Introduction
When you’re in the market for engineered wood flooring, you have a variety of options beyond just the size, type of veneer, and grade. You can also select from a range of finishes and surface treatments. By thoughtfully pairing these elements, you can achieve diverse aesthetic results that are adaptable to various spaces, while also enhancing the inherent value of your flooring.
- UV Lacquer
UV Urethane a specially formulated UV Cured Polyurethane Acrylate coating process, to achieve a resilient and long-lasting finish on our engineered flooring. This coating is specifically designed for optimal durability and boasts high scratch resistance. In the event that the floor’s sheen diminishes over time due to normal wear from foot traffic, it can be easily rejuvenated using recommended wood polish and cleaning products.
UV Lacquers have different names for the corresponding shine of the finish, which includes matte, gloss, satin, and semi-gloss.
- UV Oil
UV Oil is a coating process where natural oils are combined with chemical modifiers and photo initiators to harden and strengthen under UV light. This results in a cleaner and more uniform finish compared to natural oil finishes applied on-site. UV Cured Oil system offers enhanced chemical properties and superior scratch resistance, surpassing the longevity of purely natural oils. However, since it is still an oiled surface, regular cleaning and maintenance are necessary to keep the oiled floors revitalized and looking as good as new.
- Hardwax Oil
Hardwax oil is a natural finish used for engineered flooring, primarily composed of natural wax (carnauba, candelilla, beeswax) and vegetable oil (linseed, perilla, castor, sunflower seed oil), along with functional additives and surfactants. It’s applied manually in 2 to 4 layers, penetrating the wood through small pores to form a complete coating film. This process takes between 3 to 8 hours for surface drying and 8 to 15 hours for complete drying. The result is a thin matte film that preserves the natural texture and feel of the wood.
While hardwax oil provides waterproof and anti-fouling properties, its hardness and wear resistance are relatively poor. However, any damage can be easily repaired. One of its significant advantages is its breathability, allowing moisture to move freely in and out of the wood, contributing to the flooring’s dimensional stability. Despite being more expensive due to the cost of natural raw materials and manual labor, hardwax oil is environmentally friendly, releasing only a small amount of harmless volatile organic compounds (VOCs) when drying.
- Fumed and Smoked
The age-old European tradition of fuming and smoking wood involves subjecting it to controlled amounts of ammonia. During this process, the ammonia interacts with the natural tannins present in the wood, resulting in a darkening effect. The longer the exposure, the deeper the hue becomes.
Fuming is the initial treatment that creates a wide range of colors, ranging from warm chocolate tones to nearly black elegance. Smoking, on the other hand, takes the process a step further by deeply ingraining the color into the wood itself.
For a lighter outcome, there is the option of semi-fumed, which entails exposing only the wood’s surface to variable amounts of ammonia. This technique produces amber hues that are less intense than those achieved through smoking or fuming.
European Oak stands out as the ideal choice for fuming and smoking due to its high tannin content, which yields a diverse palette of rich wood tones. As the reaction’s intensity is influenced by the tannin levels in the wood, each board reacts uniquely, giving rise to a harmonious blend of floor colors with distinctive and individual variations.
