Gradings / Styles of Flooring /Wood Floor Finishes

Every Wooden floor has its own unique pattern:

Wood flooring is a superb natural product. We’re working with something that nature has created – and nature is wonderfully diverse. The appearance of any wood floor depends on a number of factors, such as the wood species, the grain and the knots, etc. Each species of tree presents a variety of different colours and structures, allowing us to produce wood floors of many different appearances, depending on how we cut the wood.Our wide range of wood floors includes the following designs and patterns:

1-strip Wood Flooring gives an intense wood feel:

The surface layer of every 1-strip board is sawn from a single piece of wood. The natural appearance of the wood, with knots and variations in the colour and grain, is truly reflected in 1-strip flooring. But with some of our 1-strip floors, we’ve selected wood that has less variation in colour and fewer knots, so that you can find a floor which suits your style.

1-strip flooring is available in several different lengths and widths. 1-strip floors suit larger rooms perfectly. I strip wooden floors can be slightly more expensive than two or three strip wooden floors as they are less economical to produce. 

2-strip Wooden Flooring, floors with different characters:

The surface layer is two strips`` wide. The strips are selected and arranged to give each 2-strip floor a unique and individual character.
2-strip flooring is available in two formats: one with longer strips, and one with shorter strips. Floors with longer strips are ideal for larger rooms, whilst the shorter strip design is perfect for smaller areas.

3-strip Wooden Flooring, a range of interior design options:

3-strip flooring has a surface layer where three strips of different lengths are placed width-ways, in a random order. 3-strip flooring offers a wide range of interior design options. We sort some of our 3-strips to create a lively expression, whilst other floors have a calmer feel. 3 Strip floors are often less expensive than a single strip floor as they use more of the tree during production making a 3 strip floor a cost effective solution. 

Patterned Floors Herringbone / Chevron:

Patterned floors can give a characteristic and sometimes dramatic expression to a room, Dutch Pattern, Chevron, and Herringbone Floors are available, consider additional wastage and sometimes increased installation costs when purchasing. 

Wood Floor Gradings:

As a wood floor is a beautiful and natural material, each order will be unique and different from the last.

We grade our woods into three different categories to give you an idea of the features that are to be expected from your new floor.

It is important however to understand that all products will have their own characteristics; we would encourage you to talk to our expert advisors to ensure that your new floor meets with your expectations. If you are in any doubt add additional waste & material to give you a greater selection of material when installing, this will be more expensive but will give you the option of being able to discard boards that you do not like. however ``designing`` the layout of the floor board by board will cost more in installation & labour costs & often can lead to a synthetic (non-natural) looking floor, a truly random layout will always give better results. 

City/Select:

These floors are stylishly understated; they are created from a uniform and  regular timber grade with small variations in grain and tone. They can be light or dark, depending on the wood species, but the tone and overall effect is uniform. If you like a calm, minimalistic impression, look for a floor in the City/Select Selection.

Town/Nature:

Dark or light, these floors are characterised by subtle variations in tone and pattern, without knots. They form a classic backdrop, allowing the rest of the decoration to take ‘centre stage’. If you’re looking for a floor with minimal variations, take a look at our Town/Nature Selection.

Rustic/Country:

If you’re looking for a more rustic floor, you’ll probably like our Rustic/Country Selection. Here, you’ll find dramatic graining, gnarls and knots,              with greater colour variation, for a bold and unmistakably natural look. Note: some rustic floors can feature larger knots splits and shakes, please check when ordering.

Dynamic:

These floors are made from boards with larger features including knots, shakes, and cracks that give a lively and dramatic yet warm character, a floor with lots of tonal variation and interest. Note: some Rustic Floors can feature some of these characteristics please check with our sales team when placing your order.

Expressive:

These lively wooden floors feature dramatic grain, gnarls knots, cracks shakes and splits, wide colour variation, generally a more rustic character. 

Choose the right surface for your new wood floor:

The surface treatment you select for your floor affects the style, feel and durability of the wood. No matter what surface treatment you choose, your floor will be ready to walk on as soon as it’s installed.

Gloss Lacquer: 

The high gloss lacquer gives your wooden floor a shiny, polished look with a reflective surface, for a clean smooth look, consider gloss floors can show scratches more than a satin or matt floor. 

Satin lacquer – durable and easy to keep clean:

Lacquered floors are durable and easy to keep clean.  Satin lacquer complements the wood’s character by accentuating its natural structure. It also makes the floor more hardwearing and easier to clean, providing a sheen level somewhere between Matt and Gloss.

Matt lacquer – feeling of untreated bare wood:

Matt lacquer is as hard wearing and easy to maintain as the Satin lacquer.   A Matt lacquer almost gives the impression that the floor is made of completely untreated bare wood. You can clearly feel the tactile, natural surface of matt lacquered floors, with your fingertips or as you walk barefoot. A Matt Lacquered floor can often look very similar in appearance to an Oiled floor, without the associated maintenance of an oiled floor.

Ultra Matt Lacquer:

Wood treated with an ultra Matt Lacquer, Fees and looks as if the floor was made from untreated timber, with a nearly invisible shield, slightly coarser than a Matt finish to touch.

Nature-oiled floors – more beautiful every time you treat them:

Natural oil gives your floor an amazingly beautiful look and feel. The oil brings out the fine structure and grain of the wood and deepens the natural wood colour.

Floors treated with nature oil are easy to maintain and keep clean, but they need a little more care and should be oiled at regular intervals. In return, your floor will become more and more beautiful, and will take on a deeper tone, every time you treat it.

Creating the most beautiful wood floors:

There is a growing interest in more advanced designs and decorations, among both interior designers and consumers. We acknowledge this trend and continue to develop new ways to bring beauty and new design to our wood flooring, increasing our ranges and the options within each. With different refinement techniques, we can further enhance the look and feel of our floors:

Brushing for texture:

Brushing the surface highlights the natural structure of the grain and creates additional texture, emphasising the wood feel of the floor. We vary the brushing effect depending on the wood species and use a variety of brushes made from different materials.

Brushing often takes place together with other refining treatments, such as bevelling of edges, staining or glazing. The final appearance and expression of the floor is determined by the choice of lacquer or natural oil. Brushed floors can often look a little darker in appearance, due to the textured surface being less reflective. 

Saw Marks:

This involves the same process as hand scraping, the surface marks are created to replicate the effect of a chainsaw or bandsaw.

Smoked: 

Colouring / Staining, for walls and for floors:

This special process alters the  colour and shade of each plank, there are two grades of smoked finish, light and the darker fully smoked version,  this can be subtle and can change between suppliers. 

We can also use stains to further enhance the natural colour tones. Staining also allows us to completely change the tone of a floor, adding a whole new dimension to the natural wood. We provide a wide range of stained options – from palest white and whisper greys, to rich mocha and charcoal shades.

Bevelling: a small but distinct feature:

Bevelling the edges of a 1-strip floor accentuates each individual board, giving the floor a distinct and elegant look. We provide a number of floors with the edges bevelled to varying degrees – from “micro bevelling”, a tiny clarification of the edges created using sandpaper; to more dramatic bevelling on both the long and the short sides, giving a rustic, robust appearance to the floor.

Hand scraped / Distressed Wood Floors:

Floors are given a worn, lived-in look through the use of special tools. A great amount of time is dedicated to crafting these hand-finished floors. The effect is authentic, natural and distinctly rustic. Perfect for character areas where a feature floor is required.

Still confused about which floor to choose? Call our friendly Expert Team FREE 08000566999 we would love to help.