Cheap Wood Flooring
Cheap wood flooring comes in lots of different styles, grades and price ranges. You might choose to install wood flooring in your home for its durability, beauty and for its elegant appearance. Genuine hardwood flooring is not cheap, although prices may vary greatly depending on brand, the type of wood, and the thickness of the wood. True hardwood floors are made from cedar, ash, oak, cherry and elm.
While genuine hardwood is the most desirable type of wood flooring, it is not the only option. Floating hardwood floors are a popular choice, and they are made with tongue in groove joints. They are milled in such a way as to give the look of real wooden floors. Synthetic wood flooring attempts to match the quality and natural look of genuine hardwood, for a lot less money. If you must have real wood flooring, this can still be done cheaply. Some wood floors are crafted of less expensive woods, which makes them more affordable.
Wood flooring can add a great deal of value to your home, unlike vinyl or tile or even carpeting. It also gives a classic look of warmth to your living space. If cost is a factor in your decision to install wood floors, you should be aware that there are lots of businesses that offer cheap wood flooring options for your home.
Just because wood flooring is cheap doesn't mean that you have to sacrifice quality. You can find solid bamboo natural, solid bamboo caramel, rustic oak, white oak or black solid walnut. You can also find laminate, or imitation wood flooring. The prices for it all range from £39.50 to £9.79 per square metre. You can also shop wood flooring sales to ensure that you get the cheap wood flooring of your choice. Try looking for flooring sales in January and February for the best prices.
Installation of cheap wood flooring gives you the look of real hardwood without the expense. Cork and bamboo flooring have a very sophisticated and sleek appearance, and they are more plentiful and affordable than solid hardwood flooring would be. Bamboo wood flooring is an environmentally friendly choice as well, because bamboo is known to regenerate in about five years, as opposed to decades.
Laminate Wood Flooring
There are also laminate wood floors, which have a layered construction which include a decorative surface and a wood-based core with a backing bonded to the underside. If you are not wanting to spend lots of money for your wood flooring, this might be just the thing for your budget. This truly is cheap wood flooring, which is gaining in popularity. Cheap laminate wood flooring is fairly easy to install, as you can simply click the planks together. You can even take the wood laminate flooring apart when you are ready to move, and take it with you.
Wood laminate flooring can also be glued in place. Just allow enough time for the flooring to dry, as this will determine the overall strength of the flooring. However, any glued laminate flooring cannot be dismantled and reassembled at a new location. Also, laminate wood flooring can be prone to chips and scratching. It is not easily repaired if any damage to it does occur.
Installing Wood Flooring
If you would like to save even more money on the installation of cheap wood flooring, you can choose to do the job yourself. The materials you will need are wood flooring in the design of your choosing, underlay materials to soundproof and insulate the floor, and edging trim to keep the wood laminate flooring in place, since it will not be glued down to the sub-floor. You will also need a tape measure, goggles and a mask, a circular saw, jigsaw and handsaw, scissors, a square, a spirit level, screws and nails. Before you begin, always get accurate measurements of the room in which you are installing your wood flooring, and get approximately 5% more wood than you think you will need.
If your sub-floor is concrete, you will also need a leveling compound, a hammer and chisel, a bucket and a damp-proof membrane. Those with wooden sub-floors will need a leveling compound, a detector for pipes and electric cables, pipe covers, a plane and a hammer.
Do shop around before deciding on a design for cheap wood flooring. There are hundreds of colours and designs to choose from and you will want to price compare. Keep in mind that wood laminate flooring can be susceptible to moisture and it must be water resistant if you want to install it in your kitchen or bathroom. Humidity can cause your beautiful laminate flooring to swell and buckle.
If done correctly, your wood flooring can look flawless and beautiful for years to come.