We find the best way is to sweep or vacuum your floor (using the soft setting) first. When wiping and maintaining it use a specialised microfibre cleaning mop that works with a floor cleaning fluid particular to your coating type and/or water; spray sparingly as you mop your floor. The secret is to use as little liquid as possible whilst keeping the mop moving freely. Do not use solvent/ammonia based products or steam cleaners on our wooden floors. See Cleaning and Maintenance for full details and recommended products.

This depends on how deep the scratch is. It is best to phone us first to assess the damage. Sometimes it can be easily fixed, or your floor may need to be sanded and re-coated. See Recoating, Renovations and Repairs for further information. To protect your floor from scratches we recommend attaching protective pads to the base of all furniture.

Stiletto heels often leave small dents and while these can be unsightly they do not usually damage the structure of the floor.

Please do NOT use steam mops on our wooden floors. They can cause severe damage and the floor will need to be sanded and recoated.

With a good quality product, such as the ones we recommend, you should have at least thirty years of use, providing an appropriate maintenance programme is followed. View Cleaning and Maintenance for full details.

Yes. As with all natural materials, sun will change the colour of timber. In some instances, where strong sunlight shines directly on to timber, the heat can cause it to shrink and crack. UV protection, in the form of blinds or special glass is recommended to protect not only your timber, but carpets and all soft furnishings. See Sunlight and UV for further information.

Yes. We specialise in repairing all types of wooden floors. We can work either directly with you or through your insurance company. See Recoating, Renovations and Repairs for further information.

Yes. There are, however, several criteria that have to be adhered to. First, the temperature of the timber flooring must not be above 24°C (that is pretty warm!). Secondly, when you turn the heating on, it must be increased gradually over a period of time, to allow the timber to adapt. The same must be done when turning it off. See our Heating instructions for full details.

In most cases, yes. However, some insurance companies will not cover timber flooring in “wet areas”, so you should check with your insurance company first. Also some prefinished engineered flooring manufacturers will not guarantee their product for use in “wet areas”. We will only suggest ones that are appropriate at the time of quoting. Polyurethane coated floors that are finished in-situ are more suitable for “wet areas”, in that they better form a barrier against water. However, we would like to point out that nothing is ever completely water tight. Floods in any area will damage flooring – timber, vinyl, carpet etc. See Timber Flooring in Wet Areas for further information.

A completely natural timber product milled into floorboards. Once installed, they are sanded to form a flat surface and coated in either polyurethane or oil. They can also be stained to a colour of your choice, prior to being coated. See Floor Sanding, Coating and Finishing for further information.

A 14mm multi-layered, (usually 3) precision made flooring consisting of a hardwood timber wear surface over a stabilising base. It can come coated in numerous (5/6) coats of high quality UV hardened satin lacquer or oil. Not only are there a wide range of timber species available but also specialised finishes such as white-washed, stained, antiqued, rustic, brushed, bevel-edged. The boards fit together perfectly and so no filler is required. An engineered floor can be direct fixed or floated.  See Engineered Wooden Floors for further details and timber species.

There are many variables when choosing a floor and therefore the cost depends on the quality of the product you chose and the subfloor of the house it is being installed in. For example, prefinished timber can be more expensive to buy, but quicker/cheaper to install. Timber species and board width vary in price and this needs to be taken into consideration.

Not necessarily, when comparing solid timber with a top quality engineered board. There is a different look and feel to the two types of timber flooring and it is very much a matter of personal choice.

It comes in a number of different thicknesses – 13mm, 19mm, 25mm etc. We recommend a minimum of 19mm.

We have a number of types of laminate flooring that we recommend, which have a lifespan of 15-25 years. The quality of laminate flooring varies considerably. It is not the same thing as vinyl imitation “timber” flooring, which is petroleum based. A laminate is basically constructed from a 90% wood base (such as an oil tempered hardboard) with a decorative “wood-look” layer on top (often photographic). In certain cases, where you are on a limited budget, it has its place. We have a number of approved products which we lay and are happy to show you samples of these. We would like to point out that you cannot re-sand or recoat a laminate floor; once it becomes worn it has to be replaced.

