Choosing the right flooring for your home can be a tough decision. Picturing whether your stylish new sideboard will tie in with a complimentary natural oak wood floor or contrast perfectly with a rustic dark grain, can be hard to envision. Fear not, we’re here to help. We’re not about to pop round with a flooring fitter but we can give you some expert advice and free wood flooring samples to help you along the way.
Think Practical
Samples are great way to compare your potential new flooring against your existing furnishings and décor. With up to four to choose from, you’ll quickly be able to pick out your favourite design. Personal preference will always influence your decision but you may also want to consider the practicality of the wood and how it compliments your desired style. For example, parquet wood is great for high traffic areas whilst also bringing a flare of elegance and unique style. If modern flooring trends are more you, then engineered wood will also withstand heavy footfall and is available in an array of colours and finishes including the popular grey tones. Samples allow you to compare the different options before you make that crucial buying decision.
Note: Lacquered finish woods are great for high traffic too. The lacquer adds a protective layer over the surface of the wood to deflect those scuffs and marks whilst also preserving the natural aesthetics.
Create your Look
Contrasting colours are great for creating bold statements. Holding your sample against your furnishings will allow you to clearly identify how the colours will react. Dark oak tones perform best with lighter surroundings to really embellish the colour and flaunt the natural features of the wood. Whilst subtle tones blend effortlessly into your home. If your décor is predominantly dark a light flooring can lift the room; creating the illusion of light and open space.
Analyse
When analysing your samples, it is important to take into account the intended effect of the wood. Random boards are designed to be exactly that – random! Lengths fluctuate and colour gradients vary slightly to give the natural authentic look. Boards of this nature tend to deliver a better result in larger living and dining areas where the colours have sufficient space to blend. For smaller rooms the variant in colour can be slightly more prominent.
Test the Lighting
Lighting is also a significant factor. Wood flooring can appear slightly lighter or darker depending on the light source and reflection on the surface. Placing your sample in your desired room will allow you to see the exact colour gradient you will achieve and how this fluctuates according to the light. Stores often feature industrial lighting which can make it difficult to accurately portray the colour gradient.
Quality Check
A wood flooring sample gives you a tangible product to touch, feel and compare quality. When purchasing online it can be quite difficult to fully appreciate the quality of a product. The natural character and authenticity of a hand scraped wood is particularly hard to display in imagery. Samples are great for allowing you to feel the texture and appreciate the added detail which is hand crafted into the wood. The thickness of woods is also great to compare, you get see first hand the difference in the composition of engineered wood and laminates in comparison to the luxury solid woods.
Customer reviews, ratings and recommendations give you confidence but samples allow you to make your own judgement – after all it’s going in your home! Get up to 4 free wood flooring samples with Direct Wood Flooring now.
