Oak Laminate Flooring, Laminate Flooring

The purpose of this article is to provide a general guide to all of Mirage’s current product line and availability. Mirage’s product line can be broken down into three main categories: Solid, Engineered, and Mirage Lock. Each of these categories is discussed below in details of what species and widths are available within each collection. Mirage is also a leader in offering different grades and finishes (gloss levels) or their various products.

In the 3/4″ solid collection of Mirage hardwood flooring there are several domestic and exotic species. The domestic species include American Cherry, American Walnut, Beech, Maple, Red Oak, White Ash, and Yellow Birch. All of the domestic species are offered in the 2-1/4″, 2-1/2″ and 3-1/4″ wide planks. The maple and red oak species are offered in 4-1/4″ wide planks in the exclusive (natural) and stained finishes. Several of the species are offered in a more traditional or classic width of 2″, which include the American cherry, American walnut, natural maple. natural red oak, white ash, and yellow birch. Unfortunately the beech is not offered in the 2″ wide planks. Mirage also offers a unique variable staining process that recreates a sought-after antique look. The Sweet Memories stains are available on the 3-1/4″ solid maple in Toffee and Truffle. Also in the solid collection as two exotic species in Brazilian Cherry and Tigerwood. Both species are only offered in the 3-1/4″ wide planks. When looking at the milling and grading processes that Mirage puts their solid hardwood flooring collection through, it is unsurpassed in the industry.

In the engineered collection all of the same species are offered and several exotic species have been added. The new species are Breza, Koubari, Santos Mahogany (Cabrueva), and Sapele. All of the engineered products from Mirage come with a sawn hardwood layer that is 4 mm (5/32″) thick. The thicknesses vary according to the width of the product. The 2-9/16″ and 3-5/16″ products are 3/8″ thick, while the 5″ wide product is 1/2″ thick. All of the engineered products have a four sided micro-V bevel. All of Mirage’s engineered can be installed on, above, or below grade and are radiant heat approved except the Brazilian cherry and koubari. With a 4mm sawn wood layer on top one can still enjoy the hardwood floor and have added stability of an engineered product.

The Mirage Lock system is a glueless floating hardwood flooring system. This system was developed to give the DIY consumer a chance to install their own hardwood floor. The Mirage Lock is currently only available in three species maple, red oak, and sapele. The product is 4-5/16″ long and is 7/16″ thick and is constructed with a 2mm (3/32″) top layer. The Mirage lock floor is designed for the end user in mind and gives the consumer to install the product themselves and save a little or installation labor.

Mirage flooring is an industry leader in quality and craftsmanship.

In the 21st century more and more homeowners are becoming conscious of the green movement. The green movement is an attempt to become a more eco-friendly civilization. Sadly, we have a long way to go and hopefully before it’s too late we can turn the corner on pollution and deforestation. This article is designed to help teach the green homeowner how they can save a tree and at the same time have a beautiful, durable floor in their household. So without further ado let us introduce you to cork flooring.

Cork flooring is the green homeowners dream coming true. You get a quality, durable flooring product that is beautiful and elegant. While that the same time you have a flooring product that is made from a sustainable resource and ecological for the environment. To understand more about this flooring solution you need to understand the material it’s made out of. Cork is the primary material in cork flooring. Cork is obtained from the bark of the cork oak tree (Quercus suber), which is commonly called the cork tree.

As a green homeowner you’re now probably wondering how cork is a sustainable resource. What makes cork sustainable is the process of how it’s harvested for commercial product. When we think of wood being harvested for wood floors we think of huge companies coming out and clear cutting huge forests. However, this is precisely the opposite of how cork is harvested. Cork is actually the bark of the cork oak tree. This bark is harvested every 9 years after the tree matures, with an average lifespan of 200 years. The process doesn’t harm the cork oak tree at all and allows the same tree to be harvested over and over throughout its entire lifetime. In fact, countries like Portugal who account for a large supply of the worlds cork have strict laws in place on cork harvesting. Cork oak tree forests are also the common habitat of an endangered lynx species.

Now, you know why cork is a sustainable natural resource. But, you need to know why cork is the perfect material for flooring. Cork as a flooring solution has actually been around for thousands of years. The Library of Congress has had cork floors since the 1800s. In the late 20th Century cork floors became more popular in the residential field. This is due to the natural beauty of cork. Cork’s natural color and shade variation allows it to rival every other wood flooring product. Cork is also naturally resistant to water, mold and mildew, making it an excellent choice for the kitchen or bathroom.

