Q & A on Wood Flooring

Here is a series of questions from the interview with the editorial team from myplace.sg with Evorich Flooring Group with regards to wood flooring.

1. What is the first thing to note when shopping for wood flooring?
The very first and the most important thing to consider when shopping for wood flooring is get a reliable and reputable wood flooring contractor who gets their wood materials from legal and reliable sources. Moreover, since wood materials are all the same, another thing to take note is the skill and experiences of the wood flooring contractors’ and his installers. Skilful installation of wood flooring is a pre-requisite for long last flooring for your property. And of course, your personal taste and renovation budget is the other 2 conditions.

2. What are some misconceptions that people have about wood flooring?
Some of the misconceptions that people have about wood flooring are:
a) Most people assumed that solid wood flooring will be damaged easily by water and poor maintenance. In fact, wood flooring is easy to upkeep; there are also professionals who help home owners to maintain their wooden floors. If the flooring is maintained well, it can last for decades.
b) Splinters on flooring are another misconception. Reputable timber suppliers will usually sawn their timber planks in a way that is safe to walk on, and with proper installation, everything will be ok.
c) Wood floor attracts termites. This is not the case, as it is the climate and the humidity in the house and the surrounding that attracts termites. 

3. What are the pros and cons of wood flooring? 
Pros: Wood flooring warms your home ambience creating that classy and luxurious atmosphere. Wood floor is natural green material that contributes to improvement of your house cleanliness and quality of air. Research shows that people with skin and nose sensitivity, lives better with wood floor. Wood flooring increase your home property value.
Cons: The owner has to regularly maintain the flooring and of course take note of the water issue. Do regular checks, every one year or two, for any signs of termite infestation.

4. Are there certifications or tests (eg. Janka test, green certifications) that consumers should ask about when sourcing for wood flooring?
Most importantly is still selecting a reliable wood flooring contractor. The consumer should always do their research and due diligence on understanding the wood flooring company he or she will be meeting. One recommended certifications when selecting good wood flooring products is the Forest Stewardship Council mark. This means that wood flooring with FSC mark are supplied and accountable from managed forestry worldwide. BKB engineered wood is an example of a reliable wood floor manufacturer who sourced its materials from well managed forests. This greatly enhances global sustainability. 

5. What are some new technologies for installation? Any recommended ones?
Installation methods of wood flooring are typically glued down or nailed down approach. However, some new technologies of wood materials processing methods today are engineered wood and the acetylating process. One of the recommended engineered wood products is BKB which uses hevea as its core layer that is suitable for tropical climates such as Singapore. On top of that, engineered wood flooring has increased stability as well as is a cost effective way to decorate your home with real genuine wood. Accoya® is another recommended technological wood that uses acetylating process to strengthen the properties of natural wood. 

6. How should one care for the wood flooring at home?
Here are some maintenance tips. Clean your floor regular with damp mop, vacuum cleaner or sweep lightly. Do not polish your wooden floor with any products that are not recommended for wooden floor. This will make your wood surfaces blurred. Always use appropriate wood appropriate cleaning and polishing solutions. Always keep the rooms with wood flooring well ventilated. Use good quality mats on your entrances at your front door so as to prevent sand and dirt from entering your home. Always that windows and doors at homes are always closed when you are going out so that in case of rain, so that water will not splash into water.

7. What types of finish are available for wood flooring?
Wood flooring can be stained for protection as well as giving it a deeper color tone. The wood coating is either water based or oil based and they are available in any D.I.Y stores. Always select the one with the Eco labels. In the market today, contractors will usually classify the wood flooring finishes in 4 categories, namely matt finish, natural, super matt as well as glossy. The buyer can request from the wood flooring contractor to see which type of finishes best suits his or her personal taste and home living design.

8. How long can wood flooring last?
In short, wood flooring can last the home owner a lifetime for as many generations as possible so long there is a good maintenance system. Wood is considered by USDA researchers as a green building material due to its Eco renewable and recyclable efficiency. If the home owner is interested in nostalgia antique beauty and of course with a huge renovation budget, he or she can request from the wood flooring contractor, to source for “century” woods from shipwrecks or old architectures worldwide, re-furnish them into new pieces of wood flooring at your home.

9. Are there things to note over the years if you have wood flooring? 
Yes definitely. Do regular checks should there be any gapping formed on the wood flooring planks and look out for any signs of termites’ infestation. Especially do checks on high humidity areas in your house. Knock the floorboards to check if there is hollow sound or not. If there is, there may be termites under it, you must quickly ‘cure’ it by engaging recommended contractors or pest busters in your area before you go for any maintenance program such as re-varnishing your wooden floor in order to give your flooring a fresh look.

10. Some wood flooring can result in gaps over the years. What do you suggest to prevent that from happening and how to resolve it if it happens?
2 possibilities for the gapping resulted on wood flooring; either termites or expansion and contraction of the planks. Preventive measures are classified in 3 stages. Pre-installation: you need to acclimatize your wood floor to your room temperature. During installation, the contractor must always assure that the moisture level is at an appropriate level. Post installation; regularly (6 months to 1 year) coat the wood flooring to give it an added protection against moisture. Take note of the room temperature and avoid direct sunlight as both these will “shrink” the plank in the long run. Engage a professional if this happens.

11. What types of wood are recommended for indoor flooring?
The types of wood which are recommended for indoor flooring will largely depends on the owners’ tastes and preferences for the home flooring design they wanted. It must blends well with the house surrounding furniture. There are many kinds of wood designs for the owner to choose from. Most importantly of all, is to get a reliable wood flooring contractor to do the job as well as getting the wood materials from reputable Eco sources. For young new home owners with limited renovation budget who loves wood flooring, we will usually to them to install quality engineered wood flooring instead.

12. How is wood flooring an eco-friendly option compared to other flooring material? 
Wood, especially engineered wood flooring and natural eco wood are considered as preferred green building materials today. According to a report from U.S Department of Agriculture (USDA) Forest Service, it is mentioned that wood should be considered as the main building materials in any green building projects. Some of the reasons are, the use of wood in building materials yields fewer greenhouse gases than other common building materials such as concrete and steel. Wood will usually stored “avoidable carbon dioxide” and prevent them from leaking into the atmosphere. Producing wood materials require less energy and are therefore more energy efficient.