Articles by Ruth Shann on ArticleSnatch.com

Real Oak Floors guide to Wooden Flooring

Tue, 10 Mar 2009 00:00:00 -0400

1. HOW TO CHOOSE YOUR WOOD FLOOR There are a number of points to check when choosing a new wood floor and some of these will depend on the type of floor available to you: What is your Sub Floor (existing floor) Do you have under floor heating? Is the room a south facing conservatory or basement (below ground level)? Are you fitting in a bathroom or kitchen? SUBFLOOR Your subfloor is very important as this will need to be flat, dry and suitable for laying a wood floor on. For timber floor subfloors, you must ensure that your floor is flat and that it is free from any type of woodworm or rot. All boards should be securely screwed or nailed down before laying a new wooden floor otherwise boards will start to creak. When you have a timber floor you can nail, glue or float your wood floor (glue tongue and groove together and use an underlay between the two floors) Chipboard and Plywood Please note that chipboard is not strong enough to nail a wood floor down on (it is fine for gluing or floating). **End Summary** Topics: wood flooring]]> wood floors]]> wooden flooring]]> wooden floors]]> floor fitting]]> floor installation]]>]]> About the Author: ]]> wood flooring wood floors hardwood flooring

Preparing to lay your new wooden floor

Tue, 03 Mar 2009 00:00:00 -0500

Due to the nature of real wood such as oak it is a living and breathing product. It will expand and contract depending on its environment. A new wood floor looks fantastic but it is always best to ensure it stays looking pristine for years to come. The way to do this is to make sure the preparation for laying the flooring is done correctly, along with a common knowledge of the small issues that can happen with real wood floors. Solid flooring has a tendency to expand and contract. In summer, when the air is more humid due to the house being aired more often the boards soak up the extra moisture and tend to expand slightly. In winter, when central heating / underfloor heating are used regularly, the air in the house is very dry therefore resulting in the boards drying and contracting this often creates gaps appearing between boards often large enough to put a coin between. These are harmless and disappear in the warmer months when heating is not used in the house as often. When hardwood flooring gets wet or damp it absorbs the moisture and expands to accommodate this extra moisture. **End Summary** Topics: wood flooring]]> wood floors]]> wooden flooring]]> wooden floors]]> oak flooring]]> ]]>]]> About the Author: ]]> wood flooring wood floors hardwood flooring

Sports Floors

Fri, 20 Feb 2009 00:00:00 -0500

Most people think of sports floors as the very large sports halls in schools, universities and in large sports campuses. However they are much more popular than just large commercial floors and they have now been used regularly in peopleâ€™s homes. Sports floors are made from wood flooring but have additional support underneath to enable the floor to springâ€ slightly which puts less strain on athletes bodies therefore counteracting injuries. The undercarriages vary between the following: A thick foam underlay approx 10mm or thicker that is placed over the whole floor this cushion is what creates the bounce in the floor. A batten system with foam which can enable the floor to be used over battens however the foam on the battens creates the cushion and the spring required for sports floors. Carriage system or cradle system this system is used with battens to create small plastic supports along the battens. These supports have been specifically manufactured to allow for bounce and movement in the battens therefore creating the springing. Sports floors can also be used in conjunction with under floor heating to keep the room warm. **End Summary** Topics: wood flooring]]> wood floors]]> wooden flooring]]> wooden floors]]> ]]>]]> About the Author: ]]> wood flooring engineered flooring Solid flooring

Accessorising Your Wood Floors

Tue, 10 Feb 2009 00:00:00 -0500

1. Wood Doors Change the interior doors to matching wooden doors. There are a large variety of wooden doors now available especially oak doors. There is a full range of veneered oak doors, walnut doors, cherry, beech, pine, pitch pine and white doors almost any colour to match any wooden floor. Bespoke doors are also available however these are more costly due to the individual manufacturing processes. The doors can complement a wood floor perfectly and come in a variety of finishes. A large number of oak doors are unfinished when purchased so they can be sealed to match the floor with either an oil or varnish they can even be colour oiled to blend with a similar colour oiled floor. Oils are the most common finish for doors however varnish / lacquer is adequate. The majority of doors are veneered hardwood for both conservation and stability however there are a small number of solid wood doors available. Most doors have an identical style in half hour rated fire doors which will pass all building regulations where 30 minute fire doors are required. **End Summary** Topics: wood flooring]]> wooden flooring]]> oak flooring]]> oak floors]]> ]]>]]> About the Author: ]]> wooden doors wood flooring oak flooring

How to install a floor using adhesive

Fri, 10 Oct 2008 00:00:00 -0400

Adhesives How to install a floor using adhesive Please remember that solid floors are always recommended to be glued down, not using the floating method. Floating Floor Method The floating floor method of fixing the wood flooring is done by gluing the tongues and grooves of the floor together. This creates a new floor which is floatingâ€ over the original floor. Floors can be floated over any solid subfloor and it is the preferred method for laying engineered floors. It is a good option when the subfloor moisture content is unknown as a damp proof membrane can be used between the floor and subfloor to prevent moisture rising into the new flooring. When floating a floor, an underlay must be used to dampen any echo and extra noise. This echo is caused by two hard surfaces together which have a space between them. The noise echoes in this void. The underlay is used to prevent any echo as the two hard surfaces will not be touching. There is a wide range of underlays for use when floating the floor all of which are adequate however one of the best on the market is Silentfloor Gold manufactured by Timbermate. **End Summary** Topics: wood flooring]]> wood floors]]> floor installation]]> ]]>]]> About the Author: ]]> wood flooring engineered flooring wood floors

Oiling Hardwood floors by using Woca Wood Lye and oil

Thu, 17 Jul 2008 00:00:00 -0400

Oiling Hardwood floors by using Woca Wood Lye and oil For oiling hardwood floors you will need the items listed below. Our quantity recommendations are based on experience of the average floor – if your wood flooring is very old and porous then increase the quantities and vice versa for dense wood types. Product Name **End Summary** Topics: wood floors]]> wood flooring]]> oak floors]]> oak flooring]]> finishing floors]]> oiling wood floors]]> oiling floors]]> oil]]> ]]>]]> About the Author: ]]> hardwood floors oak flooring engineered wood flooring

Finishing a wood floor, quick!

