Wood Flooring
 

I am thinking about having wooden flooring in my lounge, but as most of the flooring here on the coast is tiled, I have only ever seen one example of an installed domestic wooden floor.
As the DIY superstores stock a wide selection of wooden flooring there must be some sort of market for it here.
My questions therefore are:-
Has anyone out there ever had such flooring installed and if so what are your views and experiences on its suitability?
Next, does anyone know of any businesses who sell and/or fit such flooring as I've never seen such services advertised nor does an internet search find any?
Thanks in advance.

Brian

Re: Wood Flooring
 

One of my neighbours had one installed in the lounge. After about 3 months it all had to be ripped up and replaced. It had warped. Don't know if that was due to bad fitting or other problems as they had a lot of damp problems after a refurbishment. There are a few fitters on the CDS. I think they had a Swedish company.

Re: Wood Flooring
 

As Concierge for the Spanish section of BE I would like to say hello and welcome.

BE is a very large expat website, so if you have problems finding your way around we have concierges who will try to direct you. The moderators for the Spanish forums are Mitzyboy and Fred James, moderators are there to ensure that the site runs smoothly within the rules of BE. Problems and complaints should always be addressed to a moderador who will look into the matter and deal with it efficiently and fairly. Our members who post in the Spain Forums are friendly and helpful with a wealth of knowledge of the issues of living in Spain. At the top of the page you will find a quirkily named thread called Free Beer which is full of important and useful information. Hope you enjoy your time participating in the forums.

Please let me know if you need any further help.

Rosemary

Re: Wood Flooring
 

Laminate flooring you mean ?
Yes works a treat & I laid ours about 6 years ago and its held up very well, a good quality underlay is a must with any laminate flooring and the floor will feel a little warmer underfoot.
Leroy stock quite a range nowadays.

Re: Wood Flooring
 

I would think long and hard before having a wood floor installed. I would be worried that the supplier was using kiln dried wood for one.

Also if your cleaner is anything like mine she will wash it with bleach the minute your back is turned.

Re: Wood Flooring
 

Our house has wooden flooring in the lounge and the bedrooms. Everyone who comes says it's wonderful - but we hate it! One benefit though, is that in winter the floor is warmer that tiles would be and in summer just as good.

Ours is tongue-and-groove 'planks' (approx. 15cm wide boards).

Because Spanish floors are made with concrete, I suspect the previous owner did not bother to screw battens onto the floor before installing the t&g. The consequence of this is that the floor moves - drinks on side tables are forever being spilled. The other problem with ours is that the quality of the wood was/is poor and so gaps have grown between each plank - these now fill up on a regular basis with dust etc.


Obviously, if better quality timber had been used and if it had been installed properly, then maybe we'd be happy. This may be a reflection on Spain (badly cured wood, difficulty of fixing to concrete) or may be down to the numpty who installed it.


For us, we're going to rip it all out and tile the floors.

Re: Wood Flooring
 

We bought high quality solid oak flooring in UK and hauled it down in our Sharan. 42 sq m for the lounge diner and 20 sq m for the master bedroom. All pre-finished and shrink wrapped. We opened it and allowed it to breathe for the required time laid strictly according to the manufactured instructions. We now have tiled floors it heaved and lifted within 6 months. It is in our basement I am too upset to burn that much money but it seems to be stable now.

Would I do it again YES but a smaller area as an experiment and learning from a floor my sister laid at about the same time over underfloor heating only using best quality engineered board 3/4 ply laminated with 1/8" best oak. Costs even more than I spent.

Re: Wood Flooring
 

hola also considering wood floor in a cortico reform. was that heave because of A] no DPC, B] was on newish concrete [with or without DPC] C] was on underfloor heating D] in sunlight and got heated too much
trying to evaluate why as none of the above will be applicable on ours so wiill be happy to use it.
or is there another reason i have not thought of

Re: Wood Flooring
 

People forget wood & think laminate as its far superior, even in the UK.

Re: Wood Flooring
 

Newish concrete but I don't think that was the whole problem. Here in Ayamonte the humidity can vary from less than 20% to 100% it's just like walking through a swimming pool. If you have these sea fogs like us and you leave the house for periods over winter it is very dicy. You do not see much of the real hardwood flooring in Spain they burnt all their real trees many years ago and that means that there are very few real carpinters or even joiners they are site chippies by and large. You can get engineered products but they are very expensive and there are some very good expat joiners but they are not cheap. Engineered board is the answer if you want real wood.

Re: Wood Flooring
 

Wood/Laminate flooring is never fixed to the sub strata as it floats on top of it as it expands & contracts depending on the weather.

Re: Wood Flooring
 

My parents and brother live in Valencia city. My parents have real wood flooring for some 8 years now, still perfect. My brother has laminate flooring for 4 years and never had a problem. He even installed it himself to give it a go... and I'm going to ask him to give me a hand when I'm back to change mine! :rofl:

He got it from Leroy Merlin, and my parents got some specialized people to get the floor and to install it, but not a clue who. I'l ask them in case they still remember. It's "flotante", they put some battens on the floor making sure it was level and hasn't given any problems so far.

I haven't seen any wooden floors in small coastal villages, at least that I can remember, so cannot really say.

BTW, surely somebody will correct this, but just in case. I think that if you have a concrete floor you cannot lay any wooden flooring directly on top, it's normally rough and unlevel. You have to pour self levelling concrete (it's almost liquid), let it dry to make sure that the floor is now completely flat, and then you can lay the new flooring. If not on the basement or ground floor, then you have to take care of the extra weight.

Re: Wood Flooring
 

Nobody mentioned termites ?
Around here the Spanish avoid the use of wood like the plague wherever possible,especially with regard to roof structures and floors where the termites can work merrily away without being noticed until all of a sudden it's far too late and catastrophic.
Quite a few other disadvantages of wood as against tiling also worth considering.

Re: Wood Flooring
 

We decided to try something a bit unique - a wood floor in an ensuite bathroom. Plenty of people advised us against it, but we found a floor made of PVC plastic, but it really really looks just like wood (and it was really cheap!). It is completely water-impervious, and it looks great in the bath. We put insulated underlayment and in-floor heating as well.

2 years in, and so far, perfect. And incredibly warm in the winter.

Re: Wood Flooring
 

A big big thank you to all of you who have taken the time and trouble to respond. It's achieved more than I expected, in that points have been raised that I had not considered. 'Food for thought' best describes it!
I intend to print off the comments and advice, so please if anyone has more information or experiences then please feel free to pass them on.
Thanks again to all.