A type of wooden flooring to suit every home

If you're a young professional with the keys to a new home, chances are you'll have to do something about the property's floors. If you haven't realised it already, carpets are very much a thing of the past - instead, say hello to something grander, more elegant and far easier to maintain.

Wooden flooring has been around for a while, but only recently have homeowners begun realising their versatility and potential. Why versatile? Well, there are three different finishes to choose from depending on your house and your personal tastes: lacquered, oiled and unfinished.

It always pays to do some research before investing in wood flooring, so what can you expect from lacquered boards? Well, virtually no maintenance for starters. Because each board receives around five coats they are pretty hardy and able to take a fair number of scratches, knocks and scrapes. Available in either a satin or matt finish, all you have to worry about once lacquered boards are fitted is the occasional sweep.

Compare this to the maintenance required for keeping a carpet looking spic and span. Even if a carpet is brand new, it will begin showing signs of wear and tear in a matter of weeks, while it will quickly become discoloured and a haven for dust mites and other unsavoury household characters. You'll also have to run a vacuum cleaner over it once a week, and you may well be shocked with just how much dust and dirt it picks up.

Carpets are not only impractical and unnecessarily hard work, they have also become outdated - and for good reason. With a lacquered wood floor, you can complement the character of your home while protecting against any wear and tear and dirt infestations. What's more, if you've got some little ones on the way, lacquered wooden flooring is an excellent way to preserve your home's attractiveness. Spillage? All it takes is a quick wipe with a damp cloth - you can forget about soaking and expensive carpet shampoo.

Lacquered wooden flooring isn't the only option. Homeowners can also choose to have an oiled finish. If you have a keen sense of style, this may well be the type of wooden floor for you. An oiled finish has a high class, natural feel about it and is akin to the appearance of grand Parisian apartments. How is this natural look achieved? The process is remarkably simple. Oil is applied to the wood and left to soak in, which leaves the attractive patterns of the grain visible. In addition to the occasional sweep, proper maintenance is required once every 12 months or so.

If your oiled wooden flooring gets stained, for example, all that needs to be done is a quick sand down and re-oiling, which will leave your floor looking as good as new. Oiled finishes are not suitable for every room in the house however, particularly in the kitchen and bathroom where people tend to be on their feet and walking about.

Thankfully, Timberland Flooring also offers unfinished wood floors, which are sealed by the fitters once they have been installed. Not only can any stains be spotted and sanded down before a choice of finish is applied, but this type of wood flooring is excellent at resisting splashes and spillages over a long period of time. It is also far more attractive to vinyl flooring, which can have the disadvantage of having to be regularly replaced.

One of the most attractive materials for wooden flooring in the bathroom is bamboo. Its main advantage is the ability to not expand or contract with moisture. Despite being a type of grass, bamboo is a similar material to types of hardwood and is used by many manufacturers thanks to its strength and durability.

Bamboo is also an ideal material for those conscious of their wooden flooring's environmental impact. Not only is it sustainable, but growing bamboo for flooring does not require pesticides to be used, and any fertilisers tend to be organic. It takes between three and five years for bamboo to reach maturity and be cultivated, which compares favourably to the 20 to 120 years it takes hardwood to reach maturity.

If you do opt for bamboo, you'll have a further choice to make in terms of colour - either natural shade, which is close to beech, or carbonised, which resembles oak. While carbonised bamboo is softer than natural, it is harder than certain types of hardwood.

Once you've chosen your preferred finish, you'll have to pick the type of solid wood floor you want. If you've decided that bamboo isn't for you, then you can normally expect to choose from oak, maple, beech, birch, ash, cherry or walnut. Oak is the most popular, although homeowners do have to opt for either red oak or white oak.

While the former gives beautiful warm, red tones that are particularly attractive when it isn't particularly warm outside, many contemporary properties are opting for white oak. This type is best suited to neutral, modern interior designs thanks to its cooler, paler shades, which also gives you greater room to exercise your own style in your house.

Maple is especially useful if you're expecting your wooden flooring to undergo more than its fair share of wear and tear, and this explains why the floors of almost all sports halls and gymnasiums are made from this particular type of wood. Central to maple's appeal is the range of colours that it comes in, from shades of white-blond to rich honey yellows.

If you want wood flooring in a smaller room, however, then you may be swayed by ash. This type of wood can create the illusion that a room is larger than it actually is thanks to its light colour and straight grain.

With so many types and finishes of wooden flooring available, you can be sure of finding one that suits your property. Not only will wood flooring boost the attractiveness of your home - and even add value to it - it will ensure that you have to spend less time traipsing around with the vacuum cleaner.

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