Buying Guides · 3 min read
Woodpecker vs GF Engineered Wood Flooring – Which is the Better Choice?
Reviewed by our team, led by Adam Williams, Managing Director
Woodpecker is a well-known British wood flooring brand with a large oak line-up. GF Engineered Wood is our own brand. We supply Woodpecker engineered wood to order, sell Woodpecker’s click vinyl online and sell GF online, so we know both well. Here is an even-handed comparison to help you decide.
In this article
Two Different Ways to Buy Real Oak
Woodpecker gives you a large catalogue of oak finishes, widths and grades from one brand, ordered through a retailer. GF gives you a tighter range you can browse, price and sample entirely online. Every GF design is also on display in our Altrincham Wood Room. Neither is a lesser floor; they suit different shoppers.
What Sits in the GF Range
The guarantee is 25 years on most GF designs and 20 years on 12 of them; each product page shows which.
| Format | Designs | Builds (board / oak top) |
|---|---|---|
| Planks | 35 | 10/3mm, 14/3mm, 15/4mm (220 x 2200mm), 20/6mm |
| Herringbone | 35 | 10/3mm, 14/3mm, 15/4mm, 20/5mm, 20/6mm |
| Versailles | 6 | 14/3mm panels, 600 x 600mm |
Where Woodpecker Has the Edge
Range size is the big one. Woodpecker offers far more oak variations than GF, across several collections, plus formats such as chevron that GF does not make. If you have a Woodpecker sample you love, or you need a particular grade, width or finish, Woodpecker is likely to have it. We can order any Woodpecker engineered floor for you. It is not on display in our showroom, so we will arrange samples through the brand.
If chevron is what you want, also look at the V4 Tundra chevron, which we can quote for you.
Where GF Has the Edge
Open pricing. Every GF design shows its price online, so there is no waiting for a quote to see what a room will cost.
Builds to suit each room. A 10mm board with a 3mm top keeps door heights and budgets down; a 20mm board with a 6mm top gives the most sanding life. You can mix builds through a house.
Finished Versailles. GF’s six Versailles designs come as factory-finished 600 x 600mm panels.
See it first. All 76 GF designs are on display in Altrincham and GF samples are posted free, up to five at a time.
Woodpecker Vinyl, Too
Woodpecker also makes click vinyl, which we do sell online: the Weymouth, Warwick and Whitby ranges, 6 to 7mm boards with a 0.5mm wear layer and a built-in underlay. Browse them in the Woodpecker vinyl range if you want a waterproof floor for a kitchen or bathroom alongside wood elsewhere.
How to Decide
Start with the look. If a Woodpecker floor is the one, buy it and we will order it. If you want a natural or smoked oak and would rather compare by thickness, format and price, the GF range will usually have a close match, often for less. Our Woodpecker alternative page helps with that.
Visit the Wood Room
Our Altrincham showroom has a Wood Room with the GF planks, herringbone and Versailles laid out at full size. It is open 24/7 and unmanned: request a door code with the Smart Showroom access form. It is within easy reach of south Manchester and north Cheshire. See our Wood Room page for more, or where to buy Woodpecker in Altrincham for how we supply the brand.
Who leads our guides
Managing Director, Grosvenor Flooring
Adam Williams is Managing Director of Grosvenor Flooring in Altrincham. He sets the standards our guides are written to and guides the team that reviews them, so the advice matches the floors we supply, the manufacturers' specifications and the way the fitters we work with install them.
More about Adam →Floor Finder
Not sure which floor to choose?
Answer a few quick questions about your room, who uses it and the look you like. Floor Finder picks the designs that suit you best, with prices per m² and a rough cost for your room.
Start Floor FinderFrequently Asked Questions
Is Woodpecker or GF the better floor?
Both are real oak on an engineered core. Woodpecker has the bigger catalogue and more formats. GF is a focused oak range in plank, herringbone and Versailles, priced online and on display in Altrincham.
Which costs less?
GF usually does. It is our own brand, so the price carries no brand premium.
Can I see both before I buy?
Yes. Every GF design is on display at full size in our Wood Room. Woodpecker engineered wood is supplied to order and is not on display.
Do you fit Woodpecker and GF?
Yes. A regular team of fitters we know and trust lays both for our local customers.
Further reading
Our GF brand explained8 min read
How GF compares with the big flooring retailers8 min read
Where to Buy Woodpecker in Altrincham2 min read
Our full Woodpecker brand guide10 min read
Looking for a Woodpecker flooring alternative2 min read
Ted Todd vs GF engineered wood4 min read
Best engineered wood flooring UK8 min read