GUIDE TO THE CHOICE OF A HARDWOOD FLOOR

Top left: Oak forest, Burgundy, France. Top right: Mr. Rousselin, forest expert of Margaritelli France Above: Logs at the Margaritelli sawmill in Fontaines, Burgundy, France.

Occasionally, a certain technical problem finds an unexpected solution in an idea nobody had paid attention to before. Wood has always been used for flooring, but this use, however traditional, is not immune to certain inconveniences due to the movements of wood as a result of changes in air humidity. This problem was often discussed during meetings with the Directors and technicians of the Margaritelli Company. When I informed them about the results of a series of laboratory tests, they agreed to place their materials and necessary equipment at my disposal to investigate a possible industrial...

Solid floor and two layers Tradition versus Innovation Listone Giordano Two layers from the wood flooring school of excellence Wood Flooring A history of product types Wood Behaviour of a special raw material THINGS TO KNOW TO MAKE THE RIGHT CHOICE OF WOOD FLOORING WOOD FLOORING Solid floor and two layers Environmental Relationship Origins and technical evolution Characteristics of a solid wood floor Management of the forests and technology Physical and mechanical characteristics Differing types Characteristics of a two layered wood floor

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Above: Intermediate growth stage of the Forest of Cîteaux, Burgundy, France. Left: Oak from Fontaines (Versailles pattern).

Wood: how it reacts Humidity is one of the main causes of the instability of wood. The secret of high quality wood flooring lies in its fibres. The ambient climate. Man has a more immediate perception of temperature than of humidity. Humidity control inside a building is often neglected, resulting in critical conditions for a wooden floor. In wintertime, the continuous occurrence of heating systems creates very dry atmospheric conditions, which can lead the wood to shrink. In summertime, vice versa, a higher environmental moisture creates more humid conditions which can cause the wood to swell....

humid climate Wood loses and acquires moisture Wood is a living material, sensitive to the constant changes within its surroundings. It suffers in particular ways to variations in the humidity of the air and adapts itself accordingly to a certain extent. If a piece of wood is placed in a very humid room, it will tend to absorb a part of that humidity. If, however, the same piece of wood is placed in a dry environment, the wood will react in the opposite way, releasing part of the appropriate humidity. Stability and movement Since wood constantly strives to reach its equilibrium with the environment,...

A matter of fibres Wood is a typical “anisotropic” material. In simple terms, this means that it has no homogeneous structure and moves in various directions. Since the wood has a parallel fibre structure, its mechanical movements depend on the direction of the fibres. Only a deep knowledge of these aspects allows a technologically rational use of wood. Medullary rays Annual growth rings 1. Axial direction (direction of the fibres) 2. Radial direction (direction of the growth) 3. Tangential direction (tangent of the growth rings) 1 3 The same material can experience different movements depending...

New-found stability Thanks to the compensation of tensions introduced through technical knowledge, wood has a new-found stability. Due to the gluing of several crossed-fibre constructed layers, it is possible to obtain a high technological product with excellent structural performances from a simple natural material. This particular production process has opened up new frontiers in the use of wood even for the most demanding of applications, from aircraft construction to hardwood flooring. A “two layered”wood floor: the original construction technique counter-balances the tensions in the wood...

The history of wood floor Over the centuries, the history of an art has become a product. Only in the modern époque has the conflict between functionalism and aesthetics been resolved. 1600’s and 1700’s. The birth of wood flooring. The French Royal Court. The wood floor installed in the Palace of Versailles has become famous everywhere and establishing wood flooring as a feature design. Wood, used for ages in dwellings as a simple board, finally received its acclaim as an architectural product. However, the extremely high cost prohibited wood flooring for all but the privileged few for many years....

1800’s and 1900’s. Popularisation of wood flooring. The spread of wood flooring is a recent phenomenon. Growing demand, caused by the urbanisation of the big cities, pushed the industry towards products of simpler construction and installation. The complex fitting process of traditional boards limited their use and this led to the introduction of thinner products to be adhered to the sub-floor. However, solid wood boards could only be made thinner by reducing their dimensions to avoid becoming less stable or subject to “movement”. As a result, Mosaic and Lamparquet became known. 1950/1980. Research...

The history of wood floor Floating wood floor Developed as an answer to the needs of a pre-varnished wood floor that can be fitted with a minimum of fuss even by the final user. The floating wood floor is typically a product consisting of three counter-balancing layers. The support base has been milled on all sides to ensure a perfect join upon installation. Since the support base is quite rigid, it is suitable to be glued to the subfloor but more usually it is simply placed on top of an underlay over the subfloor. As a consequence, in spite of the optimum stability of the product, when the floor...