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We specialize in the supply, installation and restoration of wood flooring. We fit floors to suit all types of budget.

Email us: info@woodandfloors.com

Frequently Asked Questions

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All our hardwood floors are suited to domestic and light commercial environments. Both our solid and engineered hardwood flooring can be refurbished after years of service by sanding and refinishing. Oak is accepted a good standard of durability for both domestic and commercial use, whilst timber specie’s like Maple, Kempas and Merbau have even greater compression strength making them excellent for high traffic areas.

Softwood floorboards usually require some preparation. First securely fix any loose boards. Use a hole punch to punch down any nail heads. Check the evenness of the floor with a spirit level. Then securely fix 6 or 12mm WBP ply over the floorboards. Check the eveness of the ply surface. Any low spots can be made even by applying a fibre reinforced flexible feather edge levelling compound. Then install the underlay and engineered hardwood flooring.

Sub-floor voids below suspended timber floor at ground level must be well ventilated. When installing flooring at ground floor level or below, always employ a moisture vapour membrane such as Sisal Kraft Moist Stop building paper below the flooring. This is designed to protect flooring from potential future high humidity in the sub-floor void, in the event that sub-floor ventilation becomes impaired. Joins in the moisture vapour membrane must be overlapped and by 150mm and taped with a waterproof tape. Secret-nail fixing direct to Chipboard can result in squeaking and for that reason is best overlaid with a dry WBP ply which is securely screw fixed to the chipboards.

Wood flooring expands excessively and can become warped if exposed to high humidity or direct water. For this reason use of wood flooring in bathrooms is discouraged. However, some customers who employ special measures such as floor protection and humidity control use wood floors in bathrooms, but do so at there own risk. Wood floors installed in bathroom are not covered by the warranty.

BS8201:1987 recommends that wood flooring is protected from ground water. If installing at ground level or below we recommend that you employ a surface applied damp proof membrane as a standard part of the flooring specification. This is because old buildings may not have an integral DPM, and the integral DPM below screed in newer buildings may be breached now or in the future, resulting in moisture ingress and damage to wood flooring. Hearths must always be damp proofed as these rarely have a damp proof membrane. If installing at 1st floor level or above (i.e. well above ground level), a DPM may not be necessary. First check the moisture condition of the floor at frequent intervals using a non-destructive method such as Protimeter on search mode, or a Tramex Concrete Encounter, being sure to check any known risk areas such as near exterior walls. Then take the points of highest readings and further test these areas using the 72 hr ‘equilibrium relative humidity’ test method as described in British standards. See: manufacturer details for critical moisture levels. (Further advice on request). If in doubt employ a moisture barrier suitable to the installation method (e.g. Epoxy DPM, polythene membrane etc).

Engineered wood flooring which has a multilayer construction has excellent dimensional stability. The layers are cross-laminated and of ‘balanced construction’. The advantage of engineered flooring is that it has minimal dimensional change compared with solid wood, and is not prone to warping or excessive seasonal movement. The preferred installation method with under floor heating is to fully-bond the hardwood flooring to the sub-floor using a permanently flexible adhesive.

No. This degree of unevenness is likely to result in poor contact between flooring and adhesive in stick-down installations, and movement and creaking in floating installations. Whether floating or stick-down installation method is employed sub-floors of this evenness need to be further levelled before installation. If installing a floating engineered floor the sub-floor can be easily levelled with a universal liquid latex-mix cementitious levelling compound. However, if the stick down method is employed levelling is achieved with a ‘rapid drying formulae’ water-mix levelling compound. Water mix levelling compounds typically develop cohesive strength quicker than liquid latex-mix products, and the final strength they reach is higher. Whichever product is used to level the sub-floor, good adhesion between levelling compound and sub-floor is achieved by way of a mechanical or chemical key (primer). Further details on request.

Fast track installation can be readily achieved using a variety of special products. These include ‘rapid drying formulae screeds’ and levelling compounds which dry to below 75% eRH within 24 hrs, surface epoxy liquid damp proof membranes, moisture suppressant primers, as well as underlays incorporating moisture vapour barriers. Buildings must be weather tight and ambient humidity maintained in the range of 35-65% during acclimatisation, installation and during normal service.

No. Adhesive residues often cause problems of adhesion. Simply applying a liquid latex-mix levelling compound over the residues is usually insufficient to correct the problem. Old adhesive residues can be removed with a rotary head cleaning/sanding machine, used with a gritted copper plate. These can be hired from good tool hire stores. Once adhesive residues are removed other sub-floor preparations such as priming and levelling can commence as normal.

Floors should be protected from the abrasive particles and moisture that can be walked into buildings on outdoor shoes, by using good quality internal and external entrance matting an all entrances to the property. A castor cup with a felt base is placed under each wheel on items of furniture. Self adhesive felt pads are placed on the feet of chairs and other furniture. High heels (esp. stiletto heels) are to be avoided on wood floors as these can cause compression marks in finishes and the wood itself. Day to day maintenance of lacquered floors is simply sweeping or vacuuming. Less frequently floors may be cleaned with a flat head mop which has been dampened with a solution of Bona Parkett Cleaner and water. The mop head should be just damp to the touch, but not wet. When cleaning, residues of moisture on the floor surface should evaporate withIin a few minutes of cleaning, if this is not the case excess moisture is being used. Periodically treat with Bona Parkett Polish or Bona ‘Freshen Up’ which will improve the appearance of dull floors and provide additional protection.