• By Eldo Rajan
  • July 26, 2022

What is it about wooden floors you should know before you make one of the most important decisions regarding your new home? 

 

Quite a few, we would say, 

1) Different types of wooden floors

  • Solid wood flooring, is made from 100% wood of single species - as the name implies, solid wood. 
  • Engineered flooring, is made of multiple layers of wood (different species), much like plywood. They will have multiple thin layers of cheap wood with a thin top layer having the expensive wood species
  • There is yet another type of flooring called laminate wood, which is a cheap imitation of wooden flooring. It is mostly made of artificial materials and rarely uses wood pulp and cannot be called wooden flooring. 

2) Wood floors need to be installed by experts

A wood floor installation is a specialist job just like brain surgery is a neurosurgeon’s job. You will never think of asking a general physician to do it.
Now, why is wooden floor installation such a skilled job? When we put wood on the floor, it behaves differently from a single piece of wood furniture. There are multiple aspects of installation at play here.

  • The preparation of the subfloor (cement floor)
  • The selection of the right adhesive to be used. The adhesives for wood floors need to have properties that are different from normal adhesives.
  • The timber must be specially kiln dried to bring it down to the ideal moisture level for flooring.
  • Damp proofing for protection against moisture
  • The sanding of wooden floors needs to be done by highly skilled professionals using specialized machines to make sure the floors get maximum longevity.
  • The finishes (polish ) you apply on the wood floors should never be general-purpose finishes. Specialized wood floor finishes which will take the wear and tear of daily use and keep the floors looking bright and new

3) Every piece of wood is different and timber for wooden floor needs to be special


Even though wood is a natural substance, the wood that is going to be used for your wooden floor has to undergo some special processes for you to have a perfect and long-lasting floor.

Kiln drying the timber to reduce the moisture is an important process that needs to be carried out carefully. It is important that you keep these factors when selecting a supplier for your wooden floor. When a wood floor is made, perfection in dimension is a critical factor. This cannot be achieved in normal woodworking machines or by your neighborhood carpenter. Machines designed to cut the timber to your preferred dimensions are some things you can look for in a vendor.

4) What goes under the floor is as important as what comes on top

There is a saying in the wooden floor industry. What you do not see is more critical than what you see. When you hire a company to do your wood floor, how will you make sure that the company is putting the right adhesive in the right quantity when they glue down the floor? Do they level and clean the floor before putting on adhesives? Are they using the right tools?



These are all things you will not see once the floor is installed and given to you. So dependability is an important factor

5) What is the after-sales service provided by the supplier?

This is a question most customers do not ask. What happens if some maintenance is required? Do you provide any cleaning service? Will the timber used for your flooring be available after 10 years if one or two pieces need replacement?

As mentioned earlier, a wooden floor is an investment for life. When it is meant to be used for generations looking new and polished why shouldn’t you consider after-sales support? Most importantly wooden floor gives you an extra advantage in giving your home a new look with new color and finish,
 
Consider the above factors when you decide on your flooring expert.


 




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GF-1, Westwood Heights
Gandhi Square, Poonithura
Cochin - 682 038

+91 484 4031559
+91 9995 976 666

info@westwoodfloorings.com
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