Underfloor Heating with Oak Engineered Flooring

By | Posted in: Engineered Oak Flooring |

oak wooden flooring and underfloor heating

Choosing the right heating and flooring for your home is one of the most important decisions you will make when making your design choice. A good heating system is the foundation of a comfortable and relaxing home and should be cost effective, durable and able to withstand everyday living. Underfloor heating and Oak Engineered flooring have become an increasingly popular choice in recent years in both the new build and renovated properties as the two are the perfect partnership.

The basic principles of heating from underground is nothing new as the Romans were quick to realise the benefits of underfloor heating thousands of years ago and to this day you will see examples of this in the remains of their bath houses and extravagant villas. Modern technology has now channeled the benefits of underfloor heating making it more affordable, using state of the art multi-layering piping and highly efficient boilers which ensure perfect living conditions and temperatures evenly distributed throughout the home.

Under floor heating is silent and with the absence of cumbersome radiators, frees up living space, thus giving more freedom of choice when positioning furniture and curtaining. So, we have seen the benefits of underfloor heating but choosing the right flooring is essential and should be thought through carefully.

Under floor heating and Oak Engineered flooring bring the benefits of being warm under foot giving comfort as well as a good health choice especially if suffering from aching joints. It is also known to reduce the spread of allergens through dust mites, often exacerbated by central heating radiators, thus making it a good option for people who suffer with breathing problems.

Solid Oak is a living, breathing product and one of the most important points to remember is a solid oak floor will expand and contract depending on its environment. When a solid timber floor is laid, there is movement between each board and too many changes in environment, temperature and moisture can lead to problems of warping. With underfloor heating, the expansion and contraction will magnify due to the wood being subject to a higher degree of temperature and moisture loss.

Under floor heating and Oak Engineered flooring work well together due to the structure of engineered oak. Using a construction of a pure Oak sawn surface layer bonded to a quality Birch plywood the movement evident in solid Oak flooring is eliminated. When the oak tries to expand, the ply beneath it prevents it from widening and therefore eradicates movement.

An Oak Engineered floor will look just a stunning as a solid oak floor but has the advantages of working well with underfloor heating, will be hard wearing, easy to maintain and much more cost effective which makes it the ideal choice for a busy modern home.

Under floor heating and Oak Engineered flooring will bring a feel of luxury and cosiness to your home like no other. Oak Engineered flooring comes in a number of options from raw unfinished, allowing you to sand on site and finish to your own individual taste, to the natural oiled or hard wearing lacquered, you can create a look that will reflect your style and ensure a floor that is not only cost effective but breathtakingly beautiful that will be enjoyed for years to come.

Contact us for more details on our underfloor heating.

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Why Choose Engineered Oak Flooring over Laminate

By | Posted in: Engineered Oak Flooring |

engineered oak flooring

What are the differences between Engineered Oak Flooring and Laminate Flooring?

There is one major difference, wood!

Laminate is the cheaper version of engineered oak flooring and is made up from different synthetic materials which are generally lighter and cheaper than wood. Engineered Oak floors feature a coating of natural wood with a base layer of Plywood.

Long term efficiency

Although there is a big cost difference between engineered oak and laminate, this can be seen as a false economy when taking into consideration the long-term cost effectiveness.  Engineered oak flooring has the advantage of being able to be sanded many times, ensuring your floor will always look fresh and new as well as giving the option of changing the finish and colour of the stain. Laminate flooring cannot be refinished or repaired so will need to be replaced when there are signs of wear and tear. Engineered oak flooring and laminate flooring are both easy to maintain and look good but engineered oak flooring will bring a beauty, richness and value to your home for many years that laminate never can.

engineered oak flooring

Fast growing sustainable plywood

Engineered oak flooring and laminate are both hard wearing and resistant to damage when considering the environmental advantages. Both bring with them environmentally-conscious advantages. Engineered oak flooring is made mostly from fast growing sustainable plywood whereby laminate is not real wood so no trees are used in its construction.

Laminate flooring is made up of a thin layer of resin infused paper over a wood chip composite. Laminate flooring looks similar to real wood and it is often hard to tell the difference between laminate and engineered oak flooring. Laminate flooring is resistant to scratches and dents and will hold moisture well so can be used for bathrooms.

