Wood Flooring Derby
Solid and engineered wood flooring supplied and fitted across Derby and Derbyshire, with honest advice on which of the two suits your room.
A wood floor is the top of the range, and the one where the wrong choice costs most. Solid timber is unbeatable underfoot but moves with moisture and heat. Engineered wood gives the same surface with far more stability. We fit both, so the advice you get is impartial.
Wood Flooring Types and Fitting
The main types of wood floor and the ways they are fitted. See more in our gallery.
Solid hardwood
Solid timber all the way through, so it can be sanded and refinished, and it lasts for decades.
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Engineered wood
A real timber top layer over a stable core, which copes far better with heat and moisture than solid wood.
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Nail and secret-nail fixing
The traditional method for solid boards, fixed down to a timber subfloor for a floor that does not move.
Floor and joist replacement
Floating and click systems
Engineered boards can float over an underlay, which is quick to fit but needs a genuinely flat base.
Floor preparation
Over underfloor heating
Engineered wood is the wood floor to choose over underfloor heating, within the manufacturer temperature limit.
Underfloor heating
The finished floor
Prefinished boards arrive sealed and ready to walk on; unfinished boards are sanded and sealed on site.
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What the different names actually mean.
There are plenty of options in wooden flooring, and the terminology confuses people. Hardwood refers to timber from broadleaved trees such as oak, ash, maple, cherry and walnut. Bamboo is usually grouped with hardwood, although it is officially a grass. Solid wood means boards of timber all the way through. Engineered wood means a real timber top layer bonded to a plywood or fibreboard core.
Solid wood is the classic: durable, long-lasting and able to be sanded and refinished several times, which makes it a long-term investment whose look can be changed with a different finish. It does need maintenance, and it moves with changes in humidity and temperature.
Engineered wood has the same timber surface but a layered core that keeps it far more stable. That makes it the better choice over underfloor heating, in kitchens and anywhere conditions vary. How many times it can be refinished depends on the thickness of its top layer, which is worth asking about before you buy.
How Wood Flooring Is Fitted
Nailing or secret nailing is the traditional method for solid boards over a timber subfloor, fixing the boards down for a floor that feels completely solid. The nails must sit flush or below the surface and the alignment has to be right from the first board.
Floating installation suits engineered boards: the planks click together over an underlay with no nails or glue. It is quick and neat, but it needs a very flat base. Glue-down is also common for engineered wood, because the boards are flat and precisely made, and it gives a strong, permanent bond that suits busy areas. Stapling is a faster fixed method used for engineered boards in lighter-traffic rooms.
We will advise on the right method for your floor, taking account of the type of board, the subfloor and the budget. Where the existing floor is uneven we level and prepare it first, and where boards or joists have failed we can replace them.
Living With a Wood Floor
Wood is a natural material and it responds to its surroundings. Boards need to acclimatise in the room before they are laid, and the floor needs an expansion gap at the perimeter, covered by skirting or beading, so it can move with the seasons without lifting.
Wood is not the right choice for a bathroom or a wet room; for the look of timber in those rooms, LVT or vinyl is the sensible answer. Prefinished boards arrive with a factory-applied finish and can be walked on as soon as they are down. Unfinished boards are sanded and sealed on site, which allows a bespoke finish but means dust and drying time in your home.
Because we fit every type of floor, our advice on suitability and budget is impartial: we have no reason to steer you towards wood if another floor would serve the room better.
Related Services
Laminate Flooring
The wood look at a fraction of the cost, and more scratch-resistant.
LVT Flooring
Wood-effect luxury vinyl for kitchens, bathrooms and busy spaces.
Herringbone Flooring
The parquet pattern in vinyl and laminate.
Floor Preparation
Levelling and screeding for a flat, sound base.
Floor and Joist Replacement
Failed boards and joists replaced before the new floor goes down.
Underfloor Heating
Electric and wet systems, with engineered wood as the wood option.
Wooden Floor Fitters Near You
We supply and fit solid and engineered wood flooring, or fit flooring you've already bought, across Derby, Ripley, Heanor, Belper, Borrowash, Castle Donington, Melbourne, Alfreton, Somercotes, South Normanton, Allestree and Quarndon. Get in touch to arrange a samples visit.
Wood Flooring Questions
Why choose Derbyshire Flooring Specialists to fit our wood floor?
We fit every type of floor, so our advice on solid versus engineered wood, and on whether wood is right for the room at all, is impartial.
We bring samples to the room itself, prepare the floor properly first and offer supply and fit or fit only, so you can buy the boards yourself if you prefer.
Should I choose solid or engineered wood?
Solid wood is unmatched underfoot and can be sanded and refinished several times, but it moves with humidity and heat. Engineered wood has the same timber surface on a stable core, so it copes far better with underfloor heating, kitchens and changing conditions, and it usually costs less. For most modern homes, engineered wood is the practical choice.
Can wood flooring go over underfloor heating?
Engineered wood can, within the manufacturer's maximum floor temperature, and it is the wood floor to choose for a heated floor. Solid wood generally is not recommended, because it dries out and moves. Tell us at the quote stage if underfloor heating is planned.
Is wood flooring suitable for a bathroom?
No, not really. Standing water and humidity are exactly what wood dislikes. For the look of timber in a bathroom or wet room, LVT or vinyl gives the same appearance with none of the risk.
How often can a wood floor be refinished?
A solid wood floor can usually be sanded and refinished several times over its life. An engineered floor depends on the thickness of its timber top layer: a thick wear layer may take two or three sandings, a thin one may take none. It is worth asking about that thickness before buying.
Do wood floors need to acclimatise before fitting?
Yes. Boards should sit in the room they are going into for a period before fitting so they settle to the temperature and humidity of the house. Fitting straight from a cold van is how gaps and cupping appear later. The floor also needs an expansion gap at the edges, hidden by the skirting or beading.
Derbyshire Flooring Specialists wooden flooring service:
Wood Flooring Derby, Wood Flooring Ripley, Wood Flooring Heanor, Wood Flooring Belper, Wood Flooring Borrowash, Wood Flooring Castle Donington, Wood Flooring Melbourne, Wood Flooring Alfreton, Wood Flooring Sommercotes, Wood Flooring South Normanton, Wood Flooring Allestree, Wood Flooring Quarndon
