Oak – the traditional choice

With so many exotic wooden flooring options to choose from these days, going ‘traditional’ could be seen as playing it safe. But oak flooring is still as popular as ever, and one of its key selling factors is the reason the Navy built its ships from English Oak for centuries – its sheer robustness. Oak is a dense wood with a very tight grain, which means it is far less prone to splitting, warping or cracking than other softer, less dense woods. But if you’re planning on installing an oak floor, there are a few things you need to look out for first.

Oak – a tough customer

Because it’s so much stronger than many other types of wooden floor sanding, oak is actually quite difficult to work with unless you’re a professional with all the right equipment. Its tight grain means that it can be difficult to cut, but it also means that you end up with much cleaner edges as the grain doesn’t tend to ‘rip up’ as easily as some softer woods.

If you’re planning on fitting your wooden floor in a high traffic area then oak is the perfect choice. It is extremely resistant to wear and tear, making it ideal for staircases, hallways and entrance areas where footfall and the risk of damage through dirt and mud being trampled into the wood are highest. With a good layer of varnish or wax on the surface, oak is practically invincible!

Water resistant

Another advantage of using a tight grained wood such as oak is that it is more impervious to water damage than softer woods. White oak in particular is water resistant, making it particularly useful in a commercial setting such as a lobby or entrance area, where there is a higher possibility of moisture reaching the surface of the floor. In the home, white oak is one of the few wooden floors that is suitable for use in kitchens or even in the bathroom, as again its water resistance means that it can cope with the damper conditions.

Coloured oak

While oak’s advantage is its strength and general resistance to wear and tear, woods with very tight grains tend to be quite bland and uniform in colour. Whereas you may have a greater variety of pattering and natural formations in looser grained woods (including knotholes and swirls, depending on how the timber was cut), oak tends to be very even in texture. This can be a little dull in comparison to more decorative woods, so most people choose to brighten up their oak floors by using coloured staining or waxes. This gives the wood greater depth and warmth and brings out the hidden patterns within the boards.

However, staining oak is not a job for a happy amateur! It takes specialist knowledge, expertise and experience to stain oak successfully. Oak’s reduced levels of absorbency can lead to ‘patchy’ results, so it takes years of experience and understanding to ensure that the stain or wax is applied evenly to prevent a sub-standard result.

Easy to care for

But once your floor sanding and polishing experts have finished breathing new life into your oak floor, you can rest easy in the knowledge that it takes very little maintenance indeed to keep oak looking its best. Oak flooring is easy to look after and care for. You can protect it against deep scratches caused by furniture by applying pads to the bottom of chair and table legs. Then it’s simply a matter of basic maintenance on a weekly basis such as wiping over with a duster, light vacuuming and an occasional wash down with a damp mop. As long as you avoid using abrasive cleaners and treat it to the occasional polish, you should have an oak floor you can be proud of for years to come.

Parquet Flooring

Originally created for the royal floors of King Louis XIV in Palace of Versailles in 1684 as an alternative to marble, parquet flooring quickly became fashionable not only in France but across Europe.

In the UK parquet became a popular design style in the early 20th century, now enjoying a popularity revival as both homeowners and businesses discover elderly parquet flooring nestling below tiles or carpet.

Although delicately designed, parquet is amazingly tough and resilient so unless your elderly wooden houseguest is too badly cracked or warped to be used, it is worth having a professional evaluation to see if the parquet blocks can be rejuvenated and coaxed back to the real wood beauty they once were.

Parquet styles and designs

In a nutshell, parquet is geometrically designed wood blocks laid along the lines of a mosaic. The repeated design then covers long hallways and corridors or for a dramatic effect, a parquet sunburst design in the middle of a formal room is a real talking point. Common parquet design tablet are square, rectangular, chevron, lozenge, herring-bone and triangle.

In addition to being a popular choice for floors, parquet was used at the turn of the 20th century as table top design, shelving and bedstead surrounds.  Parquet has retains its charm over the centuries and is now every bit as popular all over again.

Homes with parquet flooring are adding genuine value to their home as well as having beautiful flooring to enjoy. Parquet is a sound investment and can last a lifetime if properly cared for.

Colours and grains

Popular wood for parquet has always been those with pronounced grain such as oak, cherry, lime, walnut, pine and maple. The luxuriously beautiful mahogany and oak are also used although these will be rather more expensive. Other tropical hardwoods such as teak work well too.

For something a little different, bamboo parquet is ideal, especially for summerhouses and conservatories.