Engineered oak flooring offers additional strength over laminate flooring due to the layers of wood in its construction. Engineered oak flooring offers good moisture resistance, is hard wearing with the added beauty of natural wood. Engineered oak flooring is easy to install and will resist changes in humidity and moisture, unlike a Solid Oak Floor. Engineered oak flooring can be installed over a floating floor and can be glued, stapled or nailed to the floor. Engineered oak flooring comes un-finished, oiled or varnished, leaving you with the option of finishing to your own specific standard or choosing the pre-finished varieties. Engineered oak flooring can last for many years, or even a lifetime.

Long lifespan

Laminate flooring can be slippery to walk on and cannot be sanded. When laying laminate flooring, it will need to have a foam under the layers to help soften it but is relatively easy to lay and can be glued or may come with a tongue and groove clip system. The lifespan of laminate flooring is much shorter compared to engineered oak flooring and due to its composition can lose its lustre in time, needing to be replaced.

Summary

To sum up, if you can afford the extra cost of an engineered oak floor it is well worth the extra to have a quality floor that will not only be an investment, will be a long term cost effective option as it can be resurfaced. Nothing can match the beauty of real wood and even though laminate may look similar there is a richness than laminate can never have. Laminate is the short term, cheaper option but when it comes to quality, engineered oak flooring wins hands down.

You may be interested in:

Nature Grade Engineered Oak Flooring

16mm Nature Grade Engineered Oak – Antique

16mm Rustic Grade Engineered Oak Flooring - Anthracite

16mm Rustic Grade Engineered Oak – Anthracite

16mm Nature Grade Engineered Oak Flooring - Oiled Finish

16mm Nature Grade Engineered Oak – Oiled Finish

 

See the website for full range of engineered oak flooring.

Travertine Floor Tiles: The Ultimate Guide

By | Posted in: Stone Flooring, Travertine Flooring |
Premium Polished Travertine

Premium Polished Travertine

Travertine Floor Tiles: The Ultimate Guide

Travertine is a rock or stone that’s main component is limestone and in the majority of cases it is found near warm and hot springs – most of the time as deposits. A porous sedimentary stone, it features natural veins and fissures and this gives the stone a truly exclusive look and texture. Travertine is a naturally soft stone with pockets and holes that are naturally created by gases escaping from the stone over time. This pitted surface is the main feature of travertine and is what gives it a warm aged look that will mature over time to create a beautiful patina that increases the true beauty of the stone. Travertine has been popular as a flooring material for many years as it is both elegant and durable.

Tumbled Travertine Flooring

Tumbled travertine has a finish which is more weathered, aged or scuffed with chipped edges and unfilled holes. It is produced by a process of placing the travertine in a large tank with water and abrasives which is then vibrated to produce the tumbling process. Tumbled travertine surfaces remain unpolished and the holes left intact to give the tile a natural and rustic appearance. The stone’s natural pockets and holes are left unfilled and this makes the tile vulnerable to breakage. This vulnerability in tumbled travertine can be reduced by filling these holes and cavities with grout during installation. Filling tumbled travertine will not only strengthen the file but will also prevent the build up of debris in the stone. It creates a more finished look and a more refined and sophisticated beauty. Travertine that has undergone this process is known as honed and filled travertine.

The Advantages of Travertine Flooring

Travertine flooring has a natural beauty that imparts a feel of character and history to your home that is truly unique. However, it is not just a pretty face. It will also serve as an environmentally-friendly and durable flooring product that will stand the test of time and once properly sealed will be relatively low maintenance and easy to clean. Travertine flooring has long been chosen by interior designers to give the wow factor to their designs but it is also a practical choice and has many advantages as a flooring product for the home. Travertine flooring is widely used in areas outside the home where water stagnation should be avoided, like swimming pools, footpaths, balcony areas and pathways. Plus, due to its uneven surface, it creates the perfect non slip area. Having said this, because travertine tiles are hard wearing and versatile, they can be used in any room of the home and with professional sealing are suitable for kitchens and bathrooms.

