Solid wood flooring, fitted properly across Kent
Single species solid wood floors fitted across Kent. Secret nailing, full bond to screed, moisture checks and honest advice on where it does not belong.
Solid wood flooring is one material through the full thickness of the board, usually oak, sometimes ash, walnut or maple, machined from a single piece of timber rather than built up in layers. There is no plywood core and no balancing veneer underneath, so the board moves as timber always moves, expanding across its width when the air is damp and shrinking back when the house dries out in winter with the heating on. Fitting has to allow for that movement or the floor will tell you about it later.
We fit it two ways. Secret nailing through the tongue into timber battens or joists is the traditional method and the one that suits most upstairs rooms and older Kent houses with suspended timber floors. Full bond, gluing the boards directly to a prepared screed, suits solid ground floors where there are no joists to nail into. Which method applies is decided on site, not guessed from a floor plan, because the wrong choice on the wrong subfloor is how boards end up lifting or squeaking within a year.
This page covers what solid wood actually does once it is down: how it takes moisture from the air and the subfloor, why most underfloor heating systems and solid wood do not mix well, how long a floor lasts against how many times it can be sanded, and the rooms where we would rather fit something else. If you want a straight answer on whether your room suits solid wood, book a measure and we will tell you before you commit to it, not after.
One piece of timber, moving as one piece of timber
Because a solid board has no cross layered core to hold it flat, it responds to humidity across its full width. A 180mm oak board can widen or narrow by a couple of millimetres between a damp February and a heated August, and that movement happens across every board in the room at once. The gaps you sometimes see appear along skirtings in winter and close up again in summer are the floor doing exactly what solid timber does, not a fault.
Wider boards move more in absolute terms than narrow ones, which is why we talk owners with dry, centrally heated houses towards narrower widths of 120 to 150mm rather than the wide plank look, where movement is easier to keep under control. Perimeter expansion gaps, hidden under skirting or beading, are non negotiable on every solid wood installation regardless of fitting method.
Secret nailing to battens or joists versus full bond to screed
Secret nailing drives cleats or nails through the tongue of each board at an angle, hidden by the groove of the next board, into timber joists or battens screwed down over the subfloor. It gives a floor that can flex slightly underfoot, holds fixings well, and is the standard method wherever there is a suspended timber structure to nail into.
Full bond spreads a flexible wood flooring adhesive over a prepared, primed screed and beds the boards directly into it. It suits solid concrete ground floors and gives a slightly firmer, quieter underfoot feel with less flex, but it demands a screed that is flat, sound and dry, because the adhesive cannot bridge gaps or paper over a damp slab.
- Secret nailing needs joists or battens at the correct centres, checked before boards arrive
- Full bond needs a screed moisture reading within tolerance before adhesive goes down
- Nailed floors can usually be lifted and relaid; fully bonded boards generally cannot
- Board thickness has to suit the fixing method, thin boards are not right for nailing over joists
- Both methods still need a perimeter expansion gap under the skirting
Why most underfloor heating and solid wood do not get on
Solid timber is a poor conductor of heat and, more importantly, it is thick and reacts to sustained warmth from below by drying and moving more than a stable engineered board ever would. Running underfloor heating under solid wood pushes the timber through bigger, faster moisture swings than it is designed to cope with, and the risk is cupping, gapping or boards working loose at the fixings over time.
Where a customer already has underfloor heating and is set on real timber, we point them to engineered wood rather than solid, because the plywood core is built specifically to stay flat under that kind of heat cycling. We will still fit solid wood over underfloor heating if asked, with strict limits on maximum floor temperature and moisture content, but we say plainly that it is not the combination we would choose ourselves.
Moisture content on delivery and why it is checked before boards go down
Solid wood boards arrive from the supplier at a set moisture content, and they need to sit in the room they will be fitted in, out of the packaging where practical, for long enough to settle to the conditions of that specific house before fitting starts. Fitting boards straight off the van into a cold, damp room and then turning the heating on is a common cause of gaps opening up weeks later.
We check board moisture content with a meter on site before fitting, and we check the subfloor too, whether that is a timber deck or a concrete screed. If either reading is outside the range the boards need, we hold the job rather than fit into conditions that will move the floor once the heating goes back on.
| Stage | What we check | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| Delivery | Board moisture content with a meter | Confirms boards match the stated supply moisture level |
| Site conditions | Room temperature and heating status | Cold, unheated rooms slow acclimatisation and mislead readings |
| Subfloor | Timber deck or screed moisture reading | A damp base will pull moisture into the boards after fitting |
| Before fixing | Final moisture comparison, boards to subfloor | Fitting too soon after wet trades causes early movement |
Wet plaster, new screed and other site conditions we will not fit into
New plaster and new screed both give off a lot of moisture as they cure, and that moisture has to leave the building before timber goes down, not be trapped under it. On a new build or a heavily renovated house we ask how recently walls were plastered and floors screeded, because those trades often finish only days before flooring is due, and the drying time needed can run to weeks depending on thickness and ventilation.
Fitting solid wood too early over a curing screed is one of the most common causes of failure we see, and it is entirely avoidable with a moisture meter and a bit of patience. Where the programme is tight we would rather push the flooring date back than fit into a subfloor that is still drying out underneath the boards.
