We have tried to help you answer these questions to help you select the floor that will suit your tastes and create that special feel and atmosphere that will be unique to your home.
Methods of Fixing
- Secret Nailing:
A special floor nailing machine drives a barbed steel cleat into the tongue of the new floor board at 45 degrees into either a suitable sized kiln dried batten or a plywood / stirling board subfloor. Never use non-kiln dried battens as this can lead to cupping or warping of the floor due to excess moisture in the battens.
- Floating:
The new floor is fitted over an underlay without being fixed to the subfloor. This is ideal when there is a question as to excess moisture in the subfloor. A polythene damp proof membrane can be used to isolate the wood floor from any moisture beneath it. This method also provides a slight cushioned feel to the floor.
- Stick down:
Here the wooden floor is stuck directly to the subfloor. Special adhesives, which remain flexible indefinitely while still having immense bonding strength, have been formulated to work with our range of wood floors. Thi enables the wood to expand and contract without damaging the structure of the timber.
Hardness
The following guide indicates the relative hardness of various species of timber:
Style
You have a number of different choices of how you want your floor to look:
- Plank - This can be a single strip of wood which can be selected from a wide variety of widths and lengths within the ranges shown and is available both with and without bevels depending on whether you want to emphasise the plank or to let it blen in more subtly.
- Bevelled or un-bevelled edges - Bevels are chamfered edges, only available on planks. Bevels on the 2 long edges emphasise the length of the room; bevels on all 4 sides will shorten the appearance of the room and emphasise its width.
A floor without bevels gives an unbroken flat surface.
- 3 Strip - This popular style is engineered from staves of wood which have smaller widths and lengths than you would get with a plank. However, each piece has its own individual colour, character and variety, blending into a beautiful floor. The amount of colour variation depends on the grade.
Surface Finishes
| Lacquered Surface | | Natural Oiled Surface |
The surface of the board has been pre-treated with either an acrylic, UV or ceramic lacquer. This is a relatively hard smooth surface coating. It can have between 5 and 10 layers of lacquer applied, depending on the range of products, making it a very hard wearing and durable surface. A lacquered surface is noramlly smooth with either a dull matt sheen or a shiny gloss appearance. Lacquer sits on the surface of the timber. | | The application of natural oil to a floor deepens the natural colour of the wood. It brings out the natural beauty of the grain and soaks right into the wood. Once the floor has been laid it is advisable to treat the surface immediately with a top coat of hardwax oil so as to give it a protective layer. The beauty of using natural oils is that if the floor becomes scratched or bruised, the damaged area can easily be touched in by applying another coat of hardwax oil. Natural oil soaks into the surface of the timber. |
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| Brush Matt Lacquered | | Hardwax Oiled |
The surface of the board has been brushed to remove the soft fibres from the grain leaving a textured surface. The Matt lacuered surface gives the same impression as an oiled floor but has the added benefit of the reduced maintenance required from a lacquered floor. Lacquer sits on the surface of the timber after the soft grain has been brushed out of the board. | | As explained above, this has the same characteristics as a natural oil, but it doesn't sink into the surface quite as much, staying more on the surface due to the greater viscosity of the wax. This floor can eaily be touched in and when buffed restores itself to its original condition. The oil soaks into the surface of the board, but the wax surface sits on the top creating a protective layer with a dull sheen. |
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