A different type of planking

June 7, 2011 12:47 AM

Any ideas what this type of flooring is?

We are about to be ripping up our carpet and I have fallen hard for this flooring.

I like the colour, the unfinished look and the fact that it isn't too rustic or 'knotty'. I'm pretty sure it is engineered but have no idea what kind of wood or where to buy it from.

So then, any ideas:
- Is this engineered wood?
- If so, what type/speces of engineered wood should we be looking for?
- Where to buy in the UK?

And just for good measure:
- Any ballpark figures on how much one would expect to pay a reliable contractor to lay the flooring in a London flat (approx 60 sq metres). (recommendations very welcome!)

Thank you!

posted by timshel to home & garden (8 answers total)

The way the grain looks white makes me think they are lime washed.
posted by Houstonian at 1:09 AM on June 7, 2011

It looks like real wood flooring to me, probably original to the flat. You can see that the gaps between the boards are not uniform like they would be with a modern installation.
posted by amyms at 1:26 AM on June 7, 2011

I'd say it looks like the original boards have been lime-washed too. It is possible to have this type of flooring in engineered wood. I'd suggest you look in a specialist wood flooring place, not somewhere like B&Q or Homebase.

Where in London are you?
posted by essexjan at 2:15 AM on June 7, 2011

essexjan - thanks for the links, they look pretty close and are a great jumping off point. I'm in Islington.
posted by timshel at 2:42 AM on June 7, 2011

The reason it doesn't look like the original floorboards to me is that the ends of the boards are staggered more or less at random. Most of the original floorboards I've seen have had their ends line up in a noticeable pattern, because the ends are nailed to the joists. Often that means that every other row of boards lines up.

Probably engineered wood, probably lime-washed or something visually similar, like this white fumed oak, or one of the finishes on this page.

The cost of laying the flooring is going to depend on what it takes to level the existing floor. The downstairs of my house is going to be very expensive for that reason (and because there's a damp issue). Once the floor is sufficiently level and sound, you're probably going to want to have all the skirting removed, the underlay and flooring installed, then the skirting reinstalled. And then there's doorways - they'll need to trim any doors and door frames to the new level.

You can get a specialist flooring company to lay the floor, although I'd probably just contact a local joiner, but that's just because I know and trust a couple of joiners who've done other work on my house.
posted by le morte de bea arthur at 2:52 AM on June 7, 2011

Check your MeMail.
posted by essexjan at 3:03 AM on June 7, 2011

That looks like Pergo or some kind of fake hardwood flooring. You can tell b/c the boards have an older wash/look to them but there are in way to good of condition to gain that type of weathered look without scuffs, scrapes and warping. Which many think is the beauty of real hardwood floors.

Did you post a comment on Apartment Therapy and ask? Owners are usually pretty good about responding.
posted by gbentz at 7:14 AM on June 7, 2011

It looks kind of like this Bamboo floor.
posted by Amalie-Suzette at 9:33 AM on June 7, 2011