Choosing Your Floor

Some Basic Considerations

Understanding grading

There is no clear grading system for wood flooring in the UK. For example, what one supplier might describe as “Rustic”, another might label “Character”.   Some suppliers have a 3 grading system (e.g. rustic, character, clear (or prime)), others a 2 grading system. At the end of the day, it depends on how much they are prepared to select out boards after they have been machined. As a general rule, the following usually applies, but it is important to check on specification as the edges are very blurred.

• Rustic – could contain large knots up to 70 mm wide, some might be open or cracked, some sap wood possible (much lighter in colour) and darker colour variation, could be cracks or splits in some of the timber.  This is usually the cheapest material.
• Character grade – will contain small knots, ideally no larger that 25 mm, some of which might be cracked or chipped, some colour variation (but no sap), plenty of interesting grain pattern.  More expensive than Rustic.
• Clear (or prime) grade – might have a few pin knots, but otherwise should be mainly knot free, possibly some variation in colour and grain pattern.  This material is considerably more expensive that Rustic or Character.

Other terminology in use

• Select – usually used to describe clear boards which are selected for their straight grain, tends to apply to American products such as maple or oak, usually expensive.
• Natural – used by some manufacturers to cover the character/rustic or character range.
• Mill Run – could be anything.  Might be the same as Natural, or could include some prime grade.
• Mixed grade – usually a mixture of Character and Prime.  It simply means that the manufacturer does not select out the better material and sell it as Prime.
• Quarter Sawn – the most expensive, in oak characterised by the vertical grain, and flame marks on the surface, usually used for cabinet work, very stable.
• Strip Flooring – generally means fairly narrow and short boards.
• Pre-finished – means that the floor has been sealed with several coats of lacquer or other sealer.
• Engineered Board – a floor which is made up of a plywood or similar backing with a hardwood surface layer.  This can vary from 2 mm thick up to 6 mm or more. Often available as single plank up to 200 mm wide. Generally, and in the better quality boards, is more stable than solid flooring and so can be used over underfloor heating.

Making a Choice

It is important to compare like with like when choosing flooring.  For example, how wide are the boards, how long are they, where are they from ?  Usually the wider and/or longer the board, the more it costs.  Some suppliers offer floors which contain short lengths (e.g. 300 mm).  What happens is that say in a “character” board 2 metres long there may be two or three evenly spaced knots, the manufacturer cuts each side of these knots, then the remaining pieces can be sold as “prime” grade for considerably more money.  This can be fine – a floor fitter needs some short pieces to start and end rows.  But if there are short pieces, you can be sure that there will be lots of others at 1 metre or less, and this can affect the final appearance of the floor. Some flooring contains lengths no greater than 1.3 or 1.5 metres.  This is typical of the material currently being imported from China, normally in widths of 90, 110 and 130 mm.  Long boards give the floor layer greater flexibility and can be cut as necessary… So when making your choice, decide on what you want.  What sort of effect do you want?   Do you want lots of longitudinal joints, or do you prefer longer boards. Then, if shopping around, compare like with like.

Pre-sealed or Un-finished

Much of the pre-sealed flooring is imported from Asia particularly China, although some UK and European manufacturers are now producing their own.  Usually (but not always, so check) it has a micro-bevel on the edge which gives a slight V to the join between boards.  This does affect the appearance of the floor.  Some people prefer it, others don’t.  The main disadvantage of pre-finished flooring is that if the surface gets damaged, it can be difficult to match it up unless you know what it was sealed with in the first place.  The advantages are that once the floor is fitted, the job is done.  No messy (and possibly expensive) sanding.  An alternative can be to buy pre-sanded flooring, which will require only a minimum of finishing, and which can be sealed in situ using a brush-on floor sealer or floor varnish.