The answer is yes. This new and exclusive wood flooring product will create a huge impact in the modern wood flooring world; these new-engineered flooring developments represent the future of stable, durable and real looking antique wooden floors.
Why create Reclaimed Engineered Wood Flooring?
There is a huge gap in the market for such a bespoke wood flooring product. The problem is that up until now engineered boards generally have lacked the true character and patina that is found with genuine reclaimed oak / hardwood / floorboards. The subtle differences make all the difference; such as old featured band saw marks, a gently undulating oak floorboard surface, distressed edged and a lightly distressed face. New oak-engineered floors up until now have only ever been produced with a flat face and no matter how much you distress a flat face it will never look truly authentic. It will look like new wood trying desperately to look old.
Because of the select grade of oak we use a five mm engineered flooring top layer, we can create such an authentic looking, aged timber board with all the characteristics mentioned above, once fitted you will be looking at a wood floor that really is in a class of its own.
Any good quality engineered oak floorboard needs to be backed to the highest quality Birch ply base available. It uses only the best Birch Ply available on the market. Birch ply has been boiled & tested and will remain stable in dry and humid conditions. This is an absolute must when creating such a sought after and luxurious oak floorboard; these boards will remain stable in the most challenging of conditions. You must be aware that cheaper and imported plywood from China for example are not as durable and so your oak floor will potentially swell and cup, even some Birch plywood can swell and move over time if they have not been boiled-tested. If you are investing in an engineered oak floor, you need to make sure the Birch Ply has been boiled tested.
What Reclaimed woods use for Engineered Floors?
This is the fun part. It really can use any reclaimed wood flooring product. It can use old Victorian pine floorboards, salvaged Douglas fir, Reclaimed Pitch Pine, Old Oak beams or old oak floors, or it can be any product. This is the beauty of an exclusive reclaimed engineered wood floor.
What are the advantages of a Reclaimed Engineered Wood Floor?
Simply put, you get the best of both worlds.
You can lay these boards directly onto all under floor heating systems, unlike solid oak flooring or any solid reclaimed / hardwood floor. This is why more and more contractors for renovation projects and new builds are turning to Engineered Floorboards. They simply do not have to worry about the floor once it has been fitted. Reclaimed Engineered oak / hardwood floors will remain stable in all conditions.
As for the luxury and beauty of a genuine reclaimed and old wooden floor, no matter how hard you try they are tough to duplicate unless you have the board face gently undulating and the original band saw marking on display. A very different look to the hand scraped oak floors that you can buy in the high street. They are over manufactured, too uniform and unrealistic.
How do we make such a luxurious oak / hardwood floorboard?
1. Once a reclaimed timber has been chosen for the top layer, cut the timber into sections, which is, then kiln dried to the correct moisture level for 5-7 days.
2. If we are creating a reclaimed oak floorboard, use only the top layer from our air-dried and kiln dried sections. This is unique and time-consuming solution; there is no other way to create such a board with genuine band saw markings and a gently undulating surface texture.
3. The reclaimed timber is then sliced to 1/10th mm accuracy using an art-cutting machine.
4. The 5mm top layer is the pressed to a 15mm boiled Birch Ply base.
5. Then finally, T&G all four sides so that all ends match. Lovely reclaimed engineered boards are now ready for finishing.
6. Then proceed to finish the boards by hand, gently multiple grit sanding each piece so that all the characteristics are nicely exposed and the face surface is smooth to ’180′ grit.
7. Finally, using a blend of oil formulas and chemical combinations to change the color of the top layer, create depth in color tones using age layering techniques and craftsman-ship. It is not simply a process of applying a few colorful oils. It should actually change the chemistry within the timber, thus speed up the aging process and create real and authentic antique patina.
What sizes are available?
Create reclaimed engineered floors with impact.
Boards are all 3 to 4 meter long! Create the unique aged boards up to 12″ (300cm) wide; they are all a standard load bearing 20mm thick.
How much do they cost?
Obviously, such a unique product does not come cheap. Equally though, they are not over priced. If you look at popular French and English reclaimed oak flooring products on the market, you can pay up to £300 M2. That is up to £300 for a floorboard that is not compatible with under floor heating.
