden Fencing Panels

The future of Fencing Panel Design

 

Todays article is concentrating on one specific type of garden fencing panel. Customers continually walk into our fencing design centre in Swansea South Wales requesting information on the various wooden fencing products that are available on the market. Fencing Trends change and new innovative fencing products are constantly being manufactured to cater for the change in preference of the consumer.

Wooden Fencing not only acts as a barrier between neighbouring properties it can also help bring the garden together encompassing beauty whilst also serving a practical purpose. One fence panel that has increased significantly in popularity over the past year is a fencing panel called the Madrid.

Continental Fence Panels

Whilst a number of the continental fence panel designs are aimed at beauty rather than practicality the Madrid is slightly different. Whilst being aesthetically very pleasing to the eye it also has the added benefit of offering a high degree of privacy and strength compared to its European counterparts which generally come with trellis hence reducing privacy. The Madrid is a solid Fence Panel designed in a chevron effect which meets down the centre of the panel to give a herringbone effect also the Panel is stainless steel screwed.

Fencing Durability

Remember this particular fencing will not withstand Footballs being kicked against it or excited children climbing over the top as if it were a park climbing frame.  However this panels will withstand strong winds due to its unique design whereby the boards are offset against each other to allowing the wind to blow straight through hence reducing the risk of damage.

 

Overall Ratings

Our score on this particular fencing are as follows –

 

STRENGTH                                    7 out of 10

AESTHETICS                                  9 out of 10

PRICE / VALUE                             8 out of 10                                      

PRIVACY                                        9 out of 10

Overall Rating                                 83 %

 

Our rating suggests that this particular Wooden fencing panel design is made with appearance in mind. Whilst it is fairly robust it will not withstand the pressure or day to day abuse of a feather edge of a hit and miss fence. A good option if you are looking for something beautiful and a little bit different.

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SP101 Flooring Plywood

SP101 Flooring Grade Plywood now in Stock in our Plywood Centre in our Swansea Branch South Wales.

   Why use a Specified Flooring Grade Plywood ?

This is the only Plywood sheet product that is warrantied for Flooring applications. The flooring trade recognises the need to use Plywood that has been produced to a defined industry specification and as such is guaranteed fit for purpose.

As a floor fitter using the correct Plywood for the job is essential if you dont use the correct grade of plywood  you could face problems such as Glue Failure, Varying dimensions, Flatness issues & Poor surface quality.

This is why as a Flooring Importer we have decided to stock SP101 Plywood boards to give our customers the option of purchasing a plywood board that has been produced specifically for the Flooring industry.

SP101 is the only Plywood to achieve Diamond Mark Certification and is approved by the Contract Flooring Association. The ply board sizes that we currently have available from stock are 6mm Plywood and 9mm Ply boards.

Here is a plywood guidance note that is intended to help the industry in specifying and using plywood panels that are entirely suitable as a component of the high valued finished floor.

 

Plywood Specification detail             

TFT Diamond Marked                                                       Certified

Manufactured to                                                                EN 636-2

Appearance Class                                                             Based on Class 1 from EN636-2

Wood Species                                                                    Mixed Hardwood

Moisture Content                                                               8 – 10%

Thickness Tolerence                                                          5.5mm +- .2mm, 9mm +- .3mm

Dimensional Square Tolerence                                          Tight to EN315

Veneers                                                                             Overlay Quality without core Gaps

Thicker Outer Veneers                                                       Minimum 0.75mm

Average Density                                                                 Approx 500kg/m2

European Timber Regulation                                            Compliant

 

Feel free to give our Sales team a call on Swansea ( 01792 ) 884828 at our Plywood Centre in Swansea South Wales

where we will be able to advise you on Plywood Specifications.

 

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