Flooring Questions

[bigalxyz]

Hello forum. Hoping to find some help/guidance re: my plans for replacing the flooring in my flat.

When I bought the flat in 04 it was fitted throughout in laminate flooring. I didn't much like it then and it's looking very tired now, 12 years on - lots of scuffing & general wear. I'd like to replace it with some good quality solid wood flooring.

Underneath the laminate is some foam underlay stuff and what I assume is a damp membrane. Under all of that is a nice flat concrete base.

What I'd *like* to achieve is something like what you'll see in the attached photograph.

Questions/concerns...

1. This doesn't look like the normal tongue & groove style solid wood flooring in Wickes/B&Q etc. though - is it some kind of reclaimed oak or something like that?

2. Or - if I'm wrong - does anyone sell tongue & groove solid flooring that looks something like this?

3. Alternatively, can reclaimed floorboards (if I can find something suitable without paying way over the odds) be fixed to a concrete base? I seem to remember reading that it could be a problem but I lack knowledge here.

4. I'm struggling to find someone to do the work - two people have already let me down. I wonder what I'm doing wrong. If anyone knows a good floor fitter in East London I'd be interested to know

Grateful for all comments/advice.
Many thanks,
Alan.

 

[bigalxyz]

Having done some more research it seems like there's some nice engineering flooring out there with a distressed finish - prices typically £50/m2. I wonder if that might be a good solution for me.

 

[vinn]

What you show in the image is possibly VT&G boards or loose laid boards. VT&G are commonly available.
The showroom boards would appear to be older boards that have been cleaned up and stained and oiled.
Flooring can be fixed over almost anything if your willing to pay the price.

 

[crazydaze]

That looks like a reclaimed floor to me rather than an off the shelf product. V4 do some nice heavily Rustic engineered flooring that would be more simple to lay (it can be floated) or you can stick this direct to the concrete but you will need to screed the floor first.

Note that solid floor is no harder wearing than engineered.