The Wonders Of Wood Floors
The wonders of wood floors and why they are the smart choice for your home –
it not only looks stunning but is more environmentally friendly than many other choices and if cared for correctly can last a lifetime.
Timber is renewable and can replace other materials that require larger fossil fuel inputs for their production.
Not only that – but if the forests are managed in a sustainable way,
there can be a multitude of benefits in felling and re-growing trees for the climate, for people and for wildlife.
The History Of Wood
Trees play an essential role to life on earth – in fact,
there would probably be no life on Earth without them.
Far outdating humans on this planet,
it would seem that as soon as mankind came along wood became one of our oldest and most relied upon natural resources.
Helping to keep us safe, and warm, we have used it for fuel, tools, weapons, building, furniture, paper, toys and much more.
The largest part of the tree is usually the trunk,
transporting the water from the roots at the bottom to the crown at the top.
Additionally, the trunk is composed of cellulose and lignin which make it solid.
This toughness and durability coupled with its capacity to be easily
worked,
makes a useful material for not just flooring, but many of life’s essentials.
Its beauty and uniqueness comes from the pith and rings
which determine the look and colouration of you wood floor.
The pith is the part of the tree that stores and transports nutrients.
There are exceptions to the rules, but generally the sapwood part of a tree truck contains more fluid than the rest of the trunk
and is lighter than the heartwood in the centre of the trunk.
The heartwood also known as the Duramen usually contains
tannins, resins and fats which make it darker in appearance, strong and generally more durable.
The annual rings are formed as the trees growth rate fluctuates throughout the year.
What Makes Wood Fantastic For Flooring?
As they have their growth spurts the rings become wider and as they slow down the rings become thinner and darker.
It is also this change in cell size that produces the individual characteristics
of the patterns in the trees and ultimately the uniqueness of your wood floor.
Wood is an amazingly practical and adaptable material.
It has very good thermal properties, and in some older buildings solid wood was used to provide insulation.
Further still, it is anisotropic – which means it has physical properties which are different in value when measured in different directions
for example wood is stronger along the grain than across it,
or can measure differently when it loses or absorbs moisture.
It is this hygroscopic nature which allows it to adjust its moisture content to the relative humidity of the ambient air.
Also, it has the ability to change its shape under a sustained load,
that can expand and contract in all three dimensions, and can change colour over time.
These remarkable and resilient properties that make wood the ideal material for our floors.
In conclusion wood floors not only give you a unique and beautiful addition to your home,
but are better for the environment than other alternatives.
They will insulate and cool depending on the weather and will last a lifetime if cared for due to the amazing properties of wood.
Like I have said many times before now –
here at Chester Wood Flooring we love all things wood and are experts and enthusiasts in our chosen field,
and we invite you once again to come down and have a chat and a look around at our extensive displays.
Alternatively take a look at our projects page for more photos of our work and customer reviews.