I have been a wood flooring professional for over 30 years, so my response might be more detailed than you want! I'll break it down into several issues and you can choose which bits might help you the most. Color: If you have children, a medium stain/wood might serve you better because dark floors show dust and dirt. Wear: A wood that has a stain on it that is much diferent from the wood's own natural color, will show scratches more than a wood with no stain. A matte or semi-gloss finish will show fewer scratches and wear. Composition: What is your subfloor and where are you located? Both these factors will help determine the material to use. Solid- This flooring is made from pieces of wood that are one solid piece from top to bottom. So, if you want oak, the wood is all oak. It can come from the mill already stained and finished (prefinished), or it can be finished at the jobsite after being installed and sanded. Engineered- Engineered hardwood flooring is constructed of two components, a ‘core layer’ on the bottom, topped by the ‘face veneer’. The veneer, or wear layer can be of differing thicknesses. The thicker the wear layer, the more times the product can be sanded. The core layer is constructed of multiple layers of wood which can be of the same or of a different species, glued together in a cross-hatch configuration. This cross graining provides greater dimensional stability, minimizing the expansion and contraction that natural wood exhibits when exposed to varying moisture levels and temperatures. It can come from the mill already stained and finished, or it can be finished at the jobsite after being installed and sanded. If you are going to install one area now and another later, you might want to choose an unfinished product that can be sanded and finished at the jobsite. You also want to ensure that you keep a record of the materials used on the first section so that you can match the second section after the color has changed. They will both end up the same (or at least very similar) color after a few years, but they will both change over time. The other way that you can ensure that they match is to purchase enough prefinished (which has the stain and finish applied at the factory/mill) material for both areas at the same time. For the best match, mix the wood from all the boxes for the first floor, then repackage the rest. Store it in a dry place until you are ready to install it in the other area. Purchase products and hire a professional that are members of the National Wood Flooring Association. They set the standards for and provide education for our trade. They offer certifications in installation and in sand and finish which oprovide homeowners further assurance of skill and competence.

You can get very good fake laminate now but personally I don't think it ever looks or feel as good as real wood. With engineered wood there's lots of upsides, the main ones being they can go over underfloor heating and have very little movement or warping with changes in temperature (unlike solid wood planks). The range and choices can be very confusing however. When I was picking ours for upstairs I had a very helpful local flooring specialist explain it to me so I'll try and detail it for you too should you choose to go down this route! The wear layer is the thickness of real wood on the top of the substrate of laminated cheaper wood. Cheaper options have 2-3mm wear layers, whilst others (usually more expensive) have 4-7mm. The advantage of thicker layers is of course the number of times you can have the floors sanded and re-finished. Realistically a thicker 6mm layer should last at least a 100 years and numerous sandings (it would be very easy to accidentally go through a 2mm top layer accidentally if sanding). Finish options tend to be lacquer/varnish or oil. Lacquer/varnish sits on the surface of the wood, it is harder wearing than oil but will scratch and in order to re-finish you have to sand everything back. Oil absorbs into the wood and is usually applied in several coats to build up protection. If you scratch it, or a busy area gets worn you can lightly sand it and just re-apply oil to that individual area. You can also buy unfinished engineered boards meaning you can stain and oil/varnish it yourself however you like but of course means much more work. Both lacquer and oil come in the usual range of gloss, semi gloss, satin and matt. Matt is popular now as it looks the most natural and changes the look of the wood the least. Colours - you can get a myriad of colours from two main finishes - stained or smoked. Stain is only absorbed in the top layers of wood so if you scratch it deeply the natural wood colour will show through. Same goes if you sand and re-finish it. Smoking is a slow process but basically the smoke gets all the way into the wood. This means even if you sand or scratch it the colour shouldn't change. You can get 'semi smoked' which just means its been left to smoke for less time resulting in a lighter finish. You can get 'brushed' finishes which is where the boards are literally brushed with stiff bristles that remove the softer wood grains resulting in a more textured feel. Similarly 'hand scraped' gives a soft undulation to the surface as if 'scraped' by hand tools as very old floorboards were. Bevelled or micro-beveled edges are what you'd expect and result in a 'v' between boards when they meet. They will still butt up neatly but does help give the boards more definition and in my opinion makes them look much more authentic (one of the big tell tail signs of laminate is the lack of v grooves). Only downside is that dirt can gather in these so the micro-bevel option can be the best of both worlds. Wood species is entirely a personal choice but do speak to supplies to check what you have in mind is suitable for the location in question. Different types of wood vary greatly in hardness, colour, environmental credentials and of course price! Finally (at last!) you get different grades or qualities of wood. 'Prime' or 'select' is often used to describe the best grades with the least filled knot holes or large variations within the wood. You then go down to 'natural' which will have some featuring but not much with 'rustic' having the most character and knot holes. None of these are necessarily bad choices. A prime standard would look silly in a very old tudor property whilst a 'rustic' finish in a sleek modern build could equally look strange. Anyway. Sorry for the mammoth post, I just know I was getting quite frustrated trying to not only understand all the options but also get a feeling for what was right for me. Hopefully this help you avoid the same problems!

