A solid wood or real wood floor is one that is milled from a single piece of timber. Solid wood flooring comes in random sizes often ranging from 300mm to 12000mm sized planks. The most common and popular species of hardwood is European Oak however customers can choose a variety of species such as Walnut, Maple, Ash, Beech, Pine and the choices go on. Solid Wood is milled with tongues and groove profiles on opposite edges so that the boards lock when installed. There are several methods to install solid wood flooring depending on the subfloor condition, you can opt to nail it down or glue it directly to the floor using an MS Polymer adhesive.
Solid Wood Thickness
As only 100% real wood is used, once your flooring has been fitted, it is able to be sanded down, refinished, and re-coated many times, this is what makes this 18mm thickness option such an excellent choice and we are confident that you will agree! You will not have to worry about replacing your floor, in fact, the same flooring is often kept and looking just as good as new hundreds of years later- it truly is a timeless classic
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Solid Wood Flooring Benefits
Elegance, there is no other flooring type that can replicate natural hardwood floors & adding warmth to your home.
Easy to keep clean & low maintenance, hardwood floors are easy to maintain they can be swept with a brush, vacuumed, or simply use with a bona floor mop to remove any debris or stubborn stains.
Hardwearing & Strong, many houseowners opt for hardwood flooring due to its durability. Although solid wood flooring can be scratched it can be remedied by branded repair kits to fix cosmetic scratches or simply sand the surface down and re-finish the flooring to the desired finish.
Return on investment, hardwood flooring can add value to your house. A surveycarried out in the UK in 2018 by the National Wood Flooring Association found on average that house owners who have wooden flooring can increase the value from 1% - 10%.
Allergy Sufferers – Hardwood Flooring doesn’t collect dust like carpet so this makes it a good option for those who suffer from allergies.
Room Suitability
Since wood flooring is quite versatile, hardwearing, and durable it can pretty much be used in any room in the house, we will talk you through the different areas of the house and the suitability for hardwood flooring.
- If you are opting to have under-floor heating installed in any areas in the house you shouldn’t use solid wood flooring as the planks would not cope with the heat, you can simply opt for engineered flooring which is suitable to use with under-floor heating, and once installed it looks and feels the same as solid wood flooring. (For more information, please visit our advice centre)
- Hallways – The hallway is mainly the area that gets the heaviest footfall making it the busiest area in the house so with the right care and maintenance this makes it perfect for solid wood flooring or engineered wood flooring. If your floors start looking dull and are in need of a refresh you have the option for both to re-sand & re-finish bringing them back to their new condition.
- Dining Room & Lounge – Your dining room and lounge are considered the pinnacle of the house where you might be relaxing or entertaining family & friends so you’ll be wanting flooring which is not only stylish but practical which makes it perfect for solid wood flooring.
- The bedroom is a great option for solid wood flooring with the added benefit that low maintenance & easy to clean.
- Kitchens – the main hub of the home, we often get asked what’s the best type of flooring option for this area given that kitchens can often vary in temperature & moisture, sometimes have the occasional spills which can spoil solid wood floors so we recommend you choose from our engineered wood flooring which is a more stable floor and be able to withstand moisture and heat. For more information visit
- Bathrooms, wood, and water don’t mix well so it’s not recommended to install solid wood flooring in the bathrooms however luxury vinyl tiles (LVT) are a stand-out choice for the bathrooms, durable, resistant to moisture, and easy to clean.
Maintenance & Care Quick Tips
Keeping your wood flooring clean is essential to maintain the flooring lasts long as possible. Please see our top tips to keep your flooring protected:
- Clean up any spills soon as possible to prevent the flooring from warping over a period
- Use furniture pads whilst some scratches are inevitable, some scuffing can be prevented by simply adding self-adhesive flooring pads to the feet of your sofa and dining chairs, etc.
- Remove footwear before walking on your floor, sometimes debris can be lodged on the bottom of your shoes which can scratch your flooring.
- Sweep & Vacuum regularly
- Do not use cleaning products containing chemicals such as polish or abrasives, use products that are plants based and safe for your floors such as Method or Bona maintenance kit
Please read our guide on floor maintenance for a depth guide.