Wed, 20 Feb 2008 00:00:00 -0500

The saying of time is money is quite often true in the commercial sector as when a shop closes for work to take place no customers can come thorough the door until it is completed. Dealines need to be met in order for other work to progress. For example you would not want to put your skirting down until the floor is down. A time contraint of an overnight wood flooring renovation is no longer unrealistic with new products on the market such as Osmo's Polyx Oil and Polyx Hardwax Oil Rapid. The Polyx Hardwax Oil Rapid was developed in response to flooring contarctors input and demands. It is part of the Polyx Oil range and is already a very popular choice for wood flooring contractors who are ordering vast quantities. With the Polyx Oil there is no need for primer so application is easy, this is the same whether we are talking oak flooring or ash flooring. First make sure the floor is clean and dry. Apply the first coat and then leave it to dry on the flooring for five hours, after that apply the second coat. **End Summary** Topics: solid wood flooring]]> engineered wood flooring]]> wood flooring]]> oak flooring]]>]]> About the Author: ]]>

The Queen walked on Woca oiled flooring, discussed is the floor preperation

Fri, 25 Jan 2008 00:00:00 -0500

The Queen walked on WOCA oiled flooring The Eurostar is a train of up-to-date design and performance. It competes well with any of the airlines uniting Europe. So its new St Pancras International Terminal was built in luxurious fashion comparable to airport standards. For the flooring in the Eurostar departure and arrival halls, the 800-million-pound project used approximately 6, 000sqm of FSC accredited solid Jatoba wood flooring which is quite likely to be the largest, single space, solid wood flooring installation in the UK in 2007. The architects chose to use surface treatments and maintenance products manufactured and supplied by WOCA in Denmark. The project thereby also sets a new quality standard for wood floor finishing in Europe. On November 6th, 2007, Her Majesty the Queen opened the new St Pancras International Terminal in London. Queen Elisabeth II. Highlighted the importance of attention to detail and the quality of the completed terminal through which millions of people are expected to pass each year. WOCA's contribution WOCA Denmark (known in Denmark as Trip Trap) is one of the world's leading suppliers of real wood flooring treatment and maintenance products, in particular for heavy traffic projects such as St Pancras International. **End Summary** Topics: wood flooring]]> royal]]> woca]]> wood floor cleaning]]> floor cleaner]]> engineered wood flooring]]> solid wood flooring]]> real wood flooring]]> jatoba flooring]]> ]]> About the Author: ]]> real oak floors

Colouring wood floors

Fri, 24 Aug 2007 00:00:00 -0400

If your wood flooring comes unfinished or you have just sanded a floor down it is easy to change the colour to suit your room. The influx of flooring colour oils now available mean that your choice of colour can be anything from a startling white to a sultry passionate red. The oils can be easily applied to the floor using a cloth or roller. The depth of colour can be varied depending on the final grit used for sanding the rougher the grit the deeper the colour. The stains can be either finished oils or can be lacquered over the top to give a maintenance free floor. At the moment, the current trend for oak flooring is darkâ€. This can be obtained by staining oak a darker colour rather than going for a natural dark wood such as wenge or walnut which can be expensive and hard to come by. There is even a new range of Junckers floors which come stained and lacquered in a choice of dark and colourful woods all ready for whatever the market demands next. The colouring process is relatively easy with the drying time being around 4 8 hours. **End Summary** Topics: wood]]> flooring]]> colour]]> color]]> floors]]> oak]]> real]]> junkers]]> oils]]> ]]> About the Author: ]]> real oak floors

Extra Wide Engineered Oak Flooring

Thu, 16 Aug 2007 00:00:00 -0400

The rise in demand for wide plank flooring has lead to the wider engineered wood flooring being produced. Currently we have two new engineered oak boards which are wider than the standard oak plank flooring. The first one is 235mm wide with a 4mm top layer of real oak. The base is made of high quality cross birch ply, which gives a total board thickness of 18mm. These boards are also suitable for laying directly onto joists as structural boards due to the thickness. They are also suitable for use with under floor heating, in conservatories and in below ground level rooms such as cellars. They are perfect for large areas where a wide plank will accentuate the room to give the appearance of space. It can also be used in a smaller room to give the appearance of a larger room. The floor is available in three different finishes unfinished, brushed and oiled in a choice of 4 colours natural, brown, white and grey. It is also available in a smoked and oiled board to give an authentic look and deeper colour. The second floor available is an extra wide plank 260mm flooring for the extra wow factor. **End Summary** Topics: wood]]> flooring]]> real]]> oak]]> extra]]> wide]]> plank]]> planked]]> engineered]]> ]]> About the Author: ]]> Real Oak Floors