Travertine flooring is warm under foot and hygienic and with a range of colour and finish options available will create a totally distinctive feel that is like no other. Once laid, travertine tiles should be professionally sealed which will ensure they are suitable for use in any room in the home. The sealing of travertine tiles will prevent staining and water, dust, chemical, and odour absorption making your tiles resilient and a bacteria free flooring that benefits the environment and your family. Travertine flooring is the perfect choice for allergy sufferers and is a healthy, bacteria free solution to creating an environmentally friendly home. Due to its unique composition, travertine flooring is the perfect choice for under-floor heating. With its natural indentations and fissures, heat is able to pass through these many openings and grooves ensuring perfect heat conduction. Think of a bathroom with a wonderful heated floor constructed of travertine tiles that look and feel truly amazing.

Colour, Finish and Size Options for Travertine Floor Tiles

Rustic Tumbled Unfilled Travertine

Rustic Tumbled Unfilled Travertine

Travertine tiles come in a wide variety of colours and size options which enable you to design a floor that is exclusive to you, ensuring that there’s a colour option and style to suit every taste, from the modern and contemporary to the more traditional. With a number of finishes available, travertine flooring is a designers dream. From the classic honed and filled travertine which gives a look of chic sophistication to the rustic tumbled unfilled travertine to impart that timeless charm of an era long gone, travertine flooring allows you to be as creative as you want. You can rest-assured that with a choice of straight or chipped edge finishes, your travertine flooring will be as individual as you. Travertine tiles are completely natural with every tile bringing a completely unique and one-off colour pattern that although unique, seamlessly blends into the next tile to create a personality from nature itself. With a colour pallet taken from nature itself, tumbled travertine tiles come in a range of soft muted colours from beige through to dark brown and can transform a room with a touch of character look that will only become more beautiful over time.

A contemporary décor can look wonderful against a rustic tumbled travertine floor, bringing out the best of the old and the new. A period home cries out for a tumbled travertine floor to enhance all its character features. Travertine is cut into different sized tiles, leaving you free to design your own pattern, whether you choose a classic one size tile or make up a random pattern of different sized tiles, your travertine floor will be as creative as you want it to be and as beautiful as nature intended. By mixing different sized tumbled travertine tiles you can create different patterns that are random and creative to give an Old World rustic look that can greatly enhance your flooring. Tumbled travertine will blend in a way that will bring a warmth to your home and enhance your décor in the best way possible. It is the perfect choice for that extra special look that is informal, warm and will never go out of style.

Care of Travertine Flooring

Travertine is a warm and beautiful stone with unique colour and pattern characteristics which will compliment any home. However, it is delicate in nature and so it’s important to take good care of your travertine in order to keep this wonderful enhancement to your home in the best possible condition. It should be cared for in a way that’s comparable to marble and limestone as they are of a similar composition in chemical and physical characteristics. Care of travertine is not time consuming and depending on which travertine you choose being filled or unfilled, tumbled or polished once your travertine is sealed, maintenance should be relatively easy. Although travertine is a more hard-wearing floor material than most, it is still susceptible to damage if not treated properly. Its natural porous construction makes travertine tiles susceptible to staining when in contact with acid based liquids such as alcohol, citrus fruit juice and cleaning products. They can easily score the travertine surface if left to stand after spilling. If this occurs, rubbing the area with a fine grade emery paper will remove the damaged surface, allowing it to be resealed.

When caring for your travertine, it is best to vacuum, sweep, or dust mop your floor every few days to pick up dust and outside debris that can get ground into the surface which may dull the surface. Caring for your travertine floor this way will reduce the frequency you need to wash your floor as it will keep dirt and dust to a minimum. Once a month a wet wash should be included in the care for your travertine floor. After sweeping your travertine floor, you should wet wash using a mild ph soap solution, or a recommended cleaning solution (never use acidic or abrasive cleaners). This should be dissolved in warm water using a well wrung-out flat mop (a sponge, microfibre or chamois mop are gentle and can be easily wrung out to nearly dry and are more effective that traditional mops at gathering small dirt particles).

Re-sealing Travertine Flooring

When caring for your travertine flooring, over time you might begin to notice that the water doesn’t bead on the surface and may immediately soak into the stone. If this happens, it is then time to re-seal the floor with a penetrating stone sealer recommended for stone floors. As natural stone is porous to some degree it will be necessary for your floor to be sealed with a stone sealer which will help prevent spilt liquids penetrating the stone. Over time, the wax sealer will wear, so in caring for your travertine floor it will periodically be necessary to re-seal your floor. Re-sealing of stone flooring in the home environment will be required every 5 to 7 years, depending on the amount of foot traffic and wear and tear.

