Oak flooring has literally stood the passage of time. It is certainly one of the most popular wood floors you can get, and is available in a variety of patterns and finishes. You can’t go wrong if you select oak flooring, in either parquet or brushed and oiled form.

Recently, though,a new form of wood flooring has come into use: engineered wood flooring. Not surprisingly, engineered oak flooring is among the more popular forms of this new type of wood. However, many people still prefer the feel and look of real wood flooring.

For example, natural oak flooring is one of the more popular wood flooring materials. If you choose that you will get pleasure from it in terms of the finish or look for years to come. Natural oak flooring has an elegance, feel, colour and feel that many people feel is incomparable with any wood you can buy.

The question is whether you want that authentic wood, or just the authentic look. It depends where you live. You see, solid wood flooring like natural oak flooring is all very well, but it does attract moisture, and in wet seasons, can swell. In some cases, if it is not well laid, it will then warp. Although it will shrink when the weather gets drier, it does not usually straighten out again. You will be left with a warped floors. Of course, you can get the warping removed by sanding, but it could happen again.

So if you live somewhere damp, you might be better off with engineered oak flooring. It consists of a top layer of real wood, just like with a solid wood floor, but this is bonded to a substrate of wood chippings or similar material which is more stable than planks. For this reason you might be better off with engineered oak flooring, although it is generally more expensive than solid wood.

It is a good idea to speak to people in your local store as they should know whether the winters are very damp or not. However, don’t forget that they are salesmen, and so are likely to recommend the more expensive product!