Solid Oak Flooring
From Log To Plank - The Traditional Way
Our oak flooring produced in Germany undergoes the traditional method for producing top quality timber. From felling to flooring takes over two years. The logs are cut and stored in the forest for up to one year. They are then taken to the sawmill in Bavaria and sawn timber produced is staked with battens and left for between 6-9 months in the open air. They are dried in the kiln chambers for four weeks until they reach a moisture content of 9%. They are left in a climate controlled warehouse for a further five weeks to allow all the boards to reach exactly the same moisture content. We believe that this slow process benefits the flooring as the wood tannins are largely washed out and one gets a smooth uniform colour. The wood is also more stable and easier to work with.
Many products from abroad shorten this process to about 3 – 6 months, which leads the flooring to be restless and with an
unnatural colour. We buy in our oak flooring from one of Germany’s largest and oldest factories, who have a over 100 years of experience in the flooring trade.
Our oak has wonderful character with naturally occurring knots, burrs and quarter-sawn grain. Our boards are carefully selected and graded to bring out this character to its best effect. As one of the more resilient hardwoods, oak does not mark easily and will last for many decades if looked after, producing the warm, rich colour so characteristic of this popular hardwood.
The boards are 20mm thick and widths range from 120mm to 180mm. All boards are tongue and grooved on all four sides. This enables a reduction in the laying time as only the last board in a line needs to be cross-cut to fit against the wall. The average length of boards is 1.8m. All boards are painstakingly hand finished and any imperfections filled, before the boards are sanded with 120 grit paper to produce an excellent smooth top surface. The floorboards have a flat top which provide a seamless uninterrupted look to your floor.
