Flooring in Focus Part V: Kahrs Oak Sienna 3-Strip

I know I’m gonna have to stop saying this but on this occasion I just can’t help. I thought I had found my favourite floor covering but I was wrong, Kahrs Oak Sienna 3-strip  is absolutely magnificent.

Anyone who reads this blog regularly will know that this must be true – Kahrs oak flooring is engineered, whereas this series has previously focussed on solid wood floors.

That however, is not the only difference between Kahrs Oak Sienna and the other floors covered in this series; it has a completely different look to any of them – not least because it has a completely different look to most of the other floors on the market.

It is hard to put into words: rustic, with a kind of granular feel. It looks modern, but has has a depth of texture to it that any solid wood floor would be proud of. Oak Sienna is the perfect floor for a home, an office, a museum, an art gallery or an office. Don’t agree? Post your thoughts in the comments at the end of the post, don’t decide on the image alone, click here to request a sample

On top of that, a Kahrs oak floor is a floor for life. Kahrs engineered flooring is slightly more expensive than the lower priced brands, because it has a thicker wood layer, which means it can be sanded and refinished numerous times. This means that if it is looked after properly, to keep the need for resanding and refinishing as far apart as possible, the floor will last you a lifetime.

Laminate Flooring Vs Engineered Flooring

This is a common question: which is best engineered flooring or laminate flooring. No, I am not going to say… Well we have put them to the test in the head to head wood war to end all wood wars, who knows maybe that will be a feature down the line.

This time it is going to be based purely on theory. The immediate answer to the question is that both of them are equally perfect in their own way and for their own use:

Both are very inexpensive. both are highly durable, and both give the effect of a solid hardwood floor for a fraction of the price. That is where the similarities end.

What laminate flooring is:

Laminate flooring is basically a photograph of a hardwood plank, laminated and stuck onto composite wood material, yes, underneath it is real wood.

The benefits of laminate flooring are:

The price: laminate flooring starts from as little as £11.52 per square meter.

The Durability: whilst a real hardwood floor is vulnerable to damage from things like high heels etc, laminated flooring has a much harder surface, and scratches do not ruin the effect either – within reason.

The Range: laminate flooring can be a picture of anything. This means that you can have a marble-like palatial floor, on the budget of a palatial servant.

Easy to Install: laminate flooring comes in tongue and groove, snap=together and glue together, all can be laid very easily and quickly, because laminate is a floating floor, meaning it does not need to be nailed down.

The downsides of laminate flooring are:

It is not real wood. A fake wood floor, even if it replicates gorgeous £5000  Tuscany wood flooring is still a fake wood floor.

Non-Repairable: Laminate flooring cannot be sanded down and refinished. Thus laminate flooring is unlikely to be a floor for life.

What engineered flooring is:

Engineered flooring is a hardwood plank, laid on top of ply-boards. The hardwood plank comes at a barying

The benefits of engineered flooring are:

The Price: enginered flooring is priced from about £30 per square eter, which is slightly more expensive than laminate, but still a lot less expensive than solid hardwood flooring.

The Durability: Engineered flooring is practically a hardwood floor. It can be resanded and refinished a varying number of times (depends on thickness of wood layer) to prolong the life. It can also be waxed or lacquered to protect it from damage, which also prolongs the life. The life can also be prolonged by caring properly for the floor, which is the same way as one would care for a solid hardwood floor.

In fact engineered flooring is even more durable the solid wood in a certain set of circumstances: in areas of high humidity and frequent changes between hot and cold temperatures, engineered flooring is much more pliable, so it can expand and contract with changes in the air, without being ruined.

Looks Like Real Thing: as you have probably gathered by now, engineered flooring is about as close as you can get to a solid wood flooring on a lower budget. in fact, to the untrained eye it is practically impossible to tell that it is not the real deal.

So, which wins the Laminate Flooring Vs Engineered flooring battle?

As I said at the beginning, both are perfect in their own ways for people with different circumstances:

For people who have dogs, are on a really limited budget and/or do not own/plan to live in the house forever, then laminate is going to be their best option.

