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How to Choose the Perfect Wooden Floor
Posted on: 13th October 2017
When choosing a new floor, whether for home or a commercial project, the impression it gives is just as important as its durability and feel. Wood flooring is a popular and practical choice. Looking great in contemporary and traditional surroundings, the right floor grounds the interior design scheme and gives a room coherence. Our handy guide to getting the right width, pattern and finish will help you design the perfect floor for your room.
Board Width
Narrow boards were once the preserve of stately homes and as such are now seen as formal. Highly polished, narrow wooden floor boards give a grand look. However distressed narrow boards can give a more casual look, suiting a shabby chic décor. Wide boards have grown in popularity in recent years and are seen as being casual and modern.
Size and Shape of the Room
Just as a striped shirt can make someone look taller or wider depending on whether the stripes are vertical or horizontal, the layout of floorboards will greatly affect the look of a room.
- Small Rooms: Wide boards give an impression of greater space, as there are less joints providing visual ‘clutter’. Smoother wood grains and lighter colours suit small areas best.
- Large Rooms: While wide boards make small spaces look bigger, they can also make big spaces look smaller! A large room can take a narrower board with a prominent grain. Woods such as pine, oak and hickory will have more variation between planks and more knots than maple, bamboo or walnut.
- Long or Narrow Rooms: To make a room seem wider, lay the floor boards perpendicular (at a right-angle) to the long wall of the room. Herringbone or chevron patterns change the appearance of the width of a room, and can be created with narrow or wide boards.
- Open Plan Areas: If you have a large open plan room or area, using a mixture of floor boards can create zones and break up the space to make it more appealing to the eye. A border of wider boards laid perpendicular to narrow boards, creating an inner rectangle, looks striking and is suitable for modern or classic décor. Open plan and large areas can benefit from patterned floor laying, herringbone, chevron or parquet flooring can break up areas and make a big space more inviting.
The Perfect Finish
Polished, stained, matte or varnished is mostly down to personal preference. A smaller space suits lighter woods and finishes as darker colours absorb light. However, if you’re a bold decorator, a striking dark wood floor in a small room is very modern and tres chic! Borders look great in narrow hallways, as well as in classically decorated living areas, our range means we have a style to suit all tastes.
If you need any advice on choosing the right floor for your project, visit our showroom in Norwich to see our ranges and receive expert guidance from our instore team. Call 01603 879359 or email sales@reformflooring.co.uk for any enquiries.
