Solid wood planks as flooring: properties and advantages
What is solid wood
Wooden floorboards have been used as flooring for more than a thousand years! Such floorboards are made of a solid, processed piece of precious wood, which is made with the help of modern woodworking machines. After processing, each plank has the exact, determined size and dimensions so that they can be optimally adapted to each other. Solid wood floorboards are often screwed, nailed or even glued to a wooden substructure. However, some have special connectors for easier installation. These planks can be covered with protective varnish and designed in different ways.
Solid wood surface
Solid wood floors have an even surface. The panel thickness varies between 18 and 22 mm. The thicker it is, the easier it is to renovate and re-treat the floor using a scraper or grinder.
The surface of the wooden floorboards can remain “rough”. Such untreated soil draws a lot of moisture from the room and at low humidity levels it can dry out and shrink. If you want to keep such a floor in its original form, you should control the indoor climate and maintain humidity in the range of 50-65%.
can be covered with a lacquer, oil or with Polyx®-Oil. Varnish protects floors from moisture and gives them shine, while wood impregnated with oil can be characterized by reduced hygroscopicity.
Various types of solid wood
Solid wood is one of the premium flooring materials and has a fairly high price. Choosing the solid wood that is most suitable for your home is not an easy task. Various types of panels are available for sale, differing in price, color, size, processing methods and finishing coating. There are many categories of solid wood. The main criteria for distribution are the texture of the wood, its quality and the cutting methods.
The following types of wood are used most frequently: oak, wild oak, ash, walnut, beech, beech heartwood.
The gradation of types of wood appeared for the first time on the American market. They identified four basic types of sorting: Select, Natural, Rustic, and Country.
Choose: A mixture of the selected wooden boards without sapwood and wood defects with other boards that may occasionally have small amounts of light-colored knots up to 5 mm in diameter (the dark ones up to 3 mm). Differences in color can only be slight.
The Select grade is ideal for classic interiors where the floor needs to blend in with the overall calm style of the room without attracting undue attention.
Select wood grade is more expensive than other grades.
Nature: Wood with a varied texture but without strong color changes. Normally it is without sapwood, but sapwood is still allowed in this class (up to 5% of the board area). Light and dark knots must not have a diameter of more than 10 mm. Nature is a classic type of wood that comes into its own in various interiors.
The absence of color changes makes it look like a Select cultivar, but the presence of small knots gives the boards a nice wood texture.
Rustic: Differences in wood color and amount of sapwood are not regulated. Light and dark knots are permitted up to a diameter of 20 mm. The Rustic grade has one of the most colorful and vibrant markings. The tones of the boards can vary significantly. Sapwood is also reliable. This offers an interesting play of colors.
Flooring of this type fits perfectly in summer houses or cottages in the country, as well as in modern loft or country-style apartments in the city center.
Country: This grading includes wooden boards with no limitation on the number and size of natural wood defects. This is a real “artistic floor” drawn by nature. In different tones, country looks very different. With the light wooden boards, the play of colors is in the foreground, with the dark ones – a pronounced wood pattern.
Light country style is ideal for such interiors as pop art, art deco and kitsch. At the same time, country with a dark shade looks calm and solid. Characterized by an underlined wood structure, it fits perfectly with all interiors, including the classic ones.
How does solid wood differ from parquet floorboards?
Outwardly, these floors are similar, but they still have some differences. Parquet floorboards consist of three layers:
- the top layer of precious wood;
- the middle layer of cheap softwood;
- the lower layer of a plastic.
This cover is cheaper but the lifespan is a little less. Solid wood and parquet floorboards are two strong and durable materials with good sound and thermal insulation properties. Both materials can be sanded. However, one can distinguish the following advantages of solid wood:
1) Due to its monolithic structure, it lasts longer.
2) It is an eco-friendly material.
3) Solid wood is harder and more durable.