Frequently Asked Questions

What Payment methods do you accept?

We accept cheque, cash or bank transfers. Unfortunately due to a number of fraudulent transactions against us we are unable to accept credit or debit cards anymore. However, we are trying our best to get on top of this situation so that we can accept these payment types in the near future.

How long does it take to get my materials?

95% of materials are stock items and mostly available within 1 – 2 days of order. In the situation where materials need to be specially ordered it could take between 5 and 7 days.

What is the lead time on fitting?

In quiet times i.e. the start of the year and summer lead times can be 1 to 2 weeks however in busy times you should expect a lead time of 3 – 4 weeks. We are always willing to accommodate where possible someone that needs an urgent fitting.

How long does a measure take and is it free?

Measures are free and they take between 20 and 40 minutes depending on the amount of areas involved.

Do you accommodate evening and weekend measures?

Yes we strive to be as flexible as possible working round your schedule to carry out on site surveys.

I already have existing underlay do I need to buy a new one?

We strongly recommend the purchase of new underlay with any new carpet because it will give the best comfort and performance, and will also prolong the carpet's life. Reusing existing underlay will cause the carpet to flatten more quickly in the areas of heaviest wear because the underlay will be less resilient in these areas, and these are the places where the carpet needs the most support

My Carpet seems to have shaded areas?

The sides of the tufts of your carpet appear a lighter, more silvery shade than when they are viewed end-on. As the pile settles lighter and darker patches will develop where the pile angle varies according to the amount of use each area of the carpet is receiving. It is quite common for the pile to settle in a different direction to the normal pile lay if the foot traffic bends it this way and this can make the contrast very noticeable (sometimes making the patches appear to have distinct borders). This is why the shading is sometimes referred to as 'pile reversal', but this term is only used to describe what has happened and does not indicate that the carpet is faulty. The angle of the pile has no effect on the durability of the carpet and we are confident it will continue to give you many years of satisfactory service.

My Carpet seems to be creased?

Your carpet was cut, rolled around a cardboard tube and wrapped on an automated system at our central warehouse and then transported along with the thousands of orders we process each day by our specialist carpet carrier. Whilst they have the equipment and systems to ensure that the carpets reach our stores in good condition, it can sometimes happen that the weight of the carpet that is wrapped around the tube can cause a temporary crease at the overlap point. It is not uncommon that textiles are creased because of packaging and transport, for example, a pair of ready-made curtains may need to be hung for several days before the packaging creases 'drop out'. Carpets are a heavier textile and a crease or 'pole mark' as it is called, may take several weeks to disappear. The use of your carpet is not affected and walking on and vacuuming the crease will in fact help it to disappear more quickly

Why is my carpet molting?

The pile yarn of your carpet is made from short lengths of fibre which are spun together to form the rope-like yarn. Whenever this is cut some of the ends of these fibers will be too short to be held in the yarn and over time these will come loose and be picked up during vacuuming. Although the volume of these loose fibers may seem alarming they are only a small fraction of the total fibre weight of the carpet pile. We recommend the use of an upright vacuum cleaner with beater bars for all cut pile carpets as these agitate the pile and allow the loose fibre to be removed more quickly than with a suction-only type cleaner. You cannot over-vacuum a carpet, and in fact the shedding will appear worse and for longer if an inefficient or suction-only cleaner is used.

Why do I have to pay a stair charge?

Fitting carpets on stairs involves considerably more work than flat areas and therefore there is an additional charge for stairs (or hallways for laminate flooring) to reflect that. Carpet usually has to be cut at the store before delivery and then the time taken in relation to the area being fitted is very high. We have an agreement with the fitters, who are independent contractors and not employees, that we collect the stair and delivery charges at the time of payment for the order leaving them to collect the balance for the fitting once the fitting has been satisfactorily completed. This ensures that you, the customer, can feel confident that the work will be done to a high standard.

My Carpet does not match my sample exactly?

Your carpet was specially ordered for you and is likely to be from a different production batch to the one the sample was taken from. Slight variations between batches are normal and must therefore be expected. We regularly check carpets against the samples to ensure that each batch is a satisfactory match and within the legal tolerance. As well as batch variations, differences may be due to different lighting or the effect of the surrounding decor in your home, or it may simply be the effect that is common to all carpets which makes them look slightly different according to the angle from which they are viewed

What is Solid Wood Flooring?

Solid wood is exactly as it sounds one piece of wood from top to bottom. Engineered boards are where the material is layered with ply and has a real wood top. Both can be re sanded and varnished/oiled in the future.

What is the difference between Laminate and Real Wood Floors?

Real Wood floors will age and mature with your property, this means that they will mark and dent more easily than a laminate would but this is part of the character of real wood floors and should not be viewed as a fault of the product. The shade of the wood surface will change with exposure to sunlight. Dependant on the species, it will either lighten or darken with age. The shade variation will only go on to a certain level and then cease. Any unexposed surface areas will eventually catch up with the colour differences once exposed.

Depending on the type of Real Wood floor (solid vs. engineered) it can sanded and re lacquered a number of times to prolong the life of the floor.

What is the difference between Solid Wood Flooring and Engineered Wood Flooring?

Each type of flooring has its specific use and choosing one over the other is dictated by your lifestyle and needs. Solid wood should be in a moisture-controlled environment. Solid wood (strip or plank effect) should be nailed down only and requires a wood sub floor. Solid wood can be glued to a variety of sub floor materials.

