Whats Your Floor

There are many types of flooring on the market today, including all manner of man made materials, but solid hardwood flooring seems to one that isn’t out of place in even the most contemporary of homes. Here are just a selection of the choices available.

Maple Hardwood Flooring

This is a very hard wearing and durable wood very suited for use as flooring. So much so that it is commonly used as flooring for gymnasiums and even in ten pin bowling alleys, where there is high levels of wear and tear required of it. With a rating of 1450 on the Janka Hardness Test, this is a hard wood, even harder than oak.

Maple flooring comes in many light shades, from nearly white through to pale reddish brown, with a close grain. It would be the ideal floor in any modern home today.

Cherry Hardwood Flooring

This is a very beautiful timber for flooring, not really suitable for high traffic commercial use but very suited to the home environment. It scores 950 on the Janka Scale. Definitely not a cheap hardwood flooring option, but one of the most desirable. Any room would be transformed with its warmth and luxury.

Cherry flooring starts with light pinkish hues, but in a very short space of time will start to darken into more reddish auburn shades. This is a natural effect caused by sunlight, and only serves to make the wood even more beautiful and appealing.

Jatoba Hardwood Flooring

Jatoba is also referred to as Brazilian Cherry hardwood flooring. It is also one of the more exotic hardwood flooring products on the market today. Hailing from South America, this is one of the toughest timbers in use for flooring today, with an impressive 2350 rating on the Janka Hardness Scale. This is a very durable flooring that can cope with very high traffic, so much so it is often used in many public building applications such as hotels. So rest assured it is more than adequate for use in the home.

This is another timber that takes on a dramatic colour change from the rays of the sun. Depending on the intensity and duration of direct sunlight it will go from pale pinks and light orange hues to darker reds as soon as its laid. Colour shifts can go on for a matter of months depending on the type of finish the wood has, but only adds to its beauty.

This is just a small selection of the hardwood flooring available today. But any of the three would be a welcome addition to any home. If for any reason installing hardwood flooring is not an option due to constraints such as underfloor heating, then they are available as engineered hardwood flooring.

Today our lives are fast paced and hectic. Our lives are becoming more and more filled with hi-tech gadgets and modern man made materials in our homes and at work. Well maybe you would like to pull back, and give your home a bit more character.

Rustic doesn’t mean you have to live in an old country cottage. Anything from a large family home to a small modern apartment could be transformed with oak flooring.

To create an authentic rustic look in your home a rustic grade of solid oak flooring is the ideal option. As opposed to prime grade flooring, rustic comes with more pronounced features, such as grain and knots.

Rustic oak flooring is available in many different finishes to allow for a finished look of your choice. Here are some of the finishes available.

Option 1

Unfinished oak flooring. This is an unfinished board. Some floor sanding will be required after laying, but this will allow you the freedom to lacquer or oil the wood to a finished look of your choosing. Some time will have to be given for the chosen finish to cure. This will determine when you are able to walk on the floor.

Option 2

Oiled oak flooring. The oil gives the wood a more natural look and feel to it. Often makes the colour richer. Can be walked on immediately if boards were oiled at the factory.

Option 3

Lacquered oak flooring. Usually to give a smoother finish, and an extra level of wear protection. A factory lacquer finish allows walking on as soon as fitted.

A wire brushed finish is also available with the above options. Having your oak wood flooring brushed will give it another level of authenticity to the rustic effect. As well as a more worn look it will help give some grip to the floor.

Complete The Look

Boards are available in various widths, with narrow planks 65mm and over, and wide plank oak flooring going as wide as 200mm. Width will all be down to personal choice, but to really take advantage of the rustic look it will be the length of the boards that give the final look. This is achieved by laying oak flooring boards of various lengths rather than just one standard length. Most oak flooring suppliers should have boards of rustic grade in various lengths for this purpose.

There is also a choice of edge to the real oak flooring. Bevelled edges that will create some definition at the joins or plain straight edges.

Bearing in mind that at times it is not suitable to use solid wood oak flooring because of factors such as under floor heating, then it may still be possible to get the effect you desire with engineered oak wood flooring.

If you are looking to give your home a luxurious look and and natural beauty then walnut hardwood flooring should certainly give you all of this and more. And it’s quality and durability should give you a floor that should last a lifetime if properly cared for.

Where’s It From?

Walnut is logged in various places around the world, such as Europe, with North American probably being the most popular for it’s rich chocolate colour. Brazilian walnut flooring is also getting more and more popular.

The logging of these trees is strictly controlled to maintain sustainability to ensure future generations can enjoy the beauty of walnut flooring.

What To Buy,

Walnut wood flooring is available in many different shades and finishes. Whether you are looking for a rustic natural look, or lacquered finish you won’t be disappointed. Planks of various widths and cuts are available such as tongue and groove, plain or bevelled. The higher the grade will give you less of a colour variation and there will be less knotting.

Need To Know,

Because your walnut floor is a natural substance it will be affected by climactic conditions in your home such has temperature and humidity. Slight movement through expansion and contraction is unavoidable and a natural process, so installation would be best done by a qualified tradesman who should take into account these factors.

Walnut engineered flooring will be required if you are installing over underfloor heating. Due to higher moisture variations and expansion problems solid walnut wood floor planks would not be suitable. Made from layers of softwood plies glued together with a walnut wear layer on top, this can be laid over your heating system.

Caring For Your Floor,

Over time surface wear of you floor is inevitable. If possible in high traffic areas such as entrance ways try covering with mats or rugs. Use felt pads under any parts of furniture contacting the floor to avoid scratches. High heeled shoes would be advised to be removed before walking on the floor. Also keep the claws of pets such as dogs well groomed.

When cleaning avoid using any machinery that may scratch the floor surface. Do not use excess amounts of water to clean, a damp cloth or mop should be sufficient. Clean up any liquids spilled as soon as possible.

When the surface has become worn or damaged it should be possible to sand down and refinish to a new surface finish.