Engineered or Solid Wood Floors?

3rd August 2013

So you want a new wood flooring – the question is do you want engineered or solid wood?

Perhaps you are you looking for a real wood floor but not sure where to start? Or perhaps you want an engineered wood floor but aren’t really sure of the difference or benefits of one over the other. Here at First Floors we have advice on just how to make the right decision to ensure your home looks beautiful and maximises its value. One of the most popular products on the market today is an engineered wood floor. As time goes by, customers are choosing engineered boards as an option for their floors. So what are the benefits of an engineered wood floor? Well there are several reasons for choosing this over a solid wood. If you are considering to install under-floor heating, then an engineered board is the perfect choice. The very construction of the board allows the heat to penetrate through the board. A solid wood floor is just too thick. The construction of an engineered board is 3 layers of plywood with a veneer on the surface. How it is designed makes it extremely hard and  therefore it will not expand and contract as much as a solid piece of wood. It is also ideal if your sub-floor is concrete as it can be floated. When we say floated we mean it will literally float above the existing floor. With this process you will need an underlay and if it is a concrete floor then a damp-proof underlay is recommended as cement tends to retain its moisture. An underlay will also have an acoustic effect and give your floor a beautiful feel underfoot. Engineered wood floor boards can be up to 1.9 long metres long if you are looking for that effect, whereas a solid wood is restricted in terms of plank length and width which is why it would cost a considerably more amount of money for this look in a solid wood floor. In addition, with an engineered board it is available in much bigger widths so you can start to see the benefits of an engineered board. Some of them are now available in a click version which makes for quick installation and easy to re-lift and repair if necessary! If you aren’t sure if you want Engineered or Solid Wood, it could be simply down to preference. Many of our customers simply want the look and feel of real wood but whilst knowing that their floor is solid wood through and through. Unless you have a particularly long or wide plank, you would never really know the difference, and both of these flooring options will last for generations. There many finishes and types of wood veneers available with an engineered wood board. Here at First Floors we have a beautiful range of engineered wood boards for you to choose from. Pop in and have a coffee and a chat and we will show you around our showroom at all the choices we have. We have an extensive range of laminates and solid wood floors for you to choose from as well. When you visit our showroom, some of the laminates and luxury vinyl options on show are so real and natural looking, you may find it hard to tell the difference between them and real wood. Pop into First Floors in Giffnock, we’re open seven days a week. Or call us for advice on 0141 638 0069 today.

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Customer Reviews

First Floors

Customer Reviews

Jim Hillier 1st June 2022

TrustPilot
Absolutely Delighted with the Conduct and Quality of Work. My Wife and I decided to replace our Bedroom Carpet and lay down wooden flooring for our Hall. We noticed that there was a possible supplier for flooring at first floors shop on Fenwick Road. We met up with David and Graham and explained that we were looking for quality products for both Items. We were shown flooring possibilities from their extensive range of designs and thicknesses and soon found a product that we were interested in. We were delighted to find out that they had carpet selections at the back of the shop which surprised us; you could not appreciate the size of the place from the shop front! We chose a carpet that we thought met our specifications and were given a reasonable sized sample to take home to see how it would look in our room taking into account of our particular lighting conditions. First Floors sent out a guy to take measurements for floor, accessory fittings and carpet.
Being very happy with the proposition given to us and estimates of work completion dates and prices we went ahead with the order. Graham kept us updated with the schedule and I am happy to say that the work was carried out on time and was completed to a very high quality with which we were both delighted with.
I would be happy to reference this company for anyone who is interested in upgrading their floors or replacing carpets.

Alastair Barrie 2nd June 2022

TrustPilot
Good selection, service and fitting.We were able to take home some samples to select the carpet that was just right for our room. There was a delay in our furniture arriving and First Floors were very accommodating in putting our fitting date back to suit. The fitting went very well indeed - couldn’t have been easier.

Olive Leitch 1st May 2022

TrustPilot
Excellent service from First Floors. All staff including fitters have been helpful and gave a friendly professional service. My new stair carpet has been fitted very well and already received many complements

Linda McBrearty 27th April 2022

TrustPilot
Excellent service with care. On our first visit to the showroom, David advised and helped us with our choice but never rushed us and gave us lots of confidence in making our final choice of engineered wooden flooring. Our new build home was delayed for a few months and during this time David and his team waited patiently with us until the flooring was able to be fitted! The fitting throughout our new house was more than excellent. The care and attention to detail was everything we could have hoped for, our thanks to the fitting team. We would have no hesitation in recommending First Floors, their professionalism and customer service was 100%.

Anna Smylie April 2021

Google
Fantastic service. David gave me great advice on which flooring would be most suitable for my business premises. Within the week Steven came to fit the flooring and, as promised, was in and out in a day. Can’t recommend this local Company enough. Anna Smylie ZuZu Giffnock.

Dawn Henry November 2021

Google
We recently purchased engineered oak flooring and carpets from First Floors. The customer service from David and team was exceptional. We had just moved home from overseas and bought a house with no floors so we did not have access to allow First Floors to measure. Theye allowed us to use our own measurements as we wanted the floors laid ASAP once we had the keys. The floor is beautiful and laid very professionally (thanks Steven). The carpets are also lovely and exactly what I wanted. The only thing I would change about the experience would be to have First Floors assess the house in advance. We have fire doors which were a problem the day the carpets were laid. This was not the issue of First Floors and it was resolved quickly. Thanks again David, we would highly recommend First Floors to anyone.

Ian and Lesley Proctor January 2022

Google
Another Great Job Done!!
Just had our third floor project in seven years completed by First Floors once again.
Great service from David and his showroom team from assisting in the selection of materials through to arranging the installation. Chris and his team worked tidily and efficiently on the hardwood flooring with great attention to detail. Gordon who fitted the stair carpet was very professional in his work and was able to resolve some problematic details to our entire satisfaction.
Would definitely recommend First Floors.

Gavin Reid 18/08/20

TrustPilot
We recently had First Floors install laminate flooring in our lounge and hallway and are absolutely delighted with the final result! It has been finished to a high standard with great attention to detail.

Having had a rough idea of what we were looking for, David helped find the perfect flooring for both rooms.

We were booked in quickly and kept informed throughout the process.

We would definitely recommend and use again.

Christine Sharp 23/08/20

TrustPilot
Wee have recently had a new laminate floor laid in our upstairs hall. We are very happy with the result and feel the level of workmanship and finishing detail was excellent

Chris Milne 30/08.20

TrustPilot
Excellent service from first point of contact. Staff took time to discuss and review options, then worked to suitable timescale based around my schedule.
Work completed on time and to a very high standard, delighted with results.
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