Reclaimed floors mean recycled wooden floors. This is mainly sourced from second hand or previously owned floor rip offs, but can also include unused inventory that may have experienced certain damages or decay in long term storage, or just be made out of the trees felled for urbanization, or by natural means of storm. All in all, this process uses all things possible to NOT cut down living trees.

This is not only eco-friendly, but also economical, that makes reclaimed lumber to slowly become a self-sustained industry, wherein its producers go long distances to collect the ideal material from local as well as global sources. And not only floors, but furniture, doors and windows are made out of it.

The distressed outlook makes many people to take reclaimed lumber flooring to be same as distressed hardwood. But they are not the same, while new hardwood is “designed” to be distressed, and is treated with hand scraping or machinery, the later is naturally distressed. 

Usability Of Reclaimed Floors In Comparison To New Solid Wood Flooring

Reclaimed flooring can offer equal benefits in terms of usability as one can expect of new solid wood flooring. However, it should be taken into consideration that these floors have been through decades, and even centuries of wear and tear, and even though the “reclaiming” has given it a new life, it is still aged and distressed. So choose them wisely, its ideal to have them in exclusive low traffic areas. Moreover, repairing or marinating these floors can be expensive too, as they would need extra care and manual hand treatment.

In the wake of it, customers should be careful in selecting a trustable dealer and have ample knowledge about wood flooring, for getting the best product.

How Are Reclaimed Wood Floors Sourced

 So now that you know, imagine the owner of some ancestral house finding the century old wood floors too expensive to repair, so they sell it off. And not only floors, it can also apply for beams, frames doors, and staircases made of exotic solid wood to be sold  in quite hefty sums, that may be enough to buy new floors.

 In the meantime, the century old floor boards or planks are restored and “reclaimed” in the workshop of the buyer and is reintroduced in the market for sale. It’s almost like buying curated artwork or antique furniture.

 You can come into possession of a rare antique flooring in exotic or even non-existent wood species that is discontinued for use in commercial purposes, and yet have them in an eco-friendly way. However, you are not going to find them at regular retail stores. These are exclusive products sold by niche companies or dealers that may not be available in every city or region or even state. So if you can get possession, it’s a grand thing. The prices for reclaimed lumber products go higher than normal, because this is rare, and exotic. And usually the exact prices are quoted on request.

Things To Consider Before Investing In Reclaimed Wood Flooring

Nonetheless, there are benefits as well as responsibilities for buying reclaimed flooring. While in one hand, it makes it possible for an individual to come in possession of an exclusive product they can boast of, it also takes well and good awareness about not only the product, but also the norms of any historical, social as well as environmental impact.

 So if you are planning to invest in reclaimed wood floors, then take into consideration the above mentioned ideals, so that you can enjoy your prized possession for the long run.

How to clean the wood floors of my house? Will just mopping the wooden floors be the correct way? How can I wipe it without affecting it? These are some of the questions, which we face every single day. Although the internet is full of answers, we are still unsure when it comes to hardwood cleaning.

Hardwood cleaning is not as difficult as it looks. By going through this blog, you will get an idea as to how to clean wooden planks. Below listed are some of the basic steps to a spick and span floor:

1) Clean Spills Right Away

Hardwood floors are not as impervious as it appears. With spills, the top coat of your floors might be ruined. So, avoid spilling certain substances like mustard or milk, to ensure a polished surface. Your pet’s urine is also damaging so either house-train them or pick up after the accidents.

2) Choose The Correct Cleaning Products

Timber flooring is costly and you would never want to experiment on them, right? Consult a hardwood floor specialist before adding a layer of polish on it. Only a correct cleansing product will prevent you from cleaning your planks repeatedly. Never worry when searching for a hardwood floor specialist in Ireland as Hollands.ie is the solution to your problems.

3) Get Rid of Debris Regularly

Solid oak flooring requires constant care. Never let your floors accumulate dirt as it can bring scratches to the floor’s exterior. This might be a plausible cause of dullness, and you might be thinking about the solution. It’s simple! You just have to sweep the floors after every 2-3 days and in the case of vacuum, lower it to the floor by making use of the hard surface machine setting. This will act as a better suction and take away all the dirt from the planks.