However, this article can not make you understand just how beautiful and durable cork flooring really is. We suggest you visit a showroom that showcases cork as their flooring model. This way you can physically view how great this flooring product is. For now if you’d like to learn more about this amazing flooring product we suggest you follow the links below.

Oak wood is an attractive, strong hardwood with rich tones and is available in a wide variety of colors from deep brown to whitish-gray. There are several species in oak, depending on where it originates from – Japan, Korea, North America etc, and all varieties are popular across the world as furniture, flooring and construction wood. Oak wood furniture in North America is largely available in red, white and English (or European) oak, the most popular being the red variety because of its affordability. Red oak is a straight-grained, coarse textured, pinkish-red wood. White oak has longer grains, is more compact between grains and therefore provides for a smoother, even glass-like finish. Colors vary from deep to pearly gray. White oak is the harder of the two, more exclusive and therefore more expensive. It is preferred for fine furniture. The variety of choice in oak dining room furniture offered between the two is amazing.

Dining tables in oak wood are available in sizes ranging from the bistro set which informally seats two quite comfortably, to the eight-seater formal dining and everything in between. Styles come in trestle, traditional and contemporary to suit every taste, and in a variety of shapes – round, square, rectangular and oblong. Careful selection of your oak dining room furniture would complement the dimensions of your dining room or dining area. The texture and grain of the wood, whether red or white, is too attractive to be overlaid with a table-cloth, so invest in a variety of colorful mats and runners to give your dinner table a different, fresh appeal every day.

Chairs in oak dining room furniture can be bought as part of the dining set, or separately if you prefer a little variation. There is a huge variety in armchairs or side chair options to suit your preference and available space. You could chose from the popular ladder back, spindle back or lattice back. Lattice backs are available in square and diamond variations as well. The range of shapes in chair backs continue into straight or curved backs, leather or tapestry backs, high and low backs and in antique, traditional or contemporary styles. Options for seats range from cushioned, upholstered and plain in both, armchair and side chair varieties.

Your dining suite will not be complete without an attractive sideboard or a couple of corner cabinets to set the room off. Make a selection from the range of buffets, servers and dressers available in pleasing oak dining room furniture that would best suit your storage requirement as well as serve as display surface for your prized Wedgwood, silverware and perhaps a potted flowering plant. These units are available on tall, curved or spindle legs, as well-built straight down to the floor offering maximum drawer or cabinet space. You will find them in the width, height and depth that would best suit you. Add an eye-catching mirror and transform the whole space with some artistic lighting to give yourself the kind of dining ambiance you always visualized.

Manufactured with little environmental impact and no waste products, cork flooring is valued as much for its eco-friendliness as for its durability, comfort, sound absorption and beauty.

Cork is made from the bark of the cork oak tree, which is grown primarily in coastal regions of the western Mediterranean. The millions of tiny air pockets designed in a honeycomb pattern inside the bark create cork flooring’s exceptional ability to absorb sound and provide a durable yet cushiony surface. Strict regulations govern the harvesting of bark from cork oak trees. A tree must be at least 25 years old to be harvested, and may have its bark removed only once every 9 to 11 years using a centuries old method of making small cuts in the bark then pulling off large pieces by hand. Because the trees have the ability to regenerate their bark, cork oak forests are valued and protected rather than clear cut, as many hardwood flooring sources are. A single mature cork oak tree can supply up to 450 pounds of cork per harvest for centuries.

After the bark is hand-stripped, the slabs are stacked and left exposed to nature’s elements. The chemical changes caused by sun, wind and rain improve the cork’s quality. Slabs may be left exposed from several days to six months or longer. Once cured, the slabs are cleaned, boiled and dried. The rough outer surface is stripped off to make the cork easier to process into different forms. The highest quality cork is used to make bottle stoppers, which are punched from the best sections of the slabs. The remaining scraps are ground into granules of various sizes, leaving no waste. The granules are mixed with a non-toxic resin to bind them together, molded into blocks under high pressure and baked. Color variations develop based on the size of the granules and how long the blocks are baked. As the blocks bake, the natural sugars in the cork caramelize, so a longer baking time yields darker cork.

Cork flooring planks and tiles are cut from the baked sheets. Custom colors can be created by painting or staining unfinished cork prior to the application of an acrylic finish. Unique mosaic cork floors can be pieced together using tiles with different naturally developed or stained colors. Floating cork floors are made of four layers of cork: the underlayment, a stabilizing layer adhered to fiberboard for structure, a third layer to maximize sound absorption and comfort, and a top layer for color. The top layer is sealed for added protection and durability.