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Why is Real Wood Flooring Graded?
Real wood flooring is an incredibly rewarding product to use in the home, and if well-maintained will improve with age and add value to your home. It can be a bit daunting choosing real wood flooring for the first time if you’ve never done it before since there are so many decisions to make! These include, the type of wood (e.g. oak, walnut etc.), the finish (e.g.. solid, laquer, stained, oiled etc.), the board size, and also the fitting profile (e.g. tongue and groove). Another aspect often overlooked or misunderstood for its mystery is the wood grade.
Acknowledging the grade of your real wood flooring is important, as it will help you understand the product you’re purchasing better, and also inform you of the quality of the product and how long it’s likely to last. Real wood flooring is graded because wood is a natural material, and therefore no two planks will be exactly the same. Wood, like other natural material will vary immensely in colour, density, and strength. Some types of wood may also have more or less imperfections and natural weakness in their composition, and therefore may be either more or less suitable for application as flooring. Largely speaking, the grading system is in place to distinguish between what are considered more, and less aesthetically pleasing natural appearances.
There are a number of different types of grading used to distinguish between real wood flooring, but let’s start with the Classic Grade. This title is used to define wood that is generally speaking, considered to be the highest grade, and most aesthetically pleasing. Woods in this category are characterised by the least variation in colour, grain and knots. In other words, a wood with a consistent colour tone, with the straightest grain and fewest knots. Such types of wood awarded the classic grade include Walnut, Ash and Elm.
One of the next most notable grades for distinguishing between types of real wood flooring is the Character Grade. This grade is awarded to wood that may feature more variation with regard to colour tones (such as Oak), and less standard grain and knot prevalence. Character grade real wood flooring often features wood with knots that react more dramatically to kiln drying, often cracking. This is quite common, and these knots are sanded and filled with a special resin and then sanded down again.
The last of the more common wood grades used in categorising real wood flooring is Rustic Grade wood. This grade is awarded to wood that features significantly more variation with regard to colour tones, and in particular in knot size and grain direction and spacing. Generally speaking this grade can include wood that features almost and unlimited amount of variation, whether natural or through defect. Again, many of the features of rustic wood are filled and sanded before it is sold to ensure it is structurally sound.
About the Author
For a fantastic range of real wood flooring, check out Topps Tiles – Britain’s biggest tile and wood flooring specialist.
Wild Fire Elm 24″ wood stove, secondary combustion test
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