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Cut Veneer: The hardwood wear layer is produced just like a solid oak board. The tree is normally air dried, and then cut into thick planks. These are kiln dried and then sawn into a 6mm or 8mm veneer which is what we call the wear layer on an engineered board. This layer is carefully machined to create a high quality veneer that is both smooth and consistent in its dimensions. This process produces a board that has the same feel and grain appearance of a solid board. By cutting into thick logs and kiln drying them and then cutting the veneer it means that the wear layer is calibrated to a consistent thickness which avoids thick spots in the board and in turn would mean that the board is not evenly pressed and could end up inconsistently bonded.
The veneer is then coated by machine to get a consistent covering with a pre-mixed Dynea Adhesive before laying on top of a quality approved pre cut piece of multilayer Birch plywood. The plywood we use has a consistent thickness in each layer and is kiln dried to the same moisture level as the veneer.?
These boards are then loaded into a cold hydraulic press at more than 5000 tons pressure per square metre to ensure that the adhesive penetrates the cell structure of the plywood board and solid oak veneer and left to cure. Once this is completed the boards are "balanced in a kiln to ensure that the level of moisture in both the solid top layer and the plywood is the same before being processed in a profiling machine and finishing line.
The Birch Ply 11x multi cross layered base is of the highest quality available. Each piece has been 'boiled tested' through rigorous controlled tests to ensure maximum stability in cold and hot conditions.
Due to the nature of all reclaimed wood flooring products, we cannot technically regulate each batch or indeed each species for repeated regularity, you could argue this is the beauty of reclaimed wood flooring. Our stock is generally sourced from the UK, France and sometime Eastern Europe. Wood history and environmental conditions play a part in the condition and grade specifics of each piece of timber. Grades, age and contaminations all vary within each particular product.
Some of our reclaimed stock maybe kiln dried down to 6-8% only if the boards are to be used over under floor heating, in normal cases our French oak for example is kiln dried to an estimated 10%. Some of our reclaimed products do not require kilning, this is because they are 'well seasoned' which means that they are so old and the cell structure within the wood has changed, wood structure is more stable and the wood itself will not absorb moisture easily.
We will advertise each reclaimed product accordingly. We would also advise you to view a sample panel before purchasing, this way you will be more confident with your purchase.
We are one of less than a handful of UK wood flooring companies that still air dry their finishes between coats. The industry norm is to speed up processing and drying times by UV drying oils within minutes, you will find that 99% of the bigger companies cannot afford to 'air dry' their hard wax oil finishes, we can.
We air dry for up to 12 hrs between coats. This gives the oils extra time to be absorbed by the pores within the timber, once the oil has hardened the top layers are then applied. The result is a harder wearing finish because the oils have had time to penetrate into the wood.
The two most popular forms of under floor heating systems are:
Electrical matting systems and Hot water pipe systems.
These are actually the most popular Uk system because they are easier to fit. You hardwood engineered floating floor sits directly above the matting and the matting is wired via a thermostat. Even heat distribution is the key, these systems are less prone to 'hot spots' that could potentially cause problems with your engineered floor such as de-lamination.
This is very similar to your central heating system. A screed is generally used to house the pipes. Before fitting the floor, all screeds must be checked so that the relative humidity of the concrete has reached 75% or below.
There are many brands for UFH available, make sure that you follow their instructions and advise as each system may have slightly different terms and conditions.
Before starting the installation, the 20mm Engineered floor boards need to be brought into the room where they will be installed after the 21 day initial running period, and exposed to the climatic conditions. The acclimatisation will comprise:
This should be left to qualified installers recommended by the manufacturer of the UFH system and you must have "flow" control valves to ensure that the temperature never exceeds 27 degrees where the wood floor meets the screed or underlay. You cannot achieve this with thermostats.
Prior to installation, the installer/owner has the final inspection responsibility as to grade, manufacture and factory finish. The installer must use reasonable selectivity and hold out or cut off pieces with deficiencies, whatever the cause.
Industry standards allow a 5% defect allowance in manufacture.
You must test the relative humidity of the environment the floor is to be laid in and also the moisture content of any sub floor or screed must be less than 4%.
The following is very important
Generally the temperatures should not vary drastically and in a perfect world the UFH should never be turned off just kept at a very low temperature. Always try to avoid taking the floor from one extreme of heat and humidity to another within a very short time-scale. Ideally the room temperature should be 20 degrees Celsius and not lower than 18 degrees Celsius. The air relative humidity should be between 35% & 60%.
If you do turn off the system and the floor gets cold as it can in Summer then you must turn the system back on in a controlled fashion as you would when commissioning the system after installing the wood floor. If you turn it back on to full heat this will "shock" the wood flooring and could cause lifting or the top layer of engineered boards de-laminating.
The maximum temperature of the wooden floor should never exceed 27 degrees Celsius to avoid excessive drying-out problems, which can cause stresses in the wooden floor.
Many types of wood flooring are suitable for use with under floor heating (and cooling) - but not all. If in doubt, the first step is to consult a Specialist Supplier, the Timber Research and Development Association (TRADA), British Standard 8201:1987, or all three, as to the characteristics of the type in question.
A word of caution - the addition of carpets on wooden floors can add 15oC to the temperature between floor and carpet. Thus to achieve a 27 C floor surface temperature (75 W/m2 output) may require water pipes to operate at 50-55oC
We have extensively researched the market and this article is to help you when considering the installation of underfloor heating (UFH). Wooden flooring is the best material to install on top of any system due to it warm feel and thermal properties.
With a wooden floor in the perfect world the UFH system should always be left on even at a low temperature. Wood is a living material even after it is cut down, kiln dried and processed. The cellular structure will always react to its local environment and if you are kind to your floor it will be kind to you. Remember paper is made from wood and when it gets wet it is soggy and yet you can dry it our again but it never has the same characteristics. If you turn off the UFH system then the boards will become cold and if left for some time in winter or summer when the air is humid the wooden floor will pick up moisture. When the heating is then turned back on the environment the wood is in will change dramatically, and it can cause stress within the board, just like when we go into a hot tub in freezing weather. We cannot guarantee any of our flooring if you do this.
Most of the problems associated with wooden floors and UFH come from the following conditions:
If any of the above applies you can get the following wooden flooring reactions
Warped boards, engineered flooring that will de-laminate- this is the top layer coming off, gaps appearing if not fitted correctly and you may also find the whole floor lifting.
Always use a professional UFH installer. Ensure you have the right system to achieve what you want. Never buy cheap engineered flooring. Always use the best adhesives to glue the wooden flooring to the screed such as the Bona R850 which has been designed for wooden floor with UFH.
If you want an electric system then you must follow the manufacturer's installation requirements and make sure you do not get hot spots, some cheap systems will cause these Hot Spots to occur where there is no effective reflector plates that spread the heat or where the screed is too thin. Always leave the UFH system on and do not increase or decrease the temperature excessively. You must clean the wooden floor with the appropriate maintenance kits and in accordance with the manufacturer's instructions.
For our flooring always use the recommended maintenance kit. If you do not then all our warranties and guarantees are invalid. Please see more details about UFH by visiting www.uhma.org.uk