Solid floors are made from one piece of wood. They vary in thickness (usually 18mm †25mm), width (not usually more than 150mm) and length (most commonly random lengths, typically 300mm †1800mm). Also available as parquet blocks. Engineered boards are a thin veneer (1mm †6mm) attached to a ply base. Like solid, they also vary in thickness, width and length but because of the way they are manufactured can be thinner (as little as 14mm) or wider (up to 250mm). Engineered boards are sometimes referred to as real wood laminates. Fitting a wooden floor is a considerable investment and it is well worth taking the time to carefully plan and execute the project. A wooden floor fitter can offer expert advice at every step, including choosing the wooden flooring, preparing the sub-floor, installation methods, aftercare and maintenance. The huge number of choices and options available can be bewildering but a wooden floor fitter knowledge and experience can help you achieve the end result you have in mind. You obtain samples from local suppliers, show you different colours, stains and seals or simply advise you on where to purchase the product you have decided upon. Locking laminate flooring locks together with no need for glue or nails. The flooring is laid floating, with no fixings attaching it to the floor below. This allows it to expand and contract without buckling. All sub-floors need to be fitted with an underlay before laminate flooring can be laid. Concrete, asphalt, vinyl-, quarry- or similar tiled sub-floors should be covered first with a plastic-film moisture barrier (a damp-proof membrane), in addition to any damp-proof course that may be present in the sub-floor. Never use carpet underlay under laminate flooring. Laminate flooring mimics the look of traditional woods while offering easy installation and lasting durability. At first glance, it can be difficult to spot the difference between hardwoods and laminate flooring. What appears to be a natural wood grain pattern is really a thin layer of decor paper (a photographic image) under a tough-as-nails protective film that is glued and pressed to a high-density backing board. Laminate flooring comes in an array of wood effects as well as stone and ceramic effects. Laminate flooring is a floating floor, which means it does not fasten directly to the sub-floor. Instead the planks are clicked together. This enables the floor to be fitted fast and with no real mess. Remove your existing floor-covering if it's carpet or carpet tiles. You must not in any circumstances lay a laminated floor on a carpet or any other kind of soft floor covering and do not use any existing carpet underlay as the underlay for your new floor. If the existing floor-covering is linoleum, pvc tiles, ceramic tiles or any other kind of hard floor-covering, then it's alright to put your new laminated floor on top, providing the surface of your existing floor-covering is not damaged. The wooden floor fitter is the most important person to the final customer. He is the person who finally decides how the finished floor will look overall. Therefore it is most important he works from several boxes at the same time. (Four-five boxes recommended.) This enables him to decide on a correct colour and grain structure mix, and so achieve the best liking floor possible. Discoloured or imperfect boards must be discarded at the fitters discretion. Hardwood flooring is a natural product, therefore it is rarely perfect. Engineered flooring has been manufactured in accordance with internationally accepted standards. While shopping around for the best price is certainly something to do, it isn’t necessarily the best thing to buy the cheapest offer you see. The cheapest offer might not be made by the same manufacturer of the laminate floor itself. So, you’re advised to find the best price for that manufacturer’s product, which will be made to work the best with the flooring you’ve already bought.
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