For centuries oak furniture was the furniture of choice for the wealthier middle and upper classes. It was used to manufacture chairs, tables, chests, beds, as well as ships and wagons. This versatile wood was revered for its strength, durability, water resistance and thickness.
Today the oak is once again a popular choice for more upmarket furniture. Its price prohibits everyday furniture, so it is used to produce faux antique furniture, upmarket home furniture and furniture for decoration.
The oak is a hardwood which means that it has a solid leaf and seasonally loses its foliage. Hardwoods are not as easy to work with as soft woods, but are generally more durable. Its hardness appeals to craftsmen and the wood’s natural chemistry is employed by winemakers across the world to add flavour to their wines and liquors.
Along with its strength, oak is also very dense and is in fact almost as dense as water. This means that the wood is very water and fluid resistant. It won’t draw in fluids as easily as other woods and therefore won’t stain as easily as other woods.
Oak is also mould resistant, which means that it will remain well-preserved in moist areas. Although oak furniture may expand and contract in changing temperatures, there is a slim chance of mould growing on the furniture. A great example of this durability is the well-preserved shrine of Edward the Confessor who died in 1066 AD.
Oak also has a very pleasing grain which can further be enhanced by specialized sawing and carving by the craftsman working with the piece of wood. This wood adds to the decorative function of the oak furniture and this is another reason why it is so popular. However, the grain has large pores which must be filled with paste in order to give it a fine finish. It also gives the enough elasticity to be used for the famous oak floors that medieval mansions boasted. Today oaken floors are still very popular albeit very expensive.
One of the drawbacks of hardwoods such as oak is that they are maintenance intensive. Once manufactured, the oak furniture may become vulnerable to its environment and one of the consequences is that it can dry out very quickly, leaving cracks and unsightly finishing in its wake. It is also not advisable to use an aerosol based polish, as it will also dry the wood out. Oak needs to be treated with special oils approximately every three months in order to avoid it from drying out and cracking.
Whatever the time, oak furniture has stood the test of time and is today as popular as it ever was. It is almost imperative that you own at least one piece of oak furniture in your lifetime.
When it’s time to change the flooring in your home, you will be given a number of options for the materials that you use. Engineered wood flooring is one of the choices that you will have to give your home a distinctive look at a fraction of the cost of real hardwood floors. This flooring material is easy to install on your own, which will save you on the cost of installation.
If you have ever had the pleasure of installing and finishing a real hardwood floor, then you know how much work is involved in the process. You will be dealing with chemicals and saw dust for days before you have your floor exactly the way you want it. Even if you hire an installer to take care of the hardwood floors in your home, you will have to wait a significant amount of time before the floors are ready for you to walk on. And then there is the cost to have someone come out to your house and install the floors. Solid wood flooring eliminates all of this mess and expense.
Engineered wood flooring is not the same thing as a laminate floor. Laminate flooring has an unfortunate unreal look that gives away the fact that it is not real wood immediately. Engineered wood flooring, on the other hand, is actual wood on the top layer of the board so you lose none of the distinctive features of wood while still getting the cost savings and ease of installation.
There is no need to sand an engineered wood flooring material in your home. The boards come prefinished and simply need to be put in place on the floor. In fact, the installation of the wood planks is all that is necessary to have a completely finished floor.
You do still have the ability to sand your engineered wood flooring if there is an unfortunate accident such as a scratch on the floor. With a laminate material, the entire board will have to be replaced to fix the scratch. The engineered wood flooring behaves just like a traditional wood floor.
Engineered wood flooring holds up in areas of your home that is not appropriate for hardwood floors. The kitchen is a good example of an area of the home that has occasional moisture on the floors that will not harm an engineered floor, but could be problematic for a natural wood floor.
The engineered flooring that is currently on the market comes in various thicknesses. The thickness of the plank determines whether you will be gluing the wood down or nailing it in place. Thinner pieces must be nailed in place.
In the end, engineered wood flooring offers homeowners a much easier choice for their home and wallet. The floors are easily installed, can be repaired easily and will cost you much less money than a traditional wood floor. Determine the factors that are important to you and make your decision about engineered wood flooring and what it can bring to your home.