The Benefits of Solid Oak Flooring

Everybody knows that wood flooring is a desirable addition to a property and that hardwood flooring has many benefits but add one little word: 'oak' and you're suddenly in the realm of prestige flooring.

Oak hardwood flooring is renowned the world over for having natural qualities and timeless sophistication that set it in a league of its own.

But why is oak good for flooring? What are the benefits of oak that give solid oak floors such as a formidable reputation and make it such as good investment?

Here we'll give you a rundown of what makes oak wood flooring such an excellent choice for your home.

Durability & Longevity

Oak trees are one of the densest wood species with a density of around 0.70-0.90g per cubic centimetre. When you compare this to other wood species pine wood for example which is commonly less than 0.50g per cm3 you can see that oak is much denser than some other woods.

It is this density that helps give oak solid hardwood floors their exceptional level of durability and longevity; easily able to withstand decades, indeed generations of, hard use.

Strength & Resistance to Wear & Tear

Oak floors are strong enough to cope with whatever life throws at them. Your solid oak floor will resist dents, scratches and stains and even the areas with high foot traffic as oak is such a naturally strong and durable material.

Easy Maintenance & Repairability

Solid oak flooring is surprisingly easy to clean, with one of the best ways to maintain a wood floor being to simply sweep it daily to keep it free of the dust and grit that can scratch and to ensure that you wipe up any spills straight away.

Mopping with warm water or a recommended cleaning product from the manufacturer of your floor will help keep your floor in top condition. Follow this up with a specialist wooden floor deep clean every 6 months and you're all set.

If your oak hardwood flooring does require repairing in many cases this can be done simply and quickly by yourself using epoxy resin/wood glue and wood filler.

Aesthetics & Timeless Appeal

The warm, rich luxurious feel and look of wood floors and in particular oak floors is hard to beat. The natural wood patterning, or grain of oak flooring is one of the aesthetic touches that make it so popular.

This applies the all the options including white oak, dark oak and red oak, which isn't actually red, it is called red oak because of the vibrant red of the tree's leaves in autumn.

Solid oak wood floors and oak engineered wood flooring are available from Wooden Floors UK in a variety of colours, patterns and styles to suit a range of budget options in both solid wood oak and engineered wood oak varieties.

Versatility & Compatibility with Different Styles

Working seamlessly with almost any decor, style or interior design whether a rustic look, traditional or contemporary oak floors transcend fads and fashions for a truly timeless flooring solution and beautiful addition to any home.

Environmental Sustainability

Our oak floors are environmentally sustainable, using responsibly sourced oak.

The forests that the oaks come from are managed carefully and replanted not only ensuring a supply of oak but also supporting the many other species that thrive in oak woodlands and providing all import carbon sinks taking in CO2 and so removing it from the atmosphere.

Also, because they are built to last, and are timeless in style oak floors are the opposite of 'fast interiors'; the unsustainable and wasteful purchases made to satisfy immediate desires and fast-changing interior design fads.

This as well as avoiding many of the harsh chemicals or plastics used in many other flooring options so they will be fully recyclable and eventually biodegradable makes oak flooring one of if not the most environmentally sustainable flooring option there is.

Enhanced Indoor Air Quality & More Hygienic Quality

Hardwood floors are recommended for those who suffer from allergies in part because they are easy to clean and dust.

The smooth surface of the wood means there is no build-up of particles that may cause allergies and no harsh cleaning chemicals are required either.

Another important point about solid wood floors is that they don't contain VOCs or volatile organic compounds which not only can pose a risk to health but can trigger problems in people with allergies and/or asthma.

One of the most extraordinary benefits of oak wood flooring is that oak is naturally water, fungus and rot-resistant. This helps give the oak floor its exceptional durability, and one reason why oak was so prized for shipbuilding in days gone by but also means that your oak floors will not harbour mildew, mould or fungus like soft floor furnishing like carpets do that can not only trap unpleasant odors but can also cause health problems.

Investment Value & Return on Investment

Some people might be put off the idea of having hardwood flooring installed in their homes because of the initial investment. However, installing a wooden floor, in particular, installing an oak hardwood floor not only provides you with all the benefits of oak flooring but is an excellent investment for many reasons.

Firstly, wooden flooring, when installed properly, automatically increases the value of your home by anything between 1% and 10%. The average ROI for oak hardwood flooring is between 70% and 80%.

It is also something that catches a potential buyer's eye when scanning through properties; who wants to be having to remove the old or damaged carpet as soon as they move into a new home!

It is also worth thinking about how hardwood floors are an excellent choice for rental properties. Solid wood is easy to clean, robust and unlike carpets won't require an expensive cleaning service between tenants.

Conclusion

In short, oak floors are a great choice for you and your family with important benefits. Oak solid hardwood floors are hypallergenic, and an all around healthier choice for you and for the planet as well as being strong, robust, long lasting and able to resist damage.

They are easy to maintain and if the worst happens, to repair. Couple these excellent qualities with a reliable ROI and the fact that they add instant monetary value to your home AND give it extra buyability; which is so key in a time when competition for selling a home is tough.

All of this, not forgetting the fact that oak flooring, quite simply looks and feels beautiful means you'd be forgiven to wanting to make the dream of wooden flooring come true for you straight away; luckily we at Wooden Floors UK can help; get in touch today and we'll help you make the dream a reality.