Solid wood flooring is a luxurious product that is available with a range of different finishes applied to the surface.  The finish of the floor is essentially the protective layers of lacquer or oil that have been added to prevent any damage to your hardwood, so that it can be used as soon as it is installed.  Once you have chosen which species of hardwood you are looking for, you will then need to decide upon a flooring finish.

Solid hardwood flooring can be found with the following finishes: Brushed and Oiled, Lacquered and Handscraped.  We also provide solid wood flooring that has been unfinished, which allows you to add your own interpretations of the flooring by choosing a colour stain and either oil or lacquer.

What are the different wood flooring finishes?

Solid hardwood flooring is available with the following flooring finishes:

Brushed and Oiled – The planks of solid wood flooring have been lightly brushed to expose the natural beautiful qualities of the wood without causing any damage.  It has then been protected with layers of matt oil.

Lacquered – The solid wood flooring has had layers of either matt or satin matt lacquer added to give additional strength and protection to the floor.  The board widths, lengths and thicknesses vary depending upon which particular type of floor you choose.

Handscraped – The planks of flooring have been scraped by hand to give extra definition and individuality. The rustic looking planks of flooring have then been finished with a stain matt lacquer to add protection and strength.

For additional information about the different wood flooring types and finishes, please read our Wood Flooring Guide.

Which wood flooring finish should I choose?

When deciding upon the finish of your hardwood flooring, it is mainly down to personal choice, preference and the theme of the room it will be going into.  For example, a handscraped floor would be more suited to a traditional or rustic space, rather than a modern room, whereas an oiled or lacquered floor could well fit into any genre of living area.  An unfinished floor is ideal if you want to create something truly unique, as it gives you the opportunity to personalise the flooring with colour stains and your choice of finish. If you still cannot make up your mind, the following article might be of use: Unfinished Vs Pre-finished Hardwood Flooring.

Adding the finishing touches to your room

When installing a new hardwood floor, it is likely that you will also need some flooring accessories to help to add the finishing touches by concealing gaps left during installation.  We stock a wide range of Oak, MDF and aluminium flooring accessories such as, beading, thresholds, pipe covers and door bars.

Once your new floor has been installed, you may also want to think about keeping it looking fresh, new and clean. 

We have a variety of cleaning products that are specifically designed to be used with wooden floors.  Hardwood floors are easy to look after – have a look at our  Wood Floor Maintenance and Care Guide, or read our Top Ten Cleaning Tips for Hardwood Floors.

Are there any alternatives available?

Solid wood floors are the most traditional type of wooden floor available, they look and feel fantastic, but if you are looking for something slightly different then we do stock a range of engineered wood flooring and laminate flooring.  All of our flooring ranges can be seen on our website and we offer free samples of all of our floors.

Further help and advice

If you would like to know more about solid wood flooring, our Wood Flooring Guide may be of use to you as it covers the structure, fitting profile and finishes of the different types of flooring that we stock. For any more advice and guidance on any of our different floors, accessories or flooring products, please contact our sales office or visit our showroom.