4) Mop the Floors Rightly

It is better to clean wood floors with a damp mop instead of a sopping one. Try adding cleaners that are rich in isopropyl alcohol, as it will quickly dry the bottoms. One can also prepare their own homemade remedy to do away with the greasy floors. To a gallon of water, add a capful of vinegar and mix it well to clean the shoe scuffs and marks. This home-based cleanser is safe as it cleans the wooden planks without leaving any scratches. A piece of advice for all homeowners is that never use a steam mop for cleaning the floorboards of your house. It might just ruin the beautiful satin or matt finish of your wooden floors.

Conclusion:

Wooden flooring is something that does not need a lot of care and attention, but requires a correct cleaning approach, as it is well priced. You would never want to spend an additional amount on renovating it, will you? So adopt the right maintenance technique and restore its brand new look for years.

Engineered wood flooring is a new development but is already popular in the market for many reasons. It has made a place in the hearts and minds of buyers, and industrial manufacturers are increasingly investing in it as well. What are the benefits of engineered wood flooring which lead to such popularity? How is it better than the others? Let’s find out.

The Benefits

Is it a sudden coincidence that more and more people are investing in engineered wood more? Perhaps not. This kind of product has several benefits which go a long way to increase its popularity.

• 1) Engineered wooden floors closely resemble real wood: One of the greatest benefits of this product is that you can get something which resembles authentic wood. In fact, it feels like the real thing under your feet, and as we shall see later on, because it costs less in comparison to other products it is quite popular. When this product was first sold, buyers thought that it was just another new variety of existing real wood flooring. In fact, the difference was hard to tell apart even by critics!

• 2) Engineered wooden flooring does not expand and contract like real wood: If there is one bad thing about authentic wooden flooring, it is that they expand in summer and contract in winter. Can you see the problem? Let’s say that you have a room that is 100 square feet that you want to have wooden flooring installed at. Now, you cannot install too close to the wall and must leave some space for wood expansion in the warmer months. However, you will also need to calculate how far the floor shall contract in the winter. As you can see, during contraction your room shall see quite unfinished at the edges and in case you install too close to the wall, the edges may crack against the walls! Engineered wood does not have this problem. It does not expand and contract according to the seasons. This also means that it safe to install it in the kitchen and bathroom where the levels of moisture fluctuate.

• 3) Engineered wood is one of the most durable products out there: This product is made up of multiple layers that are tightly bonded together. At the top of the layers is the final layer of a soft wood. Due to this construction, these are very tough and durable. As they are long lasting, they give true value for your money.

• 4) They can be sanded easily: Perhaps the only downside to this kind of product is that they cannot be sanded multiple times, this depends on the overall thickness of the boards. However, engineered wood can indeed be sanded.

• 5) These are easy to install: Engineered wooden planks are, in comparison to others, easier to lay an install. It is easy to do as well, which is why these also come in DIY packages.

• 6) A perfect cost to value ratio: Engineered wooden planks do not cost as much as they may seem, by looked at all the benefits. As a result, these are highly cost effective.

Conclusion:

Engineered wood flooring has many benefits as we have seen. In conclusion, it solves many problems which other products in its class suffer from.

Whether you are looking to renovate your home by having classy wood flooring, or furnish the lovely home you have just brought, hardwood floors are your best bet.

One of the greatest benefits of hardwood floors is that these are highly versatile. This means that you can install them almost anywhere in your home, apart from kitchens and basements which demand special considerations. With hardwood flooring, you can have a chic and modern look, or a more traditional look, or even a minimalistic and rustic look.

Now, before you go to your local shop and buy the first product that your eyes fall on, there is one thing you need to know first. There are 2 kinds of hardwood flooring solutions: unfinished and finished.