Meanwhile for someone who has their heart set on a proper hardwood floor, but can’t afford it, and who doesn’t have dogs, then engineered flooring is the perfect package for you.

Reclaimed Opepe Floorboards a Designers Dream

Reclaimed Opepe Floorboards are an interior designers dream. Opepe flooring, for those that remember it, is the type of floorboard we all used to run, jump bounce and fall on in physical education lessons throughout our school days. Yes, that's right Opepe is what they used to make the sportsfloors in school halls and gymnasium's.

A hard but springy wood with a satin-sheen, Opepe was finished with a thick, hard setting lacquer. This means that the life expectancy of Opepe reclaimed floorboards is about the same as the life expectancy for when the wood was new.

Once an Opepe floor has been laid, sanded and refinished it is one of the most beautiful floors known to man.

Reclaimed Opepe is a designers dream, because it is cheap, and because it instils nostalgic feelings, designers want people to be happy in their rooms, and nostalgia is a trigger for floods of happiness in most people. Opepe is also perfect for the kind of retro look that is so popular at the moment (not that I know much about it of course, being a grunting male).

Although it is a stereotype; people with the kind of personality traits found in interior designers, are also found within those of us who have been among the first to embrace green or greener lifestyles. Reclaimed flooring is an excellent way to go green, because obviously it is saving the forests.

Finally, another benefit of Opepe reclaimed floorboards is that the product is no longer being manufactured. Therefore stocks are not limitless, so interior designers can give their customers a limited edition floor. Of course the £10 per square meter price tag is also a massively plus in the Opepe box.

Ask The Wood Floor Guru

If you have any questions relating to hardwood flooring then please leave a comment below. The wood floor guru resident experts will endeavour to answer your question within 24 hours! The wood floor guru relishes technical queries, specification questions and calls for help on any matters pertaining to wood floors. Just ask the wood floor guru!

What is Engineered Flooring and How Does it Compare to Solid Hardwood Flooring

I thought I would write this article because it was a question I have just been forced to ask: what is engineered flooring?

Well, engineered flooring is similar in appearance and in the way it must be looked after to solid hardwood flooring. It has some advantages over the real thing, and some disadvantages.

Under-foot, engineered flooring is like hardwood flooring, because it has a hardwood layer on top. Beneath that it is engineered layers of plywood glued together in opposite directions.

Engineered flooring has a bad reputation because it all looked the same, but more recently it has improved with several vendors now making the top layer of actual and properly finished hardwood.

It has also improved in that the manufacturers of engineered flooring have increased the depth of the top layer, to make it last longer (some of the higher grades will last almost as long as solid hardwood floors.

The length of time a floor will last is determined by the depth of wood above the tongue and groove strips, because this determines how many times it can be sanded and refinished. Most solid hardwood floors have about a quarter of an inch above the tongue and groove, with the high end products having an eighth or even three sixteenths of an inch. Some of the newer and higher quality engineered flooring products are coming close to the quarter inch mark.

Advantages of Engineered Flooring:

Basically engineered flooring has two main advantages: it is cheaper than solid hardwood flooring, and that it is more resistant to humidity. It also allows people who have concrete floors to install a hardwood floor of sorts.

It is an excellent alternative to laminate flooring, because it is only slightly more expensive, whilst it gives many of the benefits of solid hardwood flooring.

Of course nothing can beat the real deal for me, but for the reasons people may choose laminate, engineered flooring is just as good a choice.

Finally, because it has a hardwood layer, the life of engineered flooring can be prolonged if it is cared for in the proper ways.

Flooring in Focus Part IV: Clyde Estuary Birds Eye Maple

Firstly, I must tell you that, when writing this series I am saving the best to last. I must also tell you that, unless it is happening on a subconscious level I am not doing it on purpose.

I have felt it necessary to tell you those things, because when I chose to write this piece on Clyde Estuary Birds Eye Maple, I realised that I would once again be professing my undying love for what is my favourite and most beautiful of all the hardwood flooring species I have come across.

