Wooden floors are warm underfoot, easy to keep clean and they outlast most of what sits on them. In South Africa they run from budget laminate in a rented flat to engineered oak in a new estate, saligna and pine in older suburbs, and 1970s parquet waiting under carpet to be sanded back to life. Whether you need boards supplied, a floor fitted, an old one restored or a deck built outside, send one request and flooring suppliers and fitters who work in your area quote you directly. It is free and there is no obligation.
Which wooden floor suits the room?
Start with how the room is used and what is underneath it:
- Laminate: a printed wood image on a fibreboard core that clicks together over underlay. The cheapest way to a wood look; choose AC4 for passages. See laminate flooring.
- Wood-look vinyl: rigid core or glue-down planks that shrug off water, so they suit kitchens and rentals. See vinyl flooring.
- Engineered wood: a real hardwood top layer bonded to a stable ply core, which copes with screeds and underfloor heating better than solid boards. See engineered wood flooring.
- Solid hardwood and parquet: one piece of timber all the way through, sanded and resealed many times over its life.
What to check before anything is laid
Most floor failures start below the boards. A new screed holds water for weeks, and boards laid on a damp slab cup, lift or come loose. A good fitter takes a moisture reading before quoting a date, checks that the slab is flat, and plans an expansion gap at every wall that the skirting will hide.
Timber moves with the air. On the coast, boards swell in humid summers; on the Highveld they shrink in dry winters. Let the boards acclimatise in the room for a few days, and ask how the fitter handles thresholds, doorways and long runs.
Supply only, or supplied and fitted?
Buying boards yourself can save money if you, or a handyman you trust, can lay a click floor. Solid wood, parquet and glue-down floors are a job for a specialist: the adhesive, the subfloor preparation and the finish all decide whether the floor lasts. Fitting quotes usually include underlay, skirting or beading, trims at doorways and removal of the old floor, but not always, so check. If you have an old floor already, sanding and sealing often costs far less than replacing it.
Getting quotes you can compare
Give every supplier the same facts: the rooms and their size in square metres, what is on the floor now, whether there are stairs, the look you want and when the rooms will be empty. Ask each one to name the product and its thickness, the wear layer or AC rating, the underlay, the skirting and trims, the waste allowance (usually 5 to 10 percent), how the subfloor will be prepared and how long the work takes. A low price per square metre that leaves out the levelling compound and the skirting is not the cheaper quote.
What to include in your request
- The rooms and their size in square metres
- What is on the floor now: tiles, carpet, screed
- Supply only, or supplied and fitted
- The look: timber colour, plank width, finish
- The suburb and when the rooms will be empty
Wooden Floors for different clients
- Homeowners: engineered or laminate boards through the living areas and bedrooms, or old floors sanded back
- Flats and townhouses: quiet click floors on acoustic underlay that meet the body corporate's rules on noise
- Builders, developers and renovators: floors priced per square metre across a whole house, laid once the screed has dried
- Landlords and letting agents: hard-wearing laminate or vinyl that survives tenants and is quick to fit between leases
- Offices, practices and showrooms: commercial-grade boards or vinyl planks for boardrooms, reception areas and open-plan floors
- Guesthouses, lodges and restaurants: warm timber floors for guest rooms and lounges, sealed to take luggage and heavy traffic
- Shops, salons and cafés: durable wood-look floors for boutiques and salons that are easy to clean every day
- Schools, halls, gyms and studios: hardwood or sprung timber floors for halls, dance studios and gyms, resealed in the holidays
Frequently asked questions
Do you sell or install wooden floors?
Which wooden floor is best for a kitchen or a bathroom?
Can a wooden floor go straight onto tiles?
How long does it take to lay a floor?
Wooden Floors by province and city
- Johannesburg
- Pretoria
- Centurion
- Midrand
- Sandton
- Randburg
- Roodepoort
- Krugersdorp
- Randfontein
- Germiston
- Boksburg
- Benoni
- Kempton Park
- Alberton
- Vanderbijlpark
- Vereeniging
- Durban
- Pinetown
- Pietermaritzburg
- Richards Bay
- Newcastle
- Ladysmith
- Gqeberha (Port Elizabeth)
- East London
- Kariega (Uitenhage)
- Mthatha
- Cape Town
- Bellville
- Paarl
- Stellenbosch
- George
- Worcester
- eMalahleni (Witbank)
- Middelburg
- Secunda
- Mbombela (Nelspruit)
- Rustenburg
- Brits
- Klerksdorp
- Potchefstroom
- Mahikeng
- Polokwane
- Tzaneen
- Kimberley
- Upington
- Bloemfontein
- Welkom
- Sasolburg