A travertine floor is a thing of beauty, and with the right care and maintenance will give you many years of use. Travertine floor care goes a long way to getting the best from your floor. As with most valued possessions, your travertine floor should be treated with respect and, although not high maintenance, with a degree of tender loving care it will repay you back with a floor that will enhance your home, and look stunning for years to come.

Travertine Floor Tiles: The Perfect Choice

Travertine floor tiles cannot be duplicated by any other natural material and can easily be identified due to its unique rustic, yet simple elegance. Having travertine flooring in your home will bring out the beauty of the stone as it occurs in nature giving a look that is truly matchless. If you are looking to add value, elegance and beauty, travertine flooring wins hands down. When it comes to tiling, we are often spoilt for choice, and deciding which tile material to use can be a difficult decision. Travertine floor tiles are versatile, fit into any décor, whether rustic, traditional or contemporary, are hard wearing and truly beautiful.

Whether you are looking for a flooring or wall tiling choice, travertine tiles fit the bill both in exceptional quality and decorative appeal. Travertine has a simple, unique, rustic elegance that only nature can create and can bring a feeling of opulence as well as simplicity that is timeless and cannot be replicated by any other material. If you are looking for a unique floor that will be the envy of many, will serve you in durability and last a lifetime, then a travertine floor will meet your needs.

See a range of travertine floor tile options.

Prime Grade Engineered Oak Flooring

By | Posted in: Engineered Oak Flooring |

Prime Grade Engineered Oak Flooring

Prime Grade Engineered Oak flooring is the closest you can get to the perfection of quarter-sawn oak flooring. Prime Grade Engineered Oak flooring is uniform in colour and free from knots and burrs and character marks often seen in the other grades of engineered oak flooring. Taken from the centre of the trunk, Prime Grade Engineered Oak flooring can only be produced in small numbers which justifies the quality and higher price.

Often the choice of interior designers, retail environments, restaurants and suitable for modern and contemporary rooms when the emphasis is a floor that is beautiful without being distracting, Prime Grade Engineered Oak flooring provides a minimalistic look that can transform any room.

Prime Grade Engineered Oak flooring is quite scarce due to the difficulty of sourcing suitable trees that will provide the long lengths and widths that are of suitable quality for this premium grade. The high level and quality of Prime Grade Engineered Oak flooring has a bottom counter balance layer of the same timber that is on the top of the board, making it very suitable for under-floor heating. Prime Grade Engineered Oak flooring is a truly beautiful elegant, clean looking floor that provides a calm, uncluttered feel while still showing the natural beauty of the timber.

Supplied unfinished and pre-oiled, Prime Grade Engineered Oak flooring comes in a choice of long lengths that give a look of smooth uniformity that fits so well with the clean modern contemporary style. The pre-oiled Prime Grade Engineered Oak flooring is finished using a UV oiled effect which gives the flooring an extra strong protective coating. The unfinished Prime Grade Engineered Oak flooring can be sanded, stained and waxed to your desired effect, leaving you to give your designer flair free rein. To protect your Prime Grade Engineered Oak flooring, it is advisable to apply at least 2 coats of good quality Hard Wax Oil onto your flooring once it is installed.

Engineered hardwood floors are very strong and straightforward to install. Prime Grade Engineered Oak flooring will not react to fluctuating heat or moisture unlike solid Oak flooring and brings all the qualities of a solid oak floor with all the benefits of a quality product that fits in with today’s modern life.

If you are looking for perfection, Prime Grade Engineered Oak flooring is pretty close. Prime Grade Engineered Oak flooring is constructed as a multilayer board which consists of a Solid Oak face of 6mm with a quality wood backing that provides a good strong sealed underside that can be nailed, glued or floated.

If you are looking for a floor that is stunningly beautiful with exquisite clean lines, Prime Grade Engineered Oak flooring is a top quality product which, although a little more expensive than engineered oak flooring, is well worth the extra price for that something special. Prime Grade Engineered Oak flooring has minimal light grain markings and only slight colour variations with very few and infrequent small knots that makes it unique in an engineered oak flooring. For that extra special look, Prime Grade Engineered Oak flooring brings you quality, practicality and class.