A solid wooden floor can be the centrepiece of a traditional home. Solid wood gives the home a certain warmth, character and charm; however, some wooden floors have been unfortunately neglected. One of the main benefits of a solid wood floor however, is that if it does get damaged by scrapes, scratches or dents, it can be restored to bring it back to looking as good as new – which isn’t possible with laminate wooden flooring. We have some tips for those of you who are ready to give their old floor new life. Like polishing a beloved pair of leather boots, expect to get your hands (and in this case, knees) dirty as you restore the former glory of your solid wood floor. Fine-tuning your space Clear your working area by removing all furniture and flooring obstructions – make sure to get help lifting all furniture rather than dragging it across the floor. From skirting to skirting nothing should get in your way, so take advantage of this rare chance to clear beneath skirting boards. Take care and avoid dragging anything, wait for help otherwise you risk scraping your beautiful wooden floor or damaging it even further. Around the walls and even fireplaces, you may have television cables and other tiny obstructions. It is vital you remove these and check for any nails or deep scratches in the wood. Sanding your solid wood floor Ideally, at this point, you will hire a floor polisher, if not get your knee pads at the ready. Hand polishing the floor will reveal the floor’s former glory by removing deep set scratches and dents. It will obviously take off any paint or varnish applied to your floor also, so this job is a large commitment with multiple stages before it is finished. For the best results, tackle a small section first then follow up with the hoover. Working section by section minimises how much of the scattered wood returns to the cracks in the floor. Do not use a broom, you will push the dust into the cracks, and the result will be an accidental mosaic effect. Flooring finish Once your floor has been sanded down it is prepped for finishing. When selecting a finish, you can choose between a variety of options, such as brushed, oiled or lacquered, each giving different results. Determine if your floor is a hand scraped or brushed finish before choosing a flooring finish. Regardless of which finish you choose, note the different times the varnish takes to dry. Give your floor at least 24 hours to dry before walking on it or replacing your furniture, and for at least the first week only walk on the floor in socks, as boots and shoes may affect how the varnish dries. Deep Clean Once your floor is restored to its beautiful original state, keep it that way with regular care and maintenance. Regularly deep clean the floor removing ground in stains or dirt. Any marks from oils, soaps and polishes should be tackled with purpose made floor cleaner. If you use homemade cleaners or harsh chemicals, you risk damaging the floor and its finish – undoing all your previous hard work. Floor cleaners are designed to dissolve what lies on the wood, not harm the wood itself. Tips for restoring a solid wood floor Dry & Hoover Remove excess water with a soft cloth, drying by hand as opposed to a mop which gives you a chance to check your cleaning up close. Take time to spot clean, after all, if it’s not clean it will be further exposed post buffing. To ensure your floor retains its shine, put felt covers on the bases of tables and chairs. Such a small expense could preserve the state of your solid wood floor and reduce the amount of times in your floor’s lifetime that you need to refinish it.

Generalisation now… 100% wool Tends to be used most with structured loops, sometimes referred to as "naturals". It's very rare you will find 100% wool used when making twist pile carpets. Example of a typical 100% wool loop - click here. 80/20 (80% wool; 20% a.n. other) This blend tends to be most common in the functional twist carpet. One thing to consider is what is the 20%? To keep the price down, manufacturers will use polypropylene which we explained about the pros and cons of polypropylene in our previous comments. If you can afford it, we would recommend looking for either 20% polyamide (aka nylon), 20% polyester or a mix of polyamide and polyester to go with the 80% wool… you dig? These blends, with 80% wool, will out perform an 80% wool, 20% polypropylene -> FACT. Here's an example of an 80% wool, 20% polypropylene twist pile carpet - click here. Here's an example of an 80% wool, 10% polyamide, 10% polyester twist pile carpet - click here. You'll note a difference in their prices for comparable products. We'll get on to clarifying another reason for this price difference in a minute. 50% wool, 50% a.n. other This blend is all about making wool more affordable. Very rarely used in twist pile carpet these days, so it's more likely you will find this blend of mix in the structured wool loop market. Examples of a typical 50% wool loop carpet - click here, and click here. It's not really about what's the best wool blend, it's more about the look you most prefer as this dictates the wool blend in the carpet. Most important, actually, is the quality of the yarn used. New Zealand is recognised as the best. Wears incredibly well and allows strikingly clean colours eliminating berber (flecky) hues. New Zealand wool is the most expensive of wool yarns for these reasons. Here's an example of an 80% New Zealand wool twist carpet - click here and here's an example of a 100% New Zealand wool loop pile carpet - click here. Difficult to show you over the internet but if you were to see these side by side against comparable products NOT using New Zealand wool you would be able to see how much "crisper" the colours are in the products that use New Zealand. As for the moths' munching habits, it's likely they will prefer a higher wool content product but it has been known for the blighters to munch through 50% blends too. If you are in a region where moths are reported to eating wool then avoid any doubt and opt for a carpet that carries a manufacturers moth proof warranty. There are many about. You can simply type "moth proof" in our search bar on our Flooring Megastore site and watch the results pop up. BOOM! There you go, minipie