Description
If a rustic look is preferred, solid wood boards will give the right effect. They will move with changes in atmosphere and small gaps may be apparent between floorboards as they shrink when the heating is on over the winter months and swell during the summer. The narrower the board, the less this is likely to happen.

Suitability
Despite common misconceptions, these floors work very well with underfloor heating. They are gently heated so that the surface temperature usually doesn’t exceed 27°C and because the surface of the floor is not dried out in the way it would be using air convecting systems like radiators, underfloor heating can actually prevent timber floors from ‘cupping’. Of more importance is the control of the moisture content of the timber such that it is maintained at around 10% at the time of laying. Beech and Maple are more prone to movement due to moisture than other boards. It is standard practice to screw or glue and nail the timber to battens or joists. Alternatively timber can be continuously glued to screed floors using products like Sikabond. Boards should not exceed a thickness of 25mm (1”).