After years of use, the carpets in your house are starting to look like they’re past their best. Parties have seen wine and crisps trodden into them, general traffic has left them threadbare in the doorways and the dog’s hair is probably giving it most of its body. Ultimately, it is time to start looking for a replacement.
The obvious choice is to go out and get a new carpet and redecorate whilst you’re at it. But why bother? Another carpet will only suffer the same fate in a few years’ time. It will just become discoloured and dirty and make your home look less, well, homely. Why not return to the roots of indoor flooring with beautiful wooden floors? Very homely. Very modern. Very British.
Why Wooden?
The primary appeal of wooden flooring is its practicality. It offers a home a floor that needn’t be replaced for decades, a floor that is simple to clean and a floor that doesn’t deteriorate with age, but rather grow character as it gets older.
That’s right, wooden flooring is also about aesthetic. Whether you’re going for modern and chic or medieval and rustic, wooden flooring comes in such a diverse range of appearances that you can totally alter the character of your home just through implanting a wooden floor. The question is, what type of wooden floor are you going to go for?
Solid Wood Floors vs Engineered Wood Floors
If this is the first time you’ve really taken time to consider the possibility of wooden floors it is unlikely that you’ll be aware of the difference between solid wooden flooring and engineered wooden flooring just yet. And it’s quite a crucial differentiation to be able to make when selecting your floor.
The most notable difference between the two is how they are both created. Solid wood flooring, as the name suggests, is created from solid wood; each panel is carved from one piece of wood and then slotted together to make your floorboard. Engineered wooden flooring however is a layering process where several sheets of wood are applied to one another to give it added spring and strength.
Both are valid options when looking to replace a carpet – both will increase the life of your flooring, and both will look great, so how do you decide between the two?
Solid or Engineered?
When you set out to change your flooring, you have to consider the following – what type of room do I want? If you’re going modern you’re more than likely going to want engineered wooden flooring which allows you to use new, sleek looking floorboards that will stand the test of time. If you’re thinking of something a bit more rustic, you’ll likely want to consider solid wood flooring. It will not only provide you with an excellent look and durability but will actually develop character as it wears down.
If aesthetics aren’t important to you, and you simply want something durable, you’ll likely want to go with solid wood. Engineered wood is just as resilient, but because of how it is made, it yields less room for re-sanding when looking after it.
The choice is yours – what will you go for?
Stephen MacVicar is the Founder of specialist flooring company – Mojo Flooring. Stephen believes thier are benefits to both hardwood and engineered wood flooring and is always more than happy to offer customers anny advie they need to make thier choice.
