Source Wood Floors FAQ: Hints & Tips

Help with all aspects of flooring.

Do you have wood for floors suitable for use with underfloor heating?

Yes - our 21mm engineered wood flooring is the most suitable because it has the best dimensional stability and won't expand and contract as much as other wood floors.

I am about to use Osmo hardwax oil, having restored some old floorboards. Before I stain the boards I need to fill then. Can you advise what to fill the gaps with?

It depends upon the size of the gaps. Slight gaps are best filled with your own filler paste made up from a mixture of sawdust from the sanding process mixed together with PVA glue.Larger gaps can be filled with a filler such as Osmo Wood Filler (or similar) - but make sure that the filler is compatible with the finish that you intend to use (in this case Osmo Polyx Oil).

I have some old oak doors which are covered with paint. I'm proposing to strip the doors back to the original wood, and once back to the wood I would like to give it a clear coating. What would be the best for oak doors and how many coats will be required to get the best look? I'm after a good quality finish and look.

We would have no hesitation in recommending Osmo Polyx Oil in either a matt or satin finish. This will give excellent protection but also a fantastic finish that is very natural and won't hide the oak under a varnish/lacquer surface coating.

I have some very nice wood flooring in a house I have just purchased and am looking for some more so that I can take it through to an extension that I'm having built. It is veneer laminate of Oak on top of plywood - how can I match this up?

This flooring is sometimes called real wood veneer and laminate wood - not to be confused with laminate flooring, which is a picture of wood beneath a plastic layer. The wood you describe is a real wood 'engineered' wood floor. Find the measurement of the width, length and top layer of oak and the finish, it may be possible to match it - this is easier if you are able to send in a sample.

I want to finish a hard wood floor that I have sanded down to bare wood in an old victorian house. I want a finish that is easy to apply and low maintenance - what do you suggest?

Osmo Polyx Oil is easy to apply. Just brush on with a natural bristle brush in two thin layers, one on day one, leave to dry overnight and apply the second coat on day two. Maintenance depends on the amount of traffic and wear but in general it's a simple three step procedure: 1. Regular sweeping with a soft broom or vacuuming with soft attachment, maybe every two to three days. 2. Periodically washing with Wash & Care wood floor cleaner with a very well wrung mop, say once a week. 3. Occasional cleaning with Osmo Liquid Wax Cleaner to rejuvenate the floor by topping up the wax content, perhaps every three to four months. Then top up with Osmo hardwax oil - first cleaning the floor and then adding one thin coat. The timeframe depends on the footfall across the floor, its position and wear through shoes etc - but in general this could be anything from one to three or more years.

I'm looking for Ogee profile skirting that is very wide - at least 200mm tall and 2cm depth. Can you help?

Yes - we do a standard 145mm x 20mm Ogee profile skirting and through our bespoke milling service we can make skirting in any size or profile that you require.Prices remain competitive on bespoke milled products as long as the quantity is not too small.

There are vinyl tiles under my carpet which are stuck to the concrete floor with bitumen. It's all flaky and the tiles are really easy to get up - can I glue solid wood flooring direct to the concrete?

We would recommend putting down MB Primer first rather than getting all the bitumen up off the floor. Then use Sikabond T54 adhesive.