Conservatory Flooring - Wood and Tile flooring for conservatories and all around the home

Engineered Hardwood Flooring - the high tech solution for conservatory owners who want the look and feel of a timber floor.

For many conservatory owners nothing quite matches the look and feel of a timber floor. However until relatively recently timber floors were not considered a viable option for conservatories, simply because of the potential heat build up in the conservatory, which could lead to the timber twisting and warping.

Even today Solid Timber Flooring (real solid wood) is not recommended for this very reason.

Fortunately there is now available a product that can cope with the possible extremes of heat in a conservatory while looking great for years and years to come. This product is Engineered Hardwood Flooring. Even more impressively it is possible to use this flooring option with a special range of underfloor heating – one of the few recommended for use with timber flooring.

Engineered Hardwood Flooring - A flooring solution that is beautiful, natural and enduring – for today, tomorrow and a lifetime.

Just look at the benefits:

• Hygienic, easy clean, and non-allergenic;

• Children and family friendly – no retention of grime or dirt;

• The ultimate choice in timbers – sourced from every corner of the globe;

• Complete peace of mind with up to 25 year manufacturer’s guarantee;

• Professional installations by specially trained expert installers;

• A floor that lasts a lifetime and gets even more beautiful with age;

•  Unlike carpet, cannot harbour asthma-causing dust mites or pets fleas;

• Comfort and practicability – warm in winter, cool in summer – you will just want to take off your shoes and feel it.;

Engineered Hardwood Floor - Technical Specifications

The Standard engineered hardwood floor is 15mm thick overall is made up of a selected 4mm top hardwood layer, a central core of fast growing softwood / hevea (to provide the stiffening and weight) and a back capping of spruce peel veneer (used as a balancing layer).

This unique construction method, places a core at right angles to the top and bottom layers, optimising the superb properties of the natural wood. Movement is practically eliminated, delivering maximum stability and durability. Natural wood, whether hardwood or softwood, expands and contracts according to temperature and atmospheric humidity. This engineered multi-layer design, which originated in Sweden nearly fifty years ago, counteracts this movement problem.

The central core is of essential importance to your floor’s stability, providing critical balance to the top and bottom layers. Whilst a little more expensive, we recommend you insist on using a slow growing ¼ cut Arctic Spruce core, unlike the cheap troublesome plywood or MDF cores commonly used by some foreign producers.

As an alternative it is possible to give the floor an exclusive oiled finish that brings out a deeper lustre to the natural graining of the woods. Based on natural vegetable oils, the floors are double coated and air-dried.

These finishes protect the hardwood surface and ensure that your floor remains beautiful, even after years of family use.

This top hardwood surface is sufficiently thick to take 5 sandings and information from the manufacturers claims that it is usually 10-12 years between sandings.

With an engineered hardwood you have a floor here with a life expectancy of over 60 years. Everything used in the manufacture of the engineered hardwood flooring is water based. All the glues are water based, as are the multi layers of acrylic lacquer on top, so there are no fumes or formaldehyde solvents slowly leaking out into the air. This important consideration is legislation in Europe already, and is becoming an important consideration in the UK. Full Technical, and Health and Safety data sheets are available on request.

Special Note and Warning: Do not confuse Engineered Hardwood Flooring with the cheaper / thinner laminate flooring options. This type of flooring which is sometimes miscalled ‘Superboard’, or imitation wood laminate flooring is normally only 7 / 8mm thick. This type of flooring is entirely inappropriate for conservatory flooring.

Timber Options: The choice of finish is not just limited to the standard Oak and Beech ranges. You can select from all the popular European species such as Oak, Cherry, Steamed Beech, Maple and Ash as well as the more exotic choices such as Aloma, Merbau, Iroko, Kambala Teak and Mahogany, to name but a few. Some of the more popular options are shown below. You may click on any image for a larger view.

Timber Flooring – Care and Maintenance

Like any form of floor covering a wooden floor must be regularly cleaned and maintained in accordance with certain basic rules. It is a natural product and therefore vulnerable to misuse, but will reward regular care and attention. The most important thing to remember is to avoid excessive moisture. Gravel, dirt and grit and sharp objects are the enemy of any hardwood floor. All manufacturers recommend an effective doormat both outside and inside your front door, to stop trafficking dirt and grit.

Your Conservatories Online Recommended installer is pleased to offer an annual “birthday” visit by one of their care and maintenance engineers if you so wish. They will professionally refresh the lacquer or re-oil the floor depending on the finish you have chosen. Currently the fee for this is just £88.00 (incl VAT) per room with a discount available for additional rooms. Exceptional value for “Total Peace of Mind”.

New Conservatory Flooring Option – Available from September 2004 – Tiles for Conservatories and all around the home – available in a wonderful ranges of stylish colours and textures, direct from Spain. More details coming soon. To Request a free brochure click here