Naturally, we would not recommend a laminate in preference to a timber floor, which is superior not only in terms of its potential longevity and aesthetics but also because it forms part of the structure of your home. A timber floor is not merely a floor covering.

Each timber board is glued and/or nailed to the prepared subfloor. Solid timber has to be direct fixed, engineered flooring can be direct fixed or floated. There can be a variety of different underlays (for warmth, sound etc.) in between. See Direct Fix under Methods of Installation for further details.

Engineered timber boards are placed on a 2-3mm waterproof underlay over a reasonably level subfloor – e.g. concrete, chipboard or existing T&G. There can be a variety of different underlays (for warmth, sound etc.) in between. It locks together and is held in place by skirting boards, furniture etc. See Floating under Methods of Installation for further details.

Generally, but not necessarily. This depends on the look you want to achieve and the type of flooring you have chosen. Trims/skirting boards are generally used to finish off the edges of the timber – around doors, floor level windows, where one type of flooring meets another and around the edge of the room. A colour-matched filler can also be used. See Finishing Details under Floor Installation.

This depends on how much wear and tear your floor receives. As a general rule, a floor that is coated with polyurethane should be re-coated every 5-7 years. However, areas of high use (for example – adjacent to a kitchen sink or a frequently used passageway) may wear down sooner. It is easy to spot where the polyurethane is becoming worn and it is better to address the problem at an early stage, as it can often be rejuvenated with a light sand and a fresh coat of polyurethane. At a more advanced stage, where it is “blackening off” (when moisture is in contact with the wood), the whole floor may need to be sanded back to raw timber and up to three coats of polyurethane applied. This work will be done by a specialist floor sander/finisher. See Floor Sanding, Coating and Finishing for further information. Oiled floors have a regular maintenance programme that needs to be followed in order to keep the oil coating at the required level. This can be done by yourself. For further information see Cleaning and Maintenance.

This is a preference choice. Both types of floor coating are extremely durable and, if cared for properly, should last a lifetime. See Cleaning and Maintenance.

An oiled floor looks more natural, it has its own lustre but less sheen. It will require regular top ups to maintain the oil level in the timber. Oiled floors only need to be buffed and recoated with oil over time.

The waterborne polyurethane, we most commonly use, comes in a satin finish.  It is usually considered easier to maintain as it coats the timber in a lacquer and only needs to be swept and wiped down. These floors will need to be re-sanded and have further coats applied over the course of time. Polyurethane coated floors are more suitable for “wet areas”, as they better form a barrier against water. However, we would like to point out that nothing is ever completely water tight. See Recoating, Renovations and Repairs for further information.

We use top quality waterborne polyurethane, made in Germany and Sweden. They comes in matt, satin and gloss sheen levels and are durable and non-yellowing. See Floor Sanding, Coating and Finishing for further information.

This depends on the size of the floor and the type chosen. The subfloor needs to be prepared first and then the floor is installed. That’s it for prefinished engineered flooring, you can walk on it straight away, but it will need to be protected from other tradespeople. With solid timber, once it is installed the sanding and coating process begins. First it will be sanded, then filled (if required) followed by a coat of polyurethane; a further two coats being applied on subsequent days.

As a rough guide, 30m² of rectangular flooring will require subfloor preparation on the first day (depending on your subfloor), it will then take 1 day to install and 3 days to sand and finish. However, you will need to allow the polyurethane time to harden before moving furniture on to it. See Curing Times for Floor Coatings under Solid Wooden Floors Installation and Site Requirements for further details.

Our staff are certified floor installers, with many years of experience. It is not an easy job and extremely difficult to correct if badly installed in the first place – it generally requires replacement of the whole floor, timber included. While there are many sets of instructions readily available on the internet, we naturally recommend that you entrust a major investment in your property, such as this, to the experts. It is one thing to install a straight forward area of flooring, however, it is another to sand, coat and finish it well.

Yes. Our installation methods come with a guarantee, as do all the products that we use. See Our Guarantees.