No matter whether you’re upgrading a property with a luxury renovation or you’re creating the new-build luxury home of your dreams, getting the flooring right is an essential element in the overall success. It’s sure you’ll have planned all the structural detail to a tee, making sure you use the finest quality materials to either construct or re-construct your property, but these investments can so quickly be undervalued with poor attention to detail when it comes to finishing. In the same way that you’ll pour over bathroom and kitchen hardware for hours, you owe it to yourself to give equal seriousness to your choice of flooring
There is no getting away from the fact that wood flooring shouts out luxury now and has done for hundreds of years, so you’re absolutely right to have it on your horizon. But what makes one wood floor luxury and another normal or standard? There are several basic things that will make one wood floor scream luxury where another fails. Here they are:
Irrespective of whether you choose engineered or solid wood flooring, you’ll have a choice of grade of wood. In the case of engineered wood flooring, the grade will affect only the top layer or lamella, but in solid wood when you choose a grade of wood, the entire board will be made of that grade.
When wood is lumbered, it is graded into one of four different categories according to its look and characteristics. Prime, select, natural and rustic are the four grades of wood. Taking it from the top, prime grade wood is highly uniform in its grain and has very little knots or sap. Rustic grade wood, at the other end of the scale sports a significant number of knots that can often be large, as well as a high level of sap. While there is nothing whatsoever wrong with rustic grade wood, and it can look great in certain settings, if you’re looking for a luxury wood flooring option, you’ll struggle to beat prime grade.
Like most things in life, heavy = quality when it comes to wood flooring. Heavy, thick boards are not only a long-lasting solution to your flooring dilemma; they also ooze quality and luxury. As a result, unless you have under floor heating, you would be best advised to choose a nice thick board for your project. If you’re opting for engineered wood flooring, then the thicker the lamella or top layer, generally speaking, the higher the luxury. All of that said, if you have under floor heating, it’s essential to respect the guidelines for installing wood flooring over under floor heating.
Most wood flooring on the market today, no matter whether it’s engineered or solid has either beveled or micro-beveled edges. What this means is that there’s a slight “v” when boards are placed edge to edge. While this look is perfectly attractive, there is another option, which tends to fall more at the luxury end of the scale, and that’s square edged boards.
Square edged boards are expensive to produce and can be a fiddle to fit because they are so fragile and easily damaged. That said, a square edged board, when professionally installed creates a completely uninterrupted and luxury look. So, if it’s true luxury you’re on the lookout for, then you should definitely consider a square edged board.
The colour you choose for your luxury wood floor project is a highly personal affair and what is considered a luxury look by one person could be easily dismissed as classless by another. However, of late, there is no getting away from the fact that either very dark, almost black flooring, or very light, almost white flooring both have significant luxury connotations, but it really does depend on the look you want to create.
No matter whether you choose engineered or solid wood flooring, taking these things into consideration when you choose your final flooring solution will pay dividends. Of course, once you’ve made the right choice of flooring for your luxury build or development, don’t reduce the luxury impact by having the floor poorly fitted. Particularly if you’ve opted for a square edge wood floor, it’s absolutely essential that you invest the time and the money to make sure it is fitted to perfection. Once you’ve done all of these things, all you need to do is…sit back and enjoy!
If you’d like help to choose your luxury wood flooring, why not get in touch? At Wood and Beyond we’re here to help you make the right decisions for your unique project.
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