Real Wood Flooring

Real Wood Flooring

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Its amazing how fashions change. What was once considered common and poor has a habit of becoming chic and desirable. This is definitely the case with wood flooring. In Victorian houses or earlier real wood floors meant exposed floor boards and indicated that the owner could not afford floor coverings. The boards may have been cleaned and even polished but were not looked upon as fashionable,

In better class homes, the owner could afford rugs. These however were not the factory made machine produced items we know today but hand woven items almost like tapestries. Consequently they were expensive and so could only be afforded by the relatively well off.

With the introduction of machine manufactured carpets, these became more widely available but again usually only as large rugs that covered the centre of the rooms. Parquet wood flooring which is almost like wood tiling was also used to make the wooden floors more decorative.

However the carpet won out and with the cost of carpets falling further with the introduction of synthetic materials the desire for wall to wall carpets was unstoppable and became the norm and so the real wooden flooring disappeared beneath the carpets.

Then something changed. People began to appreciate the beauty of natural materials once again and 'old' became the new 'new'. Lifting up the carpets to reveal the real wood flooring beneath and sanding, polishing and varnishing it became fashionable. This was great if you had a Victorian house with traditional floor boards but no good it you lived in a modern house which often had chipboard flooring.

The answer to this problem was engineered real wood flooring. In these systems relatively thin wooden boards are laid tight together to form a solid wooden floor covering. They produce a hard wearing surface that looks smooth and clean. Some of these flooring systems use laminated techniques where there is a thin veneer or even printed layout that gives the wood effect.

There is nothing however that can beat the natural look of real wooden flooring where the boards are cut from solid wood. These are made from natural materials and because of the natural variance in wood, no two strips are exactly alike and it is this variation that gives real wood flooring its appeal.

They produce a warm floor as this is a natural material and so has a degree of insulation. It is very hard wearing and is suitable for high traffic areas. It is stain resistant to food and drink and is easily cleaned. Real wooden floors are also easy to keep dust free which makes them good for people with dust allergies.

At Wickes we stock a range of real wood floors in a range of finishes from light almost white to warm honeys and dark coffee colours and different wood textures including bamboo, so you will be sure to find something to match the dcor style you are after. You can also be certain it will be fashionable for a long time to come. Just don't cover it with a rug.

About the Author:
Emma writes articles on Home Improvement, including tips on Real Wood Flooring and how to get the best out of your Wickes DIY.



Article Originally Published On: http://www.articlesnatch.com


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