The Floor Design Guide to Wood Flooring Costs
At Floor Design Wetherby we've been specialist suppliers and installers of engineered wood flooring to the Leeds, Harrogate and York areas for 40 years. Every day we help visitors to our Wetherby showroom design their wood flooring projects so we have a good idea of the key questions commonly asked about wood flooring.
In this guide we aim to address the most common questions to help you understand if wood flooring is right for you and to give you an idea of the costs of a typical wood flooring project and the key things that can influence the price.
You may also be interested in our other blog posts about wood flooring, such as an engineered wood installation at a property in Wetherby, Leeds.
What is engineered wood flooring?
Wood flooring is a really popular flooring choice but what exactly do we mean by engineered wood flooring? When installed, engineered wood flooring is identical to traditional solid wood flooring. However rather than being a solid plank of premium oak, an engineered board will have a top layer of premium oak with a bottom layer of strengthened, precision cut plywood.
Is engineered wood flooring better than solid wood flooring?
We think so yes, there are a few key reasons why we sell engineered wood flooring rather than solid wood flooring.
A key advantage of engineered wood flooring is that it is far more sustainable than solid wood. Because the backing of the board is made up of plywood with a thinner layer of oak on the surface, this can increase the yield per harvested tree by up to 60%. This is a significant saving for what is a precious and increasingly scarce resource of suitable oak trees.
The stability of an engineered board is far superior to a solid board. As a natural material oak will expand and contract with natural changes in temperature and humidity. However an engineered board with a ply backing will provide increased, strength and stability to the board. This means there is a far reduced chance of significant movement in the floor once installed, significantly reducing the likelihood of a failed installation.
Where can I install engineered wood flooring?
Our engineered wood flooring is suitable for most areas of the home. The only caution is to avoid areas with significant swings in humidity such as bathrooms and shower rooms. Otherwise it's a perfect option for hallways, kitchens, living rooms and bedrooms.
What woods are used in engineered wood flooring?
In the UK most wood flooring is made from Oak. This tends to be European Oak which is harvested mainly from Eastern Europe. American Walnut tends to be the next most popular alternative to Oak.
How is engineered oak flooring installed?
There are a few different methods for installing engineered wood flooring and the method chosen will often depend on the specific project and sub-floors.
Floated Floor - this is a popular method to install engineered wood flooring where the boards are laid over a thin underlay and each board is glued to the next board. In this scenario the floor is not fixed to the sub-floor but "floats" on the underlay. This is a quick and generally straight forward way to install and can reduce the preparation works required to the sub-floor.
Fully Adhere to Sub-Floor - an alternative is to glue the engineered wood boards down to the sub-floor, without an underlay. This is often used for installations of parquet herringbone planks that are less suited to a floating installation. If you have concrete sub-floors the wood will be directly adhered to the concrete which must be smooth and level. A moisture suppressant and smoothing compound may need to be applied before the flooring is installed. For timber sub-floors (floorboards/chipboard) it may be necessary to overlay with a flooring grade plywood first and then glue the engineered planks to the plywood. So in this method there is often more preparation of the sub-floor required
Secret Nail - this is another way of fixing the boards to a wooden sub-floor, where each engineered board is nailed to the sub-floor. The nails are not visible in the final installation hence the term "secret nail". This method is only suitable with larger planks not parquet or herringbone style flooring. It may be necessary to overlay the sub-floor with plywood first.
How much does engineered wood flooring cost?
As with most products there is a big range in price from lowest cost option to highest cost options. A key factor in influencing the price of your floor will be the quality of the oak, quality of the plywood and size of the boards.
Beware of lower priced flooring that is offered from online stores or the big chain DIY stores. This is often a poor quality Chinese product that is imported by the container load and sold cheaply. When it comes to wood flooring you do generally get what you pay for!
However to give you an idea of cost we can look at some of our most popular ranges.
Our Alpine range A110 is a wide plank of natural oak, this retails at £71.95m2. If installed as a floating floor expect to pay in the region of £6m2 for underlay and basic installation would be £13m2. So for a 20m2 lounge expect to pay in the region of £90.95m2 or £1,819.
As an alternative product our Deco Parquet Herringbone range is very popular, this is £81.95m2 and if we install to a dry concrete sub-floor you can expect to pay £8m2 for a quality adhesive and the fitting is more expensive due to the extra time it takes to install the parquet as individual bocks. So expect to pay in the region of £22m2 for parquet installation.
In the same 20m2 lounge this would be £111.95m2 or £2,239.
What other costs do I need to consider for my engineered wood flooring project?
We've listed above the key components of a wood flooring installation but you also need to be aware of the following:
Uplift and disposal of existing floor coverings
Removal and refitting of skirting boards or fitting of beading to the perimeter of the room
Supply and install of oak trims and thresholds to doorways, fireplaces etc.
Shortening of doors, kitchen end panels/plinths etc.
At Floor Design Wetherby we operate a free no-obligation quotation service. This means if you live in the Leeds, Harrogate or York areas we would be delighted to visit your property to undertake a site survey and measure. This will allow us to then build a bespoke quotation for your wood flooring project that will include the cost of all the additional extras that may be required for a perfect, professional finish you can book an appointment online.
How does the cost of engineered wood flooring compare to LVT?
We're often asked how engineered wood flooring prices compare to LVT, you may wish to read The Floor Design Guide to Luxury Vinyl Tile Costs. In the same 20m2 lounge example you can see that the LVT option is a similar price range to the engineered wood flooring. Obviously this depends greatly on which range of wood and LVT you choose and the specific requirements for floor preparation.
Are there any cheaper options to engineered wood flooring and LVT?
If you love the idea of real wood flooring but engineered wood is beyond your current budget, we strongly recommend you look at some of our high quality laminate flooring options. Often very hard to distinguish from the real thing, laminate has come a long way from the cheap DIY store products you may be familiar with. We have a wide range of top quality laminates to view in store.
Need more help? To get specific advice on your project visit us in store or send us a message and one of our team of flooring experts will be happy to help!
