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Buying guides
HARD & NATURAL FLOORING
Hard and natural flooring adds a clean, fresh look to your home.
Explore our guide below for help deciding on, ordering and owning the right style for your home, and we can estimate for and fit your new flooring too
TYPES OF FLOORING
Engineered wood
If you:
- Want a cost-effective alternative to solid wood
- Need something strong, stable and easy to install
- Have underfloor heating
- Want something suited to a kitchen or bathroom
Then consider engineered wood because:
- It’s good at resisting warping, buckling and cracking
- It can be sanded and refinished multiple times
- It's suitable for use in moist conditions
Laminate flooring
If you:
- Want a convincing, cost-effective way to get the look of wood
- Prefer something low maintenance
Then consider laminate flooring because it’s:
- Durable, chip-proof and scratch resistant
- Easier and cheaper to install
Tip
Avoid installing laminates in areas where it's likely to become wet
Luxury vinyl tiles
If you:
- Want to create individual designs
- Have allergies
- Have underfloor heating
Then consider luxury vinyl tiles because they're:
- Hygienic and easy to clean
- Resistant to bacteria, dust mites and allergens
- Waterproof and provide excellent grip
- Offer great sound insulation
- Available in many different finishes and patterns
Vinyl
If you:
- Want a more cost-effective alternative to wood, laminate or luxury tiles
- Are shopping for a kitchen or bathroom
- Have underfloor heating
- Want a variety of designs
Then consider vinyl because:
- It’s cushioned for comfort and insulation
- It’s water resistant
- It’s available in wood, tile, patterned and plain
Tip
It's often necessary to have your floor levelled and smoothed first, otherwise the vinyl could crease
PRICING
Our hard flooring is priced by the pack or by the square metre (a pack can vary between 1.5-3.5 square metres). Both prices will be shown online and in our shops, so you can easily compare.
Please bear in mind that the final cost will be dependant on any additional requirements and fitting.
SAMPLING
Free samples of the majority of our flooring ranges are available online and in our shops.
ORDERING
Once you’ve decided on the kind of hard flooring you’d like, you’ll need to visit one of our shops to complete your order.
Estimating and fitting services
We offer a free estimating service where one of our trained experts will visit your home to take measurements and provide you with a quote, so you’ll need to decide on your flooring before the estimator visits.
We also offer a fitting service, though prices for this will vary.
Tips for before your flooring arrives
Allow new concrete floors time to dry out completely
Wood flooring should be placed in the area where it will be installed to enable it to “acclimatise” or adjust its moisture content
Stack packs of wood flooring to allow the air to circulate, but avoid opening them
Expect pre-finished wooden flooring to take 48 - 72 hours to acclimatise
OWNING
Caring for your hard flooring
- Get a good quality doormat to protect against grit and water
- Use felt pads or castor cups to protect from furniture dents, marks and scratches
- Mop up water straight away. Beech and maple woods are especially sensitive
- Wash floors using a soapy, non-abrasive cleaner specifically for wooden floors
- Rearrange rugs and furniture periodically, in order to avoid colour change from sunlight
- Use anti-slip polish for lacquered wooden floors, but colour test a small area first