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Doormat Selection For Your New Wooden Flooring
Selecting A Doormat To Protect Wooden Flooring When choosing a new wooden flooring surface, the doormat selection process is unlikely to be the first or most important consideration. However in many ways it should be. Simply put, selecting the right doormat will go a long way to lengthen the longevity of the flooring surface. This is because a doormat is the most effective measure to protect the floor from the damage and abrasion which is caused by dust and dirt. A doormat is important because it removes the dust and dirt particles from the soles of people feet which accumulates naturally from walking about in both wet and dry conditions. If these particles are not removed, they can cause a tremendous amount of damage to the surface of the wooden flooring. Over time this repeated abrasion can result in an aesthetically displeasing track along the surface of the floor. In an ideal world doormats would be placed both outside of the door and inside the door. In addition, doormats should be placed in this way at every point of entry into the property. Taking these measures ensures that a large amount of dirt and debris is removed, increasing the longevity of the wooden flooring. Typically, doormats are either comprised of a brush like surface, rubber or even in some cases metal. It is important to ensure that a doormat selected for outside use will be able to stand up to both the temperature and moisture changes which it is likely to face. Indoor doormats tend to be softer than those used outside, in some ways this is actually more effective. To demonstrate, once inside after using the outside doormat, the majority of the dirt and debris will have been removed from the footwear, therefore once inside this footwear requires a gentle dust down to remove any remaining dirt and potentially a wipe. When selecting an indoor doormat, aesthetic appearance is equally as important as functionality, however neither of these considerations should compromise the other. In addition, it is vitally important to select an indoor doormat with a waterproof base, this option will prevent discolouration under the mat if it gets wet. When it comes to selecting the size of a doormat it is well worth opting for the doormat which accommodates the largest number of potential steps, however it should not overwhelm the hallway or interior area in which it is to be deployed. The longer that people are forced to walk on the mat for then the larger the amount of dirt and dust which will be removed from their footwear. Once doormats have been deployed it is important to clean them on a regular basis. Exterior doormats can be cleaned using a hose, whilst indoor doormats can be cleaned using a vacuum cleaner.
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Selecting A Wooden Floor: What's Right For You? V4 Flooring
When it comes to selecting a wooden floor for use within your property it can seem a daunting proposal. So many questions can arise seemingly out of nowhere. These questions can range from what wood type to select, what sheen will best complement the rooms existing décor and which surface will prove most durable over the years to come? V4 Flooring understand that selecting a wooden floor is not always straight forward, due to this we have created a four stage selection process which enables you to easily and effectively identify the wooden floor which matches your requirements and personal tastes. Selecting A Wooden Floor: Four Easy Steps 1. Choose the right floor for you: The first stage in selecting a wooden floor is to decide which material you wish to use. When selecting a floor type it is not only the aesthetic appearance which should be taken into account. There are a number of other effects which are equally if not more important, which need to be taken into account. To demonstrate it is important to know whether a particular flooring type is compatible with underfloor heating. Other factors which should be considered are whether the flooring can be resealed if necessary. This is an important factor, if for some reason the flooring needs to be brought up in order to address an unrelated plumbing or electrical problem, boards which can be resealed can be replaced once work is finished. Boards which cannot be resealed on the other hand cannot. 2. Select your preferred grading type: Once you have selected a flooring type, it is time to consider the type of grading which most appeals. At V4 Flooring we make use of 3 tasteful grading variations. These variations include: AB Select/Natural Grade: This grading can feature some light sapwood around the edges of the board. In addition, boards of this grade type may feature some small sound knots and smaller filled knots both of which greatly enhance the natural effect of the grade. ABC Mixed Grade: This grading is popular in a number of wood types, most notably Walnut. This grade features a higher variation of grain and wood colour. In addition this grade features a greater number of sound ad filled knots than found in the AB Select/Natural grade type. With this grade type, dark streaks and a number of small, filled cracks may be present. CD Rustic Grade: Using more economical timber types provides greater grain and colour variation within the flooring. Flooring of this grade type tends to feature large sound knots and a greater number of filled knots than on other grade types. 3. Choose the right finish type: A number of finish types are available on wooden flooring. Each of these have their own maintenance requirements. The three finish types which V4 Flooring use include: Lacquer: Under this finishing method the top layer of the wooden surface is coated with five individual layers of primer coats. Added to this are at least two additional coats of a UV cured Treffert aluminium oxide lacquer. This method produces a surface which is both hard wearing and also low maintenance. Natural Oil: This finish is created with up to four coats of natural WOCA oil. This oil is applied with rollers, each successive layer is buffed into the top layer of the panel. This process not only permeates the grain of the plank but also adds a matt sheen which is then left to cure. The natural oil finish produces the most natural effect of the three finish types. UV Oil: The process to create this effect is similar to the one used to create the natural oil finish. Where it differs however is each coat is cured using a UV light. This process produces a slight satin sheen on the surface on the panels. 4. Finally choose the optimum surface: V4 Concrete make use of a number of different techniques, in order to provide a range of varied surface finishes. Each of these techniques produces a visually different aesthetic effect. The techniques include: Brushed: With this technique a steel brush is utilised in order to remove soft grain from the surface of the flooring. This technique greatly enhances the natural beauty of the woods natural grain. Hand Scraped: In order to be successful this technique must be undertaken by skilled and experienced craftsmen. The process involves using hand tools in order to scrape out the woods soft grain whilst following the natural contours of the wood. Distressed: To achieve this effect a number of techniques are used. These techniques give the wood an aged appearance. The skill of this technique is making the distressed effect look authentic and natural. Stained: In order to create this effect the wood panels are stained. The stain is applied with rollers, this is then buffed in order to enable the stain to penetrate the top level of the wood. The panel is then sealed with either oil or lacquer. Smoked: With this effect the timber is placed for three days in a drying room. The drying room is filled with ammonia vapour or ‚Äúsmoke‚Äù which causes the woods colour to darken. Carbonised: To achieve this effect the timber is baked in a kiln causing the soft grain to be consumed. This causes the wood to blacken and the grain texture becomes exposed.
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