If you are thinking about getting wooden flooring for your home it’s important that you are familiar with the main wooden flooring terms. There are huge array of online flooring retailers, and its important to understand there are several different factors which all influence how the flooring appears, and makes each wooden floor look different from another. There is a very slim chance that the wooden floor you saw in the showroom or on the internet will look the same as the final product in your home.
Part of the appeal of hardwood floors is that they are all unique. One factor which effects how the wood looks is how near the wood is to the bark of the tree, this is named sapwood. The closer to the outside of the tree, the paler the wood will appear. The grain of the wood is another major factor, this can vary is direction and also varies in appearance depending on the colour of the wood fibers. The growth rings of the tree are also an important factor which effect the appearance of the wood. 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.