There are three types of wood floor:
Solid wood: each board is made from a single piece of timber, usually
with a tongue and groove joint, on the ends as well as the long
sides. Wood is a natural product and is susceptible to dimensional
changes due to moisture and humidity, each installation needs to
be professionally assessed before installation commences.
Real wood engineered: These floors offer added stability and a greater
variety of design. They are normally constructed in 3 layers, using
the chosen species as a top wear layer, with a central core of either
softwood or HDF with a balancing spruce veneer, or birch plywood.
Laminate: theses floors are made from HDF board coated with a decorative
wood grain foil beneath a transparent but hard wearing melamine
surface.
Floor preparation: The key to a correctly fitted and long lasting
floor is in the floor preparation. Using our extensive knowledge
we can correctly identify if there are any issues that need to be
addressed before installation such as damp or an uneven sub-floor.
Ensuring your floor is installed by a professional could save hundreds
if not thousands of pounds to put right.
GRADING
The grade of timber that you choose is very important to achieve your desired look. There are many different expressions used in the timber trade for grading timber which describe the characteristics of the floor that you will choose.
To eliminate confusion we have defined our products below with the following descriptions so as to give consistency across the whole range of floors.
Prime Grade: Clean, straight grained, even colouration without knots.
Select Grade: Some grain variation, some colour variation, up to 10% sapwood allowed in some species, only small knots allowed.
Aged and Distressed, Sawn: These are rustic grade floors which go through a process where each plank is hand distressed producing a roughened surface. They are then subjected to a series of caustic processes that include smoking and the application of oils and stains prior to finishing.
Rustic Grade: Considerable grain and colour variation, up to 10% sapwood, large knots* - some filled, dark streaks, filled cracks permitted.
Extra Rustic Grade: This grade includes everything, large knots*, filled and unfilled, splits, cracks and any amount of sapwood!
*Note: when knots are filled it is not always possible to closely match the colour of the wood. If large knots with filler are not wanted it is the responsibility of the customer to inform the installer to cut these out at the time of installation.
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