Guide to Wooden Flooring
If you are debating whether wooden flooring is right for your home it’s a good idea that you have an understanding what the various wood terms mean. There are huge array of online flooring retailers, and its important to understand there are multiple factors which determine how wood looks, and makes each wooden floor look different from another. It is very unlikely that the wooden floor you saw in the showroom or on the internet will look exactly the same as the final product in your home.
The reason people like hardwood floors is that they are not uniform. One factor which effects the appearance of the wood is how close the wood is to the bark of the tree, this is called sapwood. The closer to the outside of the tree, the lighter the colour the wood will appear. The grain of the wood is another major factor, this can vary is direction and also changes in appearance depending on the colour of the wood fibers. The growth rings of the tree are also a significant factor which effect how the wood looks. Tightly packed layers of wood are likely to result in a darker colour, these are formed when only a marginal layer of wood is added per year during a growing season. Other factors which can have an effect on the wood are mineral Streaks. These occur when trace elements are in the water, resulting in grey and olive markings. Knots are also a big factor in the appearance of your flooring, and are produced where branches of a tree have been encased, as the tree has grown. Often lower grade flooring will have more knots in it than higher grade.
One of the main benefits of wooden flooring is its durability, and also the ease with which damage can be repaired. But because it is a natural product, as opposed to an artificial one, it is also prone to expand and contract during changes in the weather or season. This needs to be taken into account when your floor is fitted.
