Havwoods Floors

One of our new favourite wooden floor suppliers is Havwoods. They are an English company that stock a huge array of colours and finishes as well as stocking all the extra accessories we need to finish a floor perfectly, such as thresholds, skirting and stair nosing. The service is also impecable - we order samples almost daily and receive them the next day. However, it is the quality and colour of their engineered wooden floors is what most attracts us to them and we now recommend Havwoods to most of our clients.


From their Website:

Wood flooring from a single minded company dedicated to supplying quality flooring products. Backed by exceptional levels of service and expertise, Havwoods have become Britain’s foremost supplier of solid wood flooring, reclaimed floors and engineered wood flooring with an extensive client portfolio which includes many ofthe UK's best known and most dynamic brands. Welcome to the Havwoods’ wood flooring site, the home of wood that works. 
 

Established in 1975, Havwoods’ commitment to quality, expertise and service has made us Britain’s foremost wood flooring company. A family business, now run by the third generation, Havwoods concentrates almost exclusively on wood flooring: engineered and solid wood floors for all applications, in an enormous variety of species and with every conceivable finish. Indeed, Havwoods personnel personally select the very best products from the best manufacturers worldwide and the result is a superior portfolio of over one thousand different types of wood flooring. 

Renowned as leaders in our field in both technology and aesthetics, Havwoods are continually researching new ideas and new trends. It was this quest for new ideas which led to the introduction of both Plusfloor - a product which combines the toughness of vinyl with the ease of fitting of an engineered board - and our composite decking products.

A large stockholding of many of the products shown on this site is kept for immediate delivery whilst bespoke orders can be fulfilled in as little as two weeks. A rapid delivery service is always available, alternatively stock may be reserved for up to three months (or longer by arrangement) in order to guarantee delivery as and when required. For larger projects warehouse space is available for storing and delivering in manageable consignments.

But it is expertise which truly sets Havwoods apart as a company. Not only knowledge of products and the ways in which they perform, but also of installation, for the correct installation, using the best fixing method and products for the sub-floor and the environment, has tremendous influence on the lifespan of the floor itself.

If you require any advice on the very best wood floor for your project, the best method of installation and the best team to do it, call us at Havwoods - we’re known for wood that works.

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Wooden Floors - An article by our new interior designer, Milena

A little bit about wood and trees

Wood is probably the most popular choice of flooring for the home – indeed wooden floors have been laid in the houses of northern Europe and the US for hundreds years, and never really been out of fashion.

Wood gives a beautiful, natural and warm look to the house. The lighter-colored woods, such as beech, ash and sycamore, are associated with a clean Scandinavian style that translates well to the contemporary home. The darker species, like oak, walnut and cherry, offer a richer, perhaps more sumptuous, sophisticated look.

Wood as a living material which depends on humidity, temperature, light and air conditions and it can change its color and shape through time.

Wood type range from Italian Supplier - Listone Giordano, Margaritelli

Also shows how color of the wood changes over time.

When thinking of wooden floors, there are two main options available to the market: solid wood or engineered. Solid wood flooring consists of planks of one type of wood meant to be screwed, glued or fixed by tongue and groove system to the sub-floor.

Engineered wood panels are made up of several layers of different wood types (top layer more precious called veneer). The visible top layer is more valuable solid wood, beneath which are layers of plywood are glued and laid at 90° angle to each other for extra stability.

Engineered wood flooring is becoming extremely popular, because it is more stable, than solid wood, it is easier to fit (do not need to be glued or screwed to sub-floor), as well as it comes with various effects from ‘aged’ to ‘sun bleached’.

Comparing solid and engineering wooden floor panels

Cheaper products аre typically those with thin wear lаyers (veneer) – which can be as little as 0.6mm – making them unsuitable for sanding. Some types are not meant for sanding but the suppliers argue that sanding is not necessary cause their irregular style does not need it, adding natural character to the planks. Such options can be fine in rooms not subject to lots of wear, such as a guest bedroom.
The higher-quality engineered woods (more expensive) are those with a thicker wear layer – up to 6mm in some cases – which can take lots of wear and can be sanded several times if required. Each sanding removes around 0.5mm of the surface layer.

Most of engineered flooring comes pre-finished, or there is a choice between lacquering and oiling/waxing.

Lacquering creates a layer that sits on top of the veneer and does not sink into the grain, making scratches more visible, but more adding water resistant properties to the wood. Matt lacquering leaves boards looking very natural, almost untreated. Satin lacquering adds a shiny effect to the wood.

Oiling brings out the natural wood grain, but it will require more care and maintenance; given it gets absorbed by the veneer, the top layer will all have the same finish throughout its thikness making scratches less visible. However, it will leave the wood more exposed to staining. Even though oil finishing is less protective, it is much easier to “repair”. It can be fixed by topping up the oil content in the stained area after light sanding. If lacquered floor gets stained it will require full sanding and refinish. 

1. Matt Lacquer, 2. Satin Lacquer, 3. Oil 

Wood floor is like a baby. It requires preparation before installation, care during its use, and maintenance through its life.

Given wood is a natural living creature, it suffers from changes in temperature and humidity levels. Nowadays, water under-floor heating systems are becoming more popular in new built and refurbishments. By heating the floor, and reducing overall humidity levels, water under floor heating systems need to be installed appropriately to avoid ruining the engineered woods.

Here are few advices on how not to make it happen:

- When installing, make sure sub-floor is dryDuring installation temperature in the room should be around 18-20⁰C; after installation floor temperature should not go above 27⁰C

- Humidity level should not increase more than 75% (can be measured by Hygrometer)

- Use underlay with the lowest amount of thermal resistance

- Make sure the under-floor-heating system provides heat evenly across the floor, with no hotspots

Carbonwarm® explains installation of under-floor heating for wood flooring

If the wooden floor is installed and maintained in the right way, it can work for you and “live” with you for many years.

In the world of wood flooring there are several design trends going from more classing ones to new ones meant to dominate the market in 2013.

The most popular are:

- Vintage, rustic wood flooring:floors that have been distressed, weathered, aged or hand-scraped for that expensive-looking vintage look.

- Boardwalk-style wood floors:creating nostalgic seaside style, this wood floor trend will be huge in 2013.

- Red Oak: it has a warm, rich appeal and is full of character, with the added benefit that it ages beautifully over time.

Wooden floors we like…

       

       

Reference: Home Building& Renovating.

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