2 Kinds Of Hardwood Flooring

In case of unfinished flooring, after the installation and staining, several coats of a protective fluid are applied. Unfinished hardwood flooring is perfect if you desire the colour of your new wooden covering to match the one of your existing floor. It is also ideas as a flooring option if you want the stain to be applied to the wood prior to the final finishing coating at the very end. One of the best things about this variety is that it is suitable for all rooms, including the kitchen. This is because the finishing fluid seeps between the gaps of the wood planks, which effectively blocks water from entering.

Finished or prefinished hardwood flooring comes completely prepared from the factory itself, including sanding and sealing. Due to this, your flooring can be installed faster than you thought possible! Another benefit of this variety of hardwood floors is that these shall have no VOCs, no foul odours and shall be ready to be traversed on the minute they are installed. Perhaps the only downside to finished hardwood flooring is that these cannot be customized.

Difference Between Solid And Engineered Hardwood

As the name suggests, a solid wood flooring is composed completely of a single block of wood. Generally, these are between ¾ and 5/8th inches thick. The benefit here is that this type can be sanded several times over the course of the product life cycle as it is a solid piece of wood. The downside is that it can be damaged easily by humidity.

Engineered hardwood is more complex. It comprises of a multiple layers of plywood topped by a layer of authentic wood. The advantage of this variation is that it gives exceptional stability which makes it ideal for any part of your home. The downside of these products is that these can only be sanded and refinished a couple of times during their entire lifetime. However, the thickness of the planks has a role to play in the number of times they can be sanded. The thicker they are, the more times they can be sanded.

Which One To Buy?

Unless you want to buy the more exotic wood flooring at a premium price such as jarrah, teak and mahogany, you should choose wood that is more easily available. This includes oak, maple and cherry wood.

If you want to cut down on your costs, buy from salvage yards. You can easily get reclaimed hardwood flooring from these places. While they may not be as good as the new ones, you’ll be paying at least half for them! In case these salvage yards do not have what you seek, ask to be signed on the waiting list. Using salvaged wood is ideal if you are renovating an old home.

When nailing down a wood floor ensure that you are confident that you are going to be able to do the work before you start. When nailing down a wood floor its important to start with the Sub Floor We suggest using marine ply of 6/8" thick when nailing down a wooden floor to a sub floor. This ply can be secured to the sub floor using masonry nails. When Nailing Down A Wood Floor You Need to Let the Timber Adjust The timber flooring must be left on site for 7 days to 3 weeks. Moisture Levels and Wood Flooring Always check the moisture level of the sub floor. You can use a moisture barrier to prevent moisture transfer. We suggest a bitchimen paper. When Installing a Wood Floor Lay out the boards. Consider a waste factor of 5% Use a carpenters pencil when installing. Keep a box for repairs. Touch up with filler or color sticks. Before nailing your hardwood flooring into place its important to run test nails into the boards.  

A wood floor that we installed in North Cork. Oiled herringbone wood flooring.

Wood flooring looks great in any home but it is most important to keep it looking great. You need to maintain any wood floor in a regular basis. There are a few factors that need to be accounted for with wood flooring. Some simple wood flooring rules that everyone can follow. Hoover and Sweep Its not fancy but if you sweep your floor on a regular basis. Use a soft brush and the correct hoover setting. Don't Wet Your Hardwood Floor The aim here is to keep your floor as dry as possible. A little moisture is fine but over exposing the floor to moisture will cause issues. Protect the wooden floor from heavy furniture Coasters under the legs of tables chairs and heavy furniture will protect your floor from damage. Also lift don't drag when moving furniture across your wooden flooring Sunlight and Your Wood Floor UV light is beautiful. We don't get enough of it in Ireland. However UV light is not your wood floors friend. If the floor is over exposes to UV light it will suffer from discoloration. We suggest using curtains and regular maintenance of your floor with the correct products to protect your wooden flooring from UV light.

Engineered Wood Flooring For Irish Homes Engineered floors offer the same visual feel as a solid wood floor and are a fraction of the cost of a solid wood floor. Solid Wood Flooring For Irish Homes Solid wood flooring offers little advantages for modern homes.

