Wood flooring, laminate flooring and wood floor restoration frequently asked questions
Please contact us by email with any of you questions at info@altonwoodfloors.com
Is the estimate free and without obligation?
Yes, the estimate is free and without obligation. We will visit your home at a time convenient to you with samples of wood flooring available. We do not believe in hard selling, just providing the customer with sound honest advice with which to make an informed choice of flooring.
Can you supply wood flooring for us to fit ourselves?
Yes we are happy to supply wood flooring for you to fit yourselves, please refer to our supply only page for further details. We will offer free advice to help you with the installation. We also offer volume and trade discounts.
I have very old high skirting boards, what are the options regarding the expansion gap required around the new wood floor?
There are several options open to you in this situation, we can do any of the following:
1/. Remove skirting prior to fitting the floor and replace after installation
2/. Remove existing skirting and replace with new after the floor has been laid
3/. Fit beading that matches the floor or white beading that can be painted to match the existing skirting.
4/. "Cloak" the existing skirting after the floor has been installed. This involves putting a thin layer of mdf over the existing skirting shaped into the skirting profile and then painted the same colour as the skirting.
5/. Under-cut the skirting so that the flooring fits underneath without having to remove it.
Do you sand floor boards?
Yes we do floor sanding, including floorboards and make repairs if necessary. We can then coat the floor with a quality lacquer to give it maximum protection
Can you restore my parquet floor?
Yes, we have a very experienced team of floor restoration specialists, please contact us for a free home visit and quotation. We can also supply and fit parquet flooring.
What is a "Floating Floor"?
Floating flooring is a flooring system laid down over a layer of underlay. So while the individual planks are glued together, the individual planks are not nailed or glued on to the sub-floor. Some engineered flooring has a click system of jointing, this requires no glue at all. The planks form a system that "floats" over the layer of underlay. The underlay can be laid down over existing floors.
Can I have a wood floor in the kitchen?
Yes you can have a wood floor in the kitchen. We would recommend an engineered wood floor for this area
What does the underlay do?
Underlays come in various forms and can reduce the sound of the wood floor, add insulation and protect the wood floor from moisture.
I have kids and pets, which finish to the floor would be most suitable for me?
Lacquer floors are very hard wearing but an oiled floor is much easier to repair in most cases. A light sanding with fine wire wool or sand paper and then 2 coats of oil should be sufficient to spot repair the floor.
Do you supply and fit solid wood thresholds?
Yes we can supply and fit solid wood thresholds and trims.
What is the required distance between the walls and the flooring boards?
When gluing a solid wood to the subfloor an expansion gap of 15mm towards the walls is sufficient. With floating-floor installations for every metre of installation width the flooring requires a distance to the wall of at least 5mm, lengthwise an expansion gap of 15mm is sufficient.
Can I install the flooring using one pack after the other?
For a natural, harmonious looking installation is recommended to work with approximately 5 open packs of flooring and sort/choose the boards individually by colour.
How much wastage do I allow for?
Generally, we recommend adding 5/10% to the room's total size for cutting scrap.
Which kind of Real Wood flooring is right for me?
The range of choices is huge. According to personal taste and character of the room you can choose between different wood types, board sizes, surface finishes (lacquer-finish or oil-impregnation), surface structures (Antique, Distressed, Brushed), impressions (Block or Wideplank) and styles.
Does sunlight have any effects on the flooring?
Yes, any kind of wood will change its colour over time. During this process light-coloured wood types are not necessarily going to get lighter, dark wood types however will get darker. Every wood type has a characteristic aging process of its own and will react in its individual way.
What is the maximum load a Real Wood flooring can bear on a single point?
With very large loads (e.g. pianos, aquariums, storage heaters and the like) we always recommend gluing down as the installation method of choice.
Can Engineered Real Wood flooring that has been installed as a floating floor be sanded and resurfaced?
Yes, but be aware that every sanding process will take off about 1mm of the flooring's wear-layer. Try not to use very heavy sanding machinery as the big weight of these machines may lead to the creation of "sanding waves"
How do I care for my oil-impregnated Real Wood floors?
Use Wood-Floor Soap for regular maintenance cleaning. Use a vacuum cleaner for lacquer-finished floors and damp-wipe only if needed. For oil use Osmo wash and care cleaner with an oil refresher if the floor appears to be drying out, a measure of this is that the floor is holding dirt more than it did when first installed.
Should your Floating Real Wood Flooring be installed under kitchen appliances?
In the kitchen, you should install the flooring under kitchen appliances, but be very careful when you slide the appliances over the floor. We recommend covering the flooring with something such as a spare rug to protect the flooring when you're moving the appliances.
Are there methods that make it possible for all stains to be removed from Real Wood Floors or is it sometimes impossible for some stains to be removed?
Most stains don't penetrate more than the sanding will remove. However, if you have a severe water stain, you may not be able to remove it.
How much of an irregularity (drop or rise) can there be in an existing sub floor before installing your Real Wood Flooring?
You can have a drop or rise up to 4mm over 2 linear metres.
Do solid wood floors increase home value?
Absolutely. Real Woods floors are recognised as one of the highest quality floors available and would increase the value of your home.
I am installing a Radiant Heat Floor System involving poly water tubing set in gypsum concrete that would be my sub-floor. Can your products be used with this type of floor heating system?
This installation is okay as long as the tubes don't touch the wood. You also would have to use a laminated underlay vapour barrier between the concrete and the floor.
Can your Real Wood Flooring be installed over Linoleum and be used on stairs?
Real Wood flooring can be installed on the stairs, however it can be slippery.
You can install our floating Real Wood flooring over linoleum if the linoleum remains sound and tightly glued to the original sub floor.
Is there a type of Real Wood Flooring (e.g. Maple v's Oak) that is more durable or longer lasting than another?
There isn't much difference between Real Wood flooring wood types. The only negative on oak is it's a rather porous wood, but it is a very hard durable wood, as are maple and beech. White oak is slightly harder than red oak. Your choice will really come down to aesthetics.
Do you have to install your Real Wood Flooring under existing cabinets?
Ideally, the solid Wood flooring would go under the cabinets. You can, however, cut around the cabinets if removing the cabinets would cause undue complications. Keep in mind, though, that if you were ever to change the cabinets, you could have a problem if the new cabinets weren't the same size as the old cabinets.
Is it possible to install a Real Wood as a floating floor over concrete?
Real Wood floor is designed exactly for this kind of application. It requires an underlay with a DPM over the concrete floor. The floating floor system can go directly over that.
If there were a crack in the concrete, would it cause problems with a Floating Floor installation?
We recommend that any cracks in concrete be filled with concrete filler and sealed prior to installation. If it's just a hairline crack you can simply cover the crack with duct tape. Keep in mind that underlay with a DPM must be installed prior to laying down the floor.
Important note prior to installation:
Relative Humidity should be maintained a 40-55% prior to installation and throughout the life span of the floor.