How To Choose The Right Oak Flooring Grade For Me?

23rd Nov 2012 @ 17:41

Choosing the right oak flooring grade for your area often comes down to two factors; what is your personal preference? And whether it is suitable for your room.

In an older setting, the preferred choice of board is usually one that is full of character. In this environment, boards are often full of large knots, cracks, shakes, and colour streaks. This is where our Mill and Barn grades are perfect, as they look great in areas such as a traditional Tudor cottage or an Irish themed pub.

Oak Flooring

On the opposite end of the spectrum is the Prime grade oak flooring, which is about the closest you can get to the perfection of quarter-sawn oak flooring. These boards are taken from the centre of the trunk, meaning only a small number of prime grade boards can be produced from each tree. These boards are uniform in colour and are free from knots, shakes and burrs which are present throughout the other grades. The prime grade of flooring is often suited for more contemporary settings, for anyone who is looking for a sleek, minimalist look.

Oak Flooring

In between these grades are the Character and Select grades. The character grade is by far our most popular grade of oak flooring due to its versatility in a range of settings. This grade looks great in older family homes and more modern homes alike. Character grade oak boards feature occasional knots of varying size, colour variations and even some odd hairline shakes.

The Select grade is "one up" from the character, and "one down" from the prime grade. Featuring areas of clean oak, the select grade also has the occasional pip knot or tiny crack. This is the perfect grade for those who are looking for an almost flawless finish but with a little bit of character to help break up the floor.

If you would like any further advice on choosing which oak grade to go for, then please give us a call on 01538 304584.

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