Your kitchen floor will be getting a lot of traffic. A kitchen wood floor will need to be durable to withstand your gathering area. Comfort, durability and aesthetic all need to be taken into consideration.  Your budget always needs to be considered. Here at hollands.ie we are always looking to achieve the best to match all outcomes. We will help you to find the best option for your kitchen.

We suggest considering a select grade of wood flooring for a modern store with clean lines and a more rustic grade of timber flooring for a store with a younger attitude. More durable wood floors are a very safe bet. Merbau and Wenge need to be considered. We don't suggest looking at a softer floor. Oak also works as a wood flooring option for a commercial premises.

Wood Flooring underlay separates your wood floor from the subfloor. Wood flooring underlay is designed to prevent the transfer of heat variations and damp. Each underlay offers it's own benefits and issues. Here at Hollands.ie we have the the correct underlay for your floor. Contact us with the details of the sub floor and the board that you are interested in and we will prescribe the best underlay considering factors like budget, sub-floor level, moisture content, underfloor heating suitability and the fitting system of your floor. Uneven Sub-floors A 5 mm cork underlay will solve this issue. Its the preferred choice for architects and designers for subfloors in need of a quick turnaround. Solving the damp issue

If you want to reduce the sound transference between upstairs and down stairs use an underlay with a sound decibel of 20bd and upwards.

Engineered and solid wood flooring are available in three different grades. These grade of timber are Rustic wood flooring, middle grade wood flooring and select grade wood flooring. A select grade of wood flooring is more suitable for a contemporary space. Select wood flooring is more expensive because it is more scarce. The grain of a solid wood floor is much straighter. These grades are determined by the factory that are machining your timber. The grades of wood flooring come from the three different cuts of the three. The center of the tree makes up the prime grade of flooring. It is the densest part of the tree. It will produce a plank of flooring with no open knots. It will produce a plank of wood flooring that has total tone consistency. The next cut of flooring will come from the plank of flooring between the center of the tree and the outer part of the tree. This is known as the middle grade. There will be a wider grain and more tone variation. Some suppliers will classify this as a country grade of wood flooring. There will be knots and some tone variations between planks. Knots come from the branches in trees. The reason that the knots in a middle grade of wood flooring are smaller is due to the fact that this is the starting point for the branches. A rustic grade of timber flooring is cut from the outer part of the tree. It has a large amount of open knots and lots of tine variation. There will be vibrant detail and a large amount of texture in a rustic grade of wood flooring. If you are looking for a wood floor and you are on a budget a rustic grade of timber is something that you need to consider.

Distressed wooden flooring is a modern way of mimicking a historical style of wood flooring. Modern machining techniques have allowed wood floors to be silky smooth. Because each floor was done by hand they all had a unique wood flooring finish with many variations and random changes in level and texture. Old wooden floors were perfect in their imperfection. Machines will add these patterns to wood flooring. Giving your floor the appearance of a tradition fitting and finishing technique. The pattern of the machine distressed wood flooring will repeat where as a hand scraped wooden floor will have a random pattern. The price difference between these two products is dramatic. This is reflected in the skill that is required to hand finish a wood floor.  

Wood flooring has three different grades. Rustic, middle and select.

Picking the dimensions of your wood floor

Oiled Wood Flooring or Varnished Wood Flooring

Do you need a dark or a light wood floor?

Top Tip 2; Ensure that your Solid Wood Flooring is never wet. Wipe up spillages immediately. With a moist mop. Top Tip 3; Be careful when moving heavy furniture on a solid wood floor. Top Wood Flooring Tip 4; Cut your pets nails and wear the correct footwear for your wood flooring. Top Wood Flooring Tip 5; Protect your wooden floor from UV light.

Fitting on batons. When fitting on batons we suggest using a ply base. Step 8; Glue your boards into position. Find the center line of the room and glue a line so that the floor runs symmetrically or start at the wall and work your way back. Ensure boards are fitted tightly and wipe away any glue along the way. Always leave room for expansion. With a solid wood floor leave a gap in doorways. The more room for expansion that you leave when fitting the floor yourself the better. If you are planning on glueing down a herringbone or chevron floor. The main thing to remember is to find the center line of the room. Set one line let it settle and continue as normal. The first few boards are very important here so make sure that you take your time. Also be careful when using the mallet.

