Wood Floors

Many home owners are moving away from covering their floors with carpets and choose to enjoy the warmth and natural beauty of a timber floor.

Renovating An Existing Wood Floor

DIY enthusiasts sometimes attempt to restore and varnish existing wood floors themselves. However, the result achieved can be unsatisfactory for a variety of reasons:

• The wrong type of sanding equipment is used
• The DIYer has insufficient knowledge and skill to carry out the work properly
• Existing floor boards are beyond renovation, perhaps because they were made from softwood planks fixed to the joists with visible nails.

Sections of the floor may previously have been taken up, repaired or patched, making them unsuitable for sanding which is necessary to produce the uniform finish needed for an exposed wood floor. Even if the existing floor is of sufficient quality to be sanded and varnished, it may better to employ a professional who will have the correct equipment and be able to achieve a superior finish.

Overlaying An Existing Floor With Hardwood

If you are looking for the appearance of a new wood floor, rather than a renovated one, the best option is to overlay it with varnished timber.  Laminate overlays are available from DIY stores, but they lack the warmth and natural variation in grain found in real wood.

For the best results, overlay your floor with high quality, solid hardwood planks or parquet. Oak, beech and rosewood are by far the most popular, but there is a wide variety of species to choose from if you fancy something more exotic.

Investing in a solid hardwood floor is not cheap, so it is advisable to use a skilled craftsman who will:

• Survey the floor to be covered
• Carry out any remedial works, including eliminating squeaky floorboards
• Level an existing concrete floor surface using a self levelling screed
• Lay sub-floor boarding sheets for both existing concrete and timber floors
• Provide a moisture barrier if required
• Use floor plank cramps and secret nailing techniques to produce the perfect finish.

Solid Wood Floors By HC Carpentry & Joinery

HC Carpentry and Joinery has installed hardwood overlaid floors at numerous domestic and commercial premises in Nottingham over the past 30 years. We offer an all inclusive service to both manage and work on your project. We will liaise with you throughout the project to ensure that every aspect of the work, including finishes, is carried out with minimal disruption and to your absolute satisfaction.

If you’d like to discuss having a new wood floor installed, call us on for advice and a free no-obligation quotation.