As I have said that about several species covered previously, and as this has not been done consciously I can only assume (or blame) my subconscious for picking them in this order, or maybe it is because I am so new, and filled with so much passion about hardwood flooring that I have enough love to go around.

Anyway, digression over, let’s get down to the wood. As you can see from the picture inset above Clyde estuary Maple is one of the lightest species on the market, and it is also one of the most beautiful (yes, I know I have always said I prefer the darker species, sue  me). It is called birds eye because the knots (circular swirls found in all woods) are shaped like birds eyes.

Maple is one of the harder woods, and if properly cared for Clyde Estuary Birdseye maple flooring, is the kind of flooring that you pass down through generations as it lasts lifetime after lifetime. For full details of how to care for your floor read this post, and this post tells you how to refinish if the worst comes to the worst.

How to Refinish Your Hardwood Floor

It is a fact that hardwood flooring will last a lifetime if properly maintained. In our last post we covered how to protect floors from damage, and how to keep floors looking beautiful with regular light cleaning, and occasional deep cleaning when necessary.

However, none of the techniques covered in the last post are any good to you if the finish on your floor has become damaged. Now, the first thing we will say is that the best thing to do in this situation is to get the professionals in, because paying them to do a perfect job with minimal hassle will cost far less than fixing any mistakes you might make, or potentially even having to replace part or all of the floors.

However, below we are going to explain the process of refinishing hardwood floors. This can be looked upon as a Do It Yourself guide or simply so you know what the tradesman will be doing in order that you can judge what a reasonable quote is:

Step 1: Sanding

This can be done with hand sanders, but this is incredibly sore on the back. The best advice is to hire a sander. The old drum sanders are fine, but the orbital sanders are by far the best.

You will also need to get the four different grades of sandpaper, 36, 60, 80, 100, and a dust-mask.

Most importantly: when sanding it is essential that you do not leave the sander standing while switched on, as this will put a recess into the wood that will be irreparable. When you switch the sander on just ensure you keep moving, long, steady strokes along the grain of the wood. Never sand across the grain. If you accidentally make a small gouge in the wood, simply make long strokes back and forth over the affected area to even it out.

Start with the roughest sandpaper, 36 and sand over the floor in the direction of the wood. Then, with a lighter-grain sandpaper (60 grit), sand scratches and lines in the floor as many times as necessary to remove them. Then attach the next grade, and the next, to sand the floor to a beautiful smooth finish.

If your sander doesn’t reach the edges of the floor you will need to use an edging sander, or a hand sander to sand down the edges of the floor in the same way as covered above.

You should then brush up the saw-dust, and then use a hand vacuum to pick up the even finer dust.

Step 2: Staining

By now, you are looking at a smooth, sanded hardwood floor, as bare and beautiful as nature never intended. You have to choose whether you want to keep its natural beauty or give its beauty a different shade, texture and/or tone.

This is a decision you will already have made, and you will have bought the stain in your chosen shade, but no one says you can’t change your mind when presented with the natural beauty of the wood.

If you have decided not to stain you can move on to step 3. Otherwise, the next step is to test your shade on a corner of the floor and leave it 5 minutes to dry, to make sure you like it on.

If you do, the next step is to apply a first coat of stain to the rest of the floor. Use a brush and smooth out with a rag if you want heavier, darker coats. Use only rags for lighter and more controlled strokes. Either way, apply with long, even strokes, going with the grain. Allow the first coat to dry. If necessary, apply a second coat, or touch up light spots.

Step 3: Finishing (AKA Sealing)

Firstly, ensure that you do the opposite of how Bond likes his martinis; stir the polyurethane finishing solution, do not shake. Shaking would create air bubbles which would ruin the finish on your floor.

Apply polyurethane with a brush or roller, using smooth, even strokes with the grain to avoid marks in the finish. Then leave to dry for at least 3 hours, before applying the second coat – check the label for drying times of the brand you have bought.

Add a second coat. Allow the final coat to dry overnight at least, and leave it up to 3 days before moving furniture or rugs back on the floor.