Real Oak Floors Wood Floor Blog

Wood Flooring company Real Oak Floors range of engineered flooring is growing all the time! Their new Creative Flooring range covers many different engineered flooring options and styles such as bevelled and un-bevelled, a range of finishes such as Smoked, Aged, Thermo Treated Oak, Baked, Lacquered, UV Lacquered and Oiled in many different colours. This flooring is available in a very wide selection of widths such as 120mm, 140mm, 160mm, 180mm, 200mm and 220mm.

Hardwood flooring from other ranges is also available in many different styles, finishes, board widths and thicknesses. This includes both engineered flooring and solid flooring. We can supply wooden floors unfinished which leaves you the option of matching the colour oil to your wooden doors, wood skirting or architrave.

Engineered Oak Flooring

No Comments »

Thermo oak is a new product from Real Oak Floors Creative Collection.

The thermo treatment brings out and accentuates the best characteristics of the wood flooring - the colour is a very deep chocolate brown which exists throughout the wood – unlike a stain which simply covers the top of the board.  The boards are heated to a high temperature which causes the colour to darken, however it is a more environmentally friendly board as there are no chemicals used during this process – simply heat and steam.

There are a number of advantages in thermo treated boards:

1. Water absorption in the board is reduced.  The shrinkage and expansion of the wooden flooring decreases by 50% during treatment.  It can therefore be used in bathrooms and with under floor heating.
2. The wood becomes lighter in weight (not colour)
3. The colour runs throughout the wood – rather than staining the top.  The boards can be sanded or repaired and the colour will remain.
4. The hardness of the wood is increased
5. Eco-friendly manufacturing due to the process using only heat and no chemicals.
6. Thermo treated wood is a better sound isolator – perfect for flats or above ground floor rooms – meaning a quieter environment.

Properties of the thermo oak differ from standard timber in the following ways:

The density of the thermo oak engineered flooring is lower than untreated flooring.  The strength of the timber is also relative to the density meaning that the thermo timber has lower strength values to standard oak. As the density is lower, a solid thermo floor is not recommended for structural use but the engineered boards can still be used as a structural board if 20mm thick flooring is chosen.  Heat treatment reduces the absorption of water so care needs to be take when working with water based sealant or adhesive.  The thermal conductivity of the timber is 20 – 25% lower compared to untreated woods.

No Comments »

In 2007 new regulations were introduced in the European Union regarding VOC (Volatile Organic Compounds) levels in coating materials.

There are also new laws due to take effect from 2010 which will see most products requiring zero VOC levels.

In an attempt to meet the ecological requirements of the increasingly environmentally conscious customers, WOCA have made further developments to their products for wood flooring.

All the products fulfil these regulations and have furthered this by confirming that from 1st January 2008 all the oils for floors are free from VOCs.

They feel that this is an important ecological step in the protection of our working and living environment.

VOC free oils have the following features:

The same advantageous characteristics and application methods as before positive influence on the working area and living environment Improvement of product characteristics and application methods
Recommended by the Biological Institute for Building Materials in Rosenheim Germany

WOCA VOC Free Products:

• WOCA High Solid Master Oil
• WOCA Master Oil
• WOCA Colour Oil
• WOCA Wood Floor Oil
• WOCA Stone Oil
• WOCA Maintenance Oil

No Comments »