Unlike laminate or engineered wood flooring, solid wood flooring consists of no resin, polymers or compressed wood. It simply consists of boards that are milled from pieces of solid wood, most typically hardwood. Boards used for solid wood flooring can vary in thickness and width, and they can be purchased with a tongue-and-groove finish to allow for easy installation, which can make this option as easy to install as laminate flooring.

Solid wood flooring planks come with a hardness score to help you select the right type of wood for your home. The hardness score tells you how robust the wood is and whether it would easily become scratched or dented in high-traffic areas. This information can be invaluable when investing in new flooring for your home and can help ensure you choose a durable hardwood that can cope with pet claws, toys, heeled shoes or whatever else you need it to.

Pros of Solid Wood Flooring

Solid wood flooring looks elegant and can bring a classic and timeless look to your home. It's also a long-lasting flooring option that can make your home more appealing if you decide to sell. Solid wood flooring is easy to clean and maintain and can be a good option for those with environmental allergies who need to avoid carpeting. This type of flooring is made with natural materials, so if you like to avoid synthetic materials, such as those used for many types of carpet and laminate boards, solid wood is a great choice. Solid wood flooring can be left natural or finished with a wood stain to suit your décor. It can then be sanded to restore its natural finish should you change your décor at any point.

Cons of Solid Wood Flooring

Solid wood flooring is more expensive than laminate or engineered wood flooring, and although it's durable and long-lasting, the initial cost of this type of flooring can be a fair bit greater than other types of flooring. This type of flooring can swell in humid or damp conditions due to it being a natural material. This may mean it's not the best option for a kitchen or bathroom, but that will depend on how you use these rooms and whether you have anything in place to control humidity, such as an extractor fan. Solid wood flooring can also cause sounds to be amplified, so you may want to consider this when laying flooring upstairs or when you have neighbours downstairs.

If you're considering your options, ask your chosen wood flooring company to show you a range of sample boards that are suitable for the type of foot traffic in your home.