Engineered wood flooring consists of a multi-plied, cross-stacked backing with a real wood veneer (top layer of a selected species). Engineered wood flooring can be used on grade, above and below grade.

Engineered wood flooring is more dimensionally stable so it can be installed in areas where solid wood is not compatible due to moisture. Engineered wood (strip or plank effect) can be glued down over various sub floors. Some engineered woods (strip and plank) can be nailed down which require a wood sub floor. Engineered woods can also be layed as a floating floor where the tongue and groove are glued together, but the floor is not anchored to the sub floor.

What is a "Floating Floor"?

Floating flooring is a flooring system laid down over a layer of underlay. So while the individual planks are glued together, the individual planks are not nailed or glued into the permanent floor. Instead, the planks form a system that "floats" over the layer of underlay. The underlay can be laid down over existing floors.

What is the required distance between the walls and the flooring boards?

When gluing a Real Wood to the subfloor an expansion gap of 15mm towards the walls is sufficient. With floating-floor installations for every meter of installation width the flooring requires a distance to the wall of at least 5mm, lengthwise an expansion gap of 15mm is sufficient.

Can I install the flooring using one pack after the other?

No, for a natural, harmonious looking installation is recommended to work with approximately 5 open packs of flooring and sort/choose the boards individually by colour.

How much wastage do I allow for?

Despite our strict sorting criteria and thorough quality control there may be certain material-specific peculiarities that customers come across during the on-site selection and installation process which may need to be cut out. Generally, we recommend adding 5% to the room's sqm-total for cutting scrap.

Which kind of Real Wood flooring is right for me?

The range of choices is huge. According to personal taste and character of the room you can choose between different wood types, board sizes, surface finishes (lacquer-finish or oil-impregnation), surface structures (Antique, Distressed, Brushed), impressions (Block or Wide plank) and styles.

Does sunlight have any effects on the flooring?

Yes, any kind of wood will change its colour over time. During this process light-coloured wood types are not necessarily going to get lighter, dark wood types however will get darker? Every wood type has a characteristic aging process of its own and will react in its individual way.

What is the maximum load a Real Wood flooring can bear on a single point?

With very large loads (e.g. pianos, aquariums, storage heaters and the like) we always recommend gluing down as the installation method of choice.

Can Engineered Real Wood flooring that has been installed as a floating floor be sanded and resurfaced?

Yes, but be aware that every sanding process will take off about 1mm of the flooring's wear-layer. Try not to use very heavy sanding machinery as the big weight of these machines may lead to the creation of "sanding waves"

How do I care for my oil-impregnated Real Wood floors?

Use Wood-Floor Soap for regular maintenance cleaning. Use a vacuum cleaner for lacquer-finished floors and damp-wipe only if needed.

Should your Floating Real Wood Flooring be installed under kitchen appliances?

In the kitchen, you should install the flooring under kitchen appliances, but be very careful when you slide the appliances over the floor. We recommend covering the flooring with something such as a spare rug to protect the flooring when you're moving the appliances.

Are there methods that make it possible for ALL stains to be removed from Real Wood Floors or is it sometimes impossible for some stains to be removed?

Most stains don't penetrate more than the sanding will remove. However, if you have a severe water stain, you may not be able to remove it.

How much of an irregularity (drop or rise) can there be in an existing sub floor before installing your Real Wood Flooring?

You can have a drop or rise up to 4mm over 2 linear meters.

Do Real Wood Floors increase home value?

Absolutely. Real Woods floors are recognised as one of the highest quality floors available and would increase the value of your home.

I am installing a Radiant Heat Floor System involving poly water tubing set in gypsum concrete that would be my sub-floor. Can your products be used with this type of floor heating system?

This installation is okay as long as the tubes don't touch the wood. You also would have to use a laminated underlay vapour barrier between the concrete and the floor.

Can your Real Wood Flooring be installed over Linoleum and be used on stairs?

Real Wood flooring can be installed on the stairs, however it can be slippery.

You can install our floating Real Wood flooring over linoleum if the linoleum remains sound and tightly glued to the original sub floor.

Is there a type of Real Wood Flooring (e.g. Maple vs. Oak) that is more durable or longer lasting than another?

There isn't much difference between Real Wood flooring wood types. The only negative on oak is it's a rather porous wood, but it is a very hard durable wood, as are maple and beech. White oak is slightly harder than red oak. Your choice will really come down to aesthetics.

My concrete floor has a few low spots in it and I was wondering what to use to solve this problem?

Most building materials suppliers have a concrete leveling product. We suggest leveling any areas that are more than 3/16" in variation. Make sure you use the underlay with a DPM before installing over concrete.

Do you have to install your Real Wood flooring under existing cabinets?

Ideally, the Real Wood flooring would go under the cabinets. You can, however, cut around the cabinets if removing the cabinets would cause undue complications. Keep in mind, though, that if you were ever to change the cabinets, you could have a problem if the new cabinets weren't the same size as the old cabinets.

Is it possible to install a Real Wood as a floating floor over concrete?

Real Wood floor is designed exactly for this kind of application. It requires an underlay with a DPM over the concrete floor. The floating floor system can go directly over that.

If there were a crack in the concrete, would it cause problems with a Floating Floor installation?

We recommend that any cracks in concrete be filled with concrete filler and sealed prior to installation. If it's just a hairline crack you can simply cover the crack with duct tape. Keep in mind that underlay with a DPM must be installed prior to laying down the floor.

If you feel as though we have missed a FAQ of our list please feel free to email us starting the email with ‘FAQ’ and we will answer your question within 24 hrs and if required add it to our list.