Articles: Looking After Solid Oak Flooring

Oak flooring is a phenomenal product, offering durability and sure footing where it is most needed. The properties of Oak make it ideal for a number of uses and flooring happens to be one of them, there is a caveat though – You must treat your flooring in order to protect it properly.

Prevent Moisture Movement

As moisture moves in and out of Oak, the timber starts to warp, causing it to split. Other symptoms of Oak warping are the boards expanding and shrinking dramatically when they haven’t been properly protected.

It’s important to protect your solid oak flooring from warping wherever it’s used, not just in high moisture areas like kitchen and bathrooms. This is because when the Oak does get wet, your internal heating will dry it out quicker than normal, so the natural warping is magnified.

An added step to preventing warping is to use a profile with relief grooves in the back, this allows the timber to breath and move more freely with a reduced risk of splitting.

Protecting the surface

Another area to look at when fitting your Oak floor is protecting the surface of the wood. This is to prevent marks appearing on the surface and make the floor easier to clean. So, your floor stays looking brand new, giving you maximum satisfaction.

You can get clear lacquer to keep the original colour of the board or you can stain it to get the finish you really want. When looking at suitable treatments we recommend wood finishes direct.

Alternative flooring

As an alternative to solid flooring, we supply engineered Oak which is a high quality flooring. Available untreated and with a range of pre-applied finishes for you to choose from. Any dead knots in the rustic boards are expertly filled with resin so you get the lovely rustic look without the risk of knots falling out.