What you need to do before installing your wood floor?

How to adjust your Wood Floor to your homes humidity?

Wood is a life product and when dealing with a live natural product there are many factors to consider temperature, moisture and humidity the varying scales of these factors will cause your floor to expand and contract. Wood needs to adjust to these factors in your home. By allowing the wood flooring the time to adjust to your homes settings.  This will prevent many of the misunderstood issues that people face after installation. Always check the moisture content of the hardwood flooring before installation. It is best to let a floor adjust for a period of two weeks.

Build Your Flooring Online Build Your Flooring Online Our wood floor builder allows you to choose your preferred type of wood flooring, your preferred finish, colour and texture. If you are looking for a custom made wood floor we are here to help. Our web application allows you to pick your preferred wood floor. Our aim is to get you the best value and highest quality flooring in the world. We can produce any type of wood flooring that you can imagine. All our our floors are produced in the EU to the highest wood flooring standards. We guarantee all of our flooring and fitting. Try our hard wood flooring web application today.

“If you can design one thing, you can design everything.”

– Massimo Vignelli

When choosing your dream wood flooring it is vital you feel you are apart of the design process, to ensure the final creation fulfills your aspirations. Wood flooring contains various types of core construction, various grades of wood and various finish options. We are here to guide you at every step of this design process. We offer bespoke and custom made wood flooring, straight from forest to floor. When choosing your wood floor it is vital to consider the colour, size or design. If you have a request we have the solution as maintaining the ‘bespoke’ feel is our ultimate goal. Every interior has an individual feel and your interior will be custom created to suit your style. We supply high quality hardwood flooring in a wide range of species, grades and sizes. Our main focus is maintaining the natural shape and movement of the tree you select. Enhancements can then be added. Choosing the type of wood – Solid Wood Flooring vs Engineered wood flooring. Both types are similar i price and final aesthetics however certain variations exist so it is important to consider. Solid floorboards are made from 100% natural wood and allows for a lengthy service life. However these floorboards are unsuitable to fit with floor heating and in humid areas. It is important to be aware that natural wood expands in the face of warm temperatures and contracts in the face of cold temperatures. therefore natural solid wood flooring can be damaged by certain environmental conditions. Engineered floorboards are made from layers of MDF, Plywood and Softwood glued together to create one plank of wood flooring. The top visible layer is made from solid wood in thickness of 3mm to 6mm. It therefore incorporates natural wood and artificial materials. In this case the service life is shorter and you are limited to the amount of times you can sand this flooring. However, it is possible to fit an engineered floorboard with floor heating and it is also possible to use the flooring with high This limit will be based on the thickness of the top solid layer which can contain as little as 3mm solid wood or as much as 6mm solid wood. Remember, sanding removes 1mm layer in the process each and every time. Choosing the Grade of Wood – The aesthetic appearance of your floorboard depends on the grade of the wood. Grade does not refer to the quality of the wood but instead the beauty of the final floorboard. Wood grade includes Sapwood (the youngest and outermost layers on the tree) and Knots (the circular discolourations that occur in the inner tree trunk). The higher grades are cut from the middle of the log which leads to less Sapwood and Knots however some customer prefer the intricateness these can offer visually. There is Prime grade (cut from the middle of the tree), Select grade (wood cut from the second ring from the middle of the tree), Natural grade (will feature some sapwood and knots) and Rustic grade (will feature sapwood and knots more predominately). Choosing the Finish – Finally the wood floor will be finished with either oil or lacquered base coatings. This not only preserves the wood but also enhances the colour and markings and offers basic protection. Considerations to your preference of a glossy or matter finish. Send us an enquiry on our Contacts page and we will be happy to help you create your unique wood floor. For more image inspiration please see our Gallery. We look forward to hearing from you, Hollands Wood Flooring Team. [/fusion_text]