Specifiers are still increasingly turning to wooden flooring instead of other materials, suppliers have reported following the National Floor Show.

Keighley-based British Hardwoods, which exhibited at the September 6-8 Harrogate show for the third, said the quality of enquiries received was “good” although it had expected more visitors.

Sales manager Jonathan Scott said: “It was a good show for us. There were a lot of people used to laminates, carpets and engineered boards looking to move over to solid hardwood. That’s good from our point of view.”

He said British Hardwoods’ oak flooring was popular with visitors, including distressed, hand-planed, wave and fumed finishes.

&#8220It was a good show for us. There were a lot of people looking to move over to solid hardwood ”

British Hardwoods sales manager Jonathan Scott

Maxine Smith, marketing assistant at first-time exhibitor Atkinson & Kirby Ltd, said: “It was very successful. We had quite a few good leads and a reasonable number of orders directly.”

She said the company’s Contract and Platinum ranges proved popular.

The show, organised by CMP Information, reported a record attendance of 4,696, drawn from all sectors of the flooring industry.