If you’re considering installing a wood floor for the first time, the chances are you’ve got yourself into a spin with all the different information you have coming from all sides. It’s with this in mind that we’ve put together this post, to help you create a checklist of what’s important in your price and option decision-making process. To simplify things, we’ve split our list into “bite-sized” chunks:
The two types of wood flooring – There are essentially two types of wood flooring. They are solid and engineered. Not to be confused with laminate flooring, engineered wood flooring is just like the real thing, but comes with the benefit of being suitable for installation over under floor heating and in bathrooms and kitchens. Made from layers of ply, with a solid wood lamella or top layer, engineered flooring comes in a whole host of finishes and styles, just like solid wood. Solid wood flooring, on the other hand, is, as the name suggests, wood flooring which is created from single planks of solid timber. Check out this article to find out all the differences between engineered and solid wood flooring.
Where to buy – With lots of places offering wood flooring these days, it can be difficult to decide which buying option is best for you. Can you trust an online seller? Would you buy an old floor on the likes of ebay? Or should you plump for your local store? At the end of the day, you need to weigh up the pros and cons of each option and decide which offers you the best compromise of price, peace of mind and service. There is little doubt that buying online will give you economies when it comes to final cost, but you need to be sure that you’re buying from a trusted and reputed supplier.
There’s absolutely nothing to stop a good online supplier putting you in touch with satisfied clients, so you can check out their track record. What’s more, their warrantees and guarantees should provide you with any peace of mind you need, over and above the reassurance you receive from their attractive prices. Buying an old, reclaimed floor on the likes of ebay is another kettle of fish however. While you can ask questions and reassure yourself somewhat by looking at the sellers evaluation, there is always an element of risk. Finally, a local supplier is considered by some as the most reassuring option because it allows them to have face-to-face contact, but, generally speaking, you do pay a premium for this advantage.
With all of this in mind, the best option is to obtain full and final prices from each option and weigh up the up and downsides of each before making your final decision.
Understanding the prices – The final price you will pay for your floor will be affected by the type of flooring you choose; the species of wood you want; the coating, shade, size (thickness) and any special effects, such as age-ing or distressing. In order to fully understand the pricing options, it’s best to make a short wish list and price up the total job for each option before making a decision. It’s important to be aware that even within each species of wood, there are different grades and different finishes which will affect the final price. Dark woods, at this moment in time are typically securing a higher market price than some of the light to mid-range colour options, solely because of supply and demand. As well as these factors, things like special effects and thickness will ultimately affect the final price.
Fitting methods – When it comes to considering your options and different prices for fitting your wood flooring, you’ll need to ascertain the most appropriate fitting method for the flooring you’ve chosen and where you’re going to fit it. If you’re struggling to decipher the different fitting methods possible, you might find this article useful. Thereafter, it’s a case of deciding whether you will fit your floor on a DIY basis or pay a professional fitter to do the job for you. Once more, you’ll find a wealth of useful information here.
Warranties – Warranties on wood flooring, like most other products vary from company to company and some mightn’t even be worth the paper they’re written on. Making sure you fully understand the warranty on offer by your flooring supplier requires time and patience. The only way to be really clear on what is being offered in terms of guarantees and warranties is by reading the small print. If you’re in any doubt about the value of any warranty, it’s worth walking away and seeking out a deal that ticks all your boxes.
Calculating the final cost – It’s really important to be clear when assessing your prices and options that you include every aspect of your project before you “sign on the dotted line” (even if you’re planning on fitting the floor yourself). Essentially, the costs you’ll need to allow for when calculating the final bill for your new flooring are: the flooring itself, fitting and accessories.
A. In order to calculate the cost of the flooring itself, you’ll need to work out exactly how much flooring you need before you can calculate how much the final bill will be. You might find this article helpful if you need help calculating the cost of your flooring.
B. When it comes to calculating your fitting costs, many people assume that a DIY option = zero cost. This is not the case. While you may completely willing to give your time to your project for free, there are other costs which need to be taken into account. Hiring or buying tools for example as well as the buying of all the finishing items can begin to add up. So, if you’ve rejected a professional fitter in the belief that you’ll gain huge financial advantage, it’s worth thinking again. If you haven’t done so already, take a look at this article to get the up and downsides of DIY versus a professional fitter.
C. Accessories to finish your flooring project to a high standard need to be taken into account when you’re working out your final costs. Underlay, which is an important part of a successful project, as well as reducers, nosing, beads and pipe ferrules all give your floor that really stunning finished look and can add up, throwing you quickly off budget if