How to fix, how to clean

Parquet is affixed to the floor via a cold adhesive solution which is non-toxic and has no noxious odour.

Brush your parquet with a soft brush and get into any corners, nooks and crannies with a mop head covered with a soft dry cloth. You can also use a light vacuum but care must be taken not to damage the delicate pattern motif, especially if your parquet has been restored.

When mopping use a well squeezed mop which is barely damp as any excess of water will damage your parquet.

Low maintenance and beautiful

When your parquet has been either professionally restored or newly laid you will be delighted to know this type of flooring really needs the minimum of ongoing maintenance. Brush twice a week, light mop once a week – job done.

Always a talking point

Always beautiful whatever the design, parquet floors are forever the centre of attraction in any room. Business owners and senior managers in the 1920’s and 30’s would show their superiority by having parquet designed floors in their offices.

Parquet has a rather warm and cosy feel underfoot, even on the coldest of days and for this reason is perfect for use in bedrooms and halls.

Restoration is everything

You may wish to consider a professional restoration of your parquet flooring for your peace of mind. Restoring ancient flooring is a fairly exacting science and one which you would be wise to give over to the professionals. It could well be the best investment you make.

Properly restored parquet will, as well as adding thousands to the value of your home, make you the envy of visitors and guests.

Restoring Wooden Floors | Sanding Parquet

To Buy or Not To Buy Bamboo

Although many people think of it as wood, bamboo is actually a grass. But because matured bamboo enjoys many of the robust properties of hardwood, it has become a popular choice for flooring. There are many reasons why you might choose a bamboo floor not least because bamboo comes from an environmentally sustainable source – or does it?

Unsustainable bamboo– the new hamburger?

Widely produced in the Far East, bamboo grown specifically for flooring generally comes from India, China, Japan and Vietnam. However some countries are now clearing natural forestation in order to grow the fast growing and lucrative bamboo. It is worth questioning whether, in addition to the unsustainability of growing acreage of bamboo where once stood majestic tropical trees like teak, mahogany and redwood, bamboo is in danger of following in the wake of massive South American deforestation to make way for animal grazing.

Bamboo and VOC

Bamboo flooring can also exude toxins of not properly treated or if the bamboo has been cut too soon. Be aware of the origin of your bamboo, as some Far Eastern countries may not control levels of urea formaldehyde. To ensure your bamboo is free of formaldehyde and has been responsibly produced with fair trade commissions for workers contact the Forest Stewardship Council UK (FSC UK).

Because bamboo flooring is produced by slicing the huge stalk of the plant into lengths before gluing them together using a blend of heat, pressure and resin adhesive, the bonding agent can discharge harmful and volatile organic chemicals (VOC) into the atmosphere of a room over the lifespan of the flooring. Whilst most bamboo flooring does have the resin in its construction the amount of VOC exuded will be dependent upon both the quality of bamboo and the manufacturing process.

Whilst bamboo is a fast growing plant it does require at least three to five years to reach a maturity point where it can safely be used as flooring (as opposed to trees which require 20 to 30 years). Immature bamboo that is laid as flooring tends to be too soft and will last a couple of years at best, making your bamboo floor a costly experiment.

Unfortunately at the time of writing there is no hard and fast classification in place to rate bamboo quality. Sometimes bamboo is sold as Grade A or Grade B, but this is purely subjective and is not generally recognised as meaningful in terms of quality. The only way therefore to ensure top quality bamboo is to purchase from a reputable and accredited wood flooring company.

Now the good news

It’s not all bad however. Bamboo does look good and is fairly simple to maintain. Bamboo can be easily cleaned with a brush or light vacuum. It can also be mopped using a well wrung out mop. Avoid excess water on the floor as constant puddles will lead to warping and staining. Alternatively you can use a wax-free bamboo floor cleaner.

Bamboo, when properly harvested and allowed to mature, is a very hard substance and the distinctive style of bamboo offers something a little different, bringing elegance and character to any room.

Bamboo flooring is extremely popular in health spas, offices and studios where a unique style is required. Bamboo flooring is even and smooth to the touch and, because it is a grass and not wood, it is also knot-free.

Bamboo flooring is available in a wide variety of shades from bright and light natural bamboo through to the intensely dramatic black bamboo. And, jusst like any other type of wood flooring, it is possible to professionally sand and re-finish good quality bamboo flooring that has been scratched and return it to peak condition.

Wood Flooring Sanding | Sanding Wooden Floors