- Screed generally needs longer to dry than a homeowner's builder tends to allow for
- Wet plaster raises ambient humidity across the whole room, not just the walls
- Heating should be run and then settled to normal levels before fitting, not left off or left blasting
- Skirtings should go on after the floor, not before, to protect the expansion gap
Refinishing life measured in decades, not years
The real advantage of solid wood over almost every other floor covering is what happens once the surface is worn. Because the board is timber right through, it can be sanded back and refinished repeatedly over its life, each pass removing a thin layer of worn or scratched surface and exposing fresh, sound timber underneath. A well fitted solid floor, sanded and refinished every so often rather than left to wear through the finish completely, can realistically outlast the kitchen or bathroom fitted around it.
How many times it can be sanded depends on the board thickness above the tongue and groove, which is why we always check that figure before recommending a refinish schedule rather than assuming every solid floor is the same. A thin, heavily pre-worn or distressed board has far less material left to remove than a full thickness new install.
Species hardness and how each timber takes a dent
Not all solid wood behaves the same way underfoot. European oak is the standard choice for good reason, hard wearing, dimensionally stable relative to other species, and tolerant of the odd dropped pan. Ash is similarly hard with a more open, striking grain. Walnut is softer and darker, chosen for looks rather than resistance to impact, and will show dents from stiletto heels or dragged furniture sooner than oak will.
We talk hardness through against the room, not just the look of the sample, because a soft species in a busy hallway or a kitchen with heavy chairs will show its age faster than the same room finished in oak, regardless of how well it is fitted.
- Oak: the standard, hard wearing, stable, suits most rooms
- Ash: similar hardness to oak with a bolder, more open grain
- Walnut: softer and darker, better suited to lower traffic rooms
- Maple: pale and dense but shows scratches more visibly than darker species
- Reclaimed or aged boards: character marks are part of the look, not a defect
Where solid wood simply does not belong
Solid wood is not suitable below ground or anywhere damp cannot be reliably controlled. Basements and cellars, even tanked ones, carry a risk of moisture ingress that solid timber will react to over time, and we generally steer customers towards a moisture resistant alternative in those rooms. Bathrooms, wet rooms and utility rooms with standing water risk are the same story, splashes and spills sitting on or around solid boards will eventually find a seam and swell it.
Unheated conservatories and garden rooms are a less obvious failure point but a real one, because the daily and seasonal temperature and humidity swings in a room with large areas of glass and no consistent heating are far wider than solid wood is designed to tolerate. We would fit LVT or a well specified laminate in any of these rooms in preference to solid timber, and we say so at the quote stage rather than after fitting.
Frequently asked questions
- Can solid wood flooring go over underfloor heating?
- Generally not recommended. Solid timber reacts to sustained heat from below with bigger moisture swings than a stable engineered board, risking cupping or gapping over time. If underfloor heating is fitted or planned, we usually recommend engineered wood instead.
- Why does my solid wood floor have gaps in winter?
- Solid boards shrink slightly as the air dries out when heating runs harder in winter, and widen again in summer. Small seasonal gaps that open and close are normal movement, not a fault, provided they close back up as humidity rises.
- How is solid wood fitted, nailed or glued?
- Both, depending on the subfloor. Secret nailing through the tongue into joists or battens suits suspended timber floors. Full bond gluing to a prepared screed suits solid concrete ground floors. The right method is decided on site, not guessed in advance.
- How many times can a solid wood floor be sanded?
- It depends on the thickness of timber above the tongue and groove. A full thickness new board can typically be sanded and refinished several times over its life, which is why solid wood often outlasts the room fitted around it.
- Does solid wood suit a bathroom or kitchen?
- Kitchens can work with care around dishwashers and sinks, though spills need wiping promptly. Bathrooms and wet rooms are not suitable, standing moisture will eventually reach a seam and swell the timber.
- Is oak better than other species for a busy house?
- Oak is the standard choice because it is hard wearing and dimensionally stable compared with softer species like walnut. It tolerates knocks and heavy traffic better, which is why it suits hallways, living rooms and kitchens.
- Do the boards need to acclimatise before fitting?
- Yes. Boards are delivered at a set moisture content and need time in the room, ideally with heating running normally, to settle to that house's conditions before fitting. Fitting straight off the van risks gaps opening later.
- Can solid wood go in a basement or cellar?
- We would generally advise against it. Moisture control below ground is harder to guarantee even with tanking, and solid timber will react to any ingress over time. A moisture resistant alternative is usually the safer choice there.
Where to go next
Supplied and fitted across Gillingham and the ME7 area.
Supplied and fitted across Chatham and the ME4 area.
Supplied and fitted across Rochester and the ME1 area.
Supplied and fitted across Strood and the ME2 area.
Supplied and fitted across Rainham and the ME8 area.
Supplied and fitted across Maidstone and the ME14 area.
Supplied and fitted across Sittingbourne and the ME10 area.
Supplied and fitted across Faversham and the ME13 area.
A real wood wear layer bonded onto cross-ply backing boards, giving the look and feel of solid wood with far more dimensional stability across the seasons.
An HDF-cored floating floor with a printed decor layer under a hard AC-rated wear surface, usually the least expensive of the hard floors.
Rigid, layered vinyl planks and tiles built around a wear layer and a printed decorative film, fitted glued or clicked over a properly prepared subfloor.
Why engineered wood floors cup, crown or gap, and the humidity and subfloor fixes that resolve it.
Why subfloor moisture testing matters before new flooring is laid, the methods used, and what happens if readings are too high.
Why timber floorboards squeak or feel uneven underfoot, and how we sort it before new flooring goes down.
What proper subfloor preparation involves before new flooring goes down, why it matters, and what our fitters check on survey day.
Free measure, free written quote
Book a free measure and we will tell you honestly whether your room suits solid wood.
Showroom and warehouse: Unit 9, Matilda Close, Gillingham Business Park, Gillingham, Kent, ME8 0PY