Engineered Wood Flooring Buying Guide
Before we get into the breakdown, we will cover some common questions we get asked, to give you some insight and deepen your understanding of what engineered wood flooring is and how it can benefit your home life. Navigate to: Where to Buy - Our Full Range - Key Features What Is Engineered Wood Flooring? When we say ‘engineered’, that does not mean our flooring is made from unnatural materials. On the contrary, our engineered wood flooring is crafted using the finest cuts of real wood, and stands as a cost-effective, eco-friendly, and almost indistinguishable alternative to hardwood flooring. ORDER A FREE SAMPLE Sustainable Manufacturing The engineering process starts with wood – more specifically, the highest quality oak and walnut timber, which we handpick from managed woodlands across Europe and America. Unlike popular methods of procurement, the minute ecosystems of these timber forests are maintained and protected. New, fast-growing saplings are planted every day to keep growth strong and consistently high grade. OUR ECO PROMISE Robust Composition Engineered wood flooring is made by combining slim cuts of hardwood with multiple layers of plywood, often made from birch, pine, poplar, or spruce. The oak and walnut planks we use for our top layer are cut to between 2 and 6 mm, unlike traditional hardwood which needs to be a minimum of 14 to 22 mm thick. With thinner cuts of timber, we increase our yield per tree by 60%. Once combined with V4’s signature ply base, our engineered wood flooring becomes stronger than standard hardwood floors, as well as more resilient to natural fluctuations in temperature and humidity. FIND OUT MORE Quick & Easy Installation All real wood flooring needs to acclimatise in the space before it can be installed. Traditional hardwood will require up to 7 days to fully settle into the space, and will often need to be cross-stacked in the room - which can be inconvenient in small spaces and disrupt the flow of other building works. Our engineered wood flooring comes packed in breathable, recycled packaging that allows the planks to acclimatise within. The other great thing about engineered wood is that it only requires 48 to 72 hours to fully acclimatise, making it an extremely convenient option, especially when planning complex projects or if you need a fully usable floor in a matter of days rather than weeks. IN-DEPTH ACCLIMATISATION GUIDE Where Can I Buy Engineered Wood Flooring? V4 engineered wood flooring is available anywhere in the UK, from the Scottish highlands to the coasts of Brighton. We have handpicked the very best retailers across the country to receive our V4 approval, all of which will be happy to help you to select just the right real wood and laminate flooring for your home or business. Engineered wood flooring requires much less timber than hardwood alternatives. So you can achieve the same look and feel as hardwood but at a fraction of the cost. Ideal for smaller budgets and reflooring wider areas. Find a retailer today for a bespoke quote. SEARCH FOR RETAILERS Which Rooms Are Best? Engineered wood floors can be installed in just about every room in your home, especially high-traffic areas – including hallways, living rooms, dining rooms, bedrooms, and even kitchens. It is best to avoid installations in rooms with a lot of excess moisture, such as bathrooms, as all hardwood is naturally hygroscopic, which means it will absorb water vapour, as well as swell and deflate with changing temperatures. The lacquers and oils we use to seal and finish our engineered wood flooring are designed to protect against the worst effects, but even so, we recommend avoiding these settings in order to reduce potential damage, however small. Our Range of Engineered Wood Flooring Simple and Timeless - Wood planks are the staple of hardwood flooring, and have been for centuries. Simple but timeless in their design. We craft all of our engineered wooden planks from natural European oak and American walnut, with a whole host of finishes from pale, dusty greys to deep, rich browns. When it comes to flooring, wooden planks are never a risk. And our engineered oak and walnut planks can be installed in almost any space with ease, complementing and uplifting all interior styles effortlessly. The Key Features of Our Engineered Wood Flooring 35-Year Guarantee Because we trust the quality of our engineered wood flooring, we offer a generous 35-year guarantee for all domestic installations. Without exception, we want you to feel secure with your choice of flooring, and know for certain that it will last long into the future. Range of Finishing Coats Once our engineered wood flooring has left the mill, we use low-VOC lacquers and oils to finish the job, accentuating grain textures and enhancing existing hued in the veneer. These treatments help to protect the wood from minor surface damage and the over-absorption of moisture. They also reduce the need for strenuous maintenance schedules, creating an easy-clean surface that lasts. Robust Profiling To make installation quick and maintain an even lay, we utilise both tongue & groove and lock systems for our fittings – all of our precision-cut profiling fits together seamlessly and securely, creating a reliably smooth surface every time. Underfloor Heating Compatible Engineered wood flooring is the preferred option for those looking to lay hardwood over electrical or hot-water underfloor heating systems, as it is much more resilient than standard hardwood. This is thanks to its precision-cut veneer and layers of softwood that provide additional strength and flexibility when it comes to natural fluctuations caused by changes in interior temperatures and humidity. Four-Sided Micro Bevelling Gaps in hardwood floorboards are the cause of most draughts and heat loss in the home. But we micro-bevel our engineered wood flooring on four sides, meaning each piece fits together snuggly and sharp edges are softened. This creates a smoother surface that, as a result, is more snag and chip-resistant. Energy efficiency is also improved with tighter fittings that let in less cold air from the subfloors. Which Rooms Are Best? Engineered wood floors can be installed in just about every room in your home, especially high-traffic areas – including hallways, living rooms, dining rooms, bedrooms, and even kitchens. It is best to avoid installations in rooms with a lot of excess moisture, such as bathrooms, as all hardwood is naturally hygroscopic, which means it will absorb water vapour, as well as swell and deflate with changing temperatures. The lacquers and oils we use to seal and finish our engineered wood flooring are designed to protect against the worst effects, but even so, we recommend avoiding these settings in order to reduce potential damage, however small. The Key Features of Our Engineered Wood Flooring 35-Year Guarantee Because we trust the quality of our engineered wood flooring, we offer a generous 35-year guarantee for all domestic installations. Without exception, we want you to feel secure with your choice of flooring, and know for certain that it will last long into the future. Range of Finishing Coats Once our engineered wood flooring has left the mill, we use low-VOC lacquers and oils to finish the job, accentuating grain textures and enhancing existing hued in the veneer. These treatments help to protect the wood from minor surface damage and the over-absorption of moisture. They also reduce the need for strenuous maintenance schedules, creating an easy-clean surface that lasts. Robust Profiling To make installation quick and maintain an even lay, we utilise both tongue & groove and lock systems for our fittings – all of our precision-cut profiling fits together seamlessly and securely, creating a reliably smooth surface every time. Underfloor Heating Compatible Engineered wood flooring is the preferred option for those looking to lay hardwood over electrical or hot-water underfloor heating systems, as it is much more resilient than standard hardwood. This is thanks to its precision-cut veneer and layers of softwood that provide additional strength and flexibility when it comes to natural fluctuations caused by changes in interior temperatures and humidity. Four-Sided Micro Bevelling Gaps in hardwood floorboards are the cause of most draughts and heat loss in the home. But we micro-bevel our engineered wood flooring on four sides, meaning each piece fits together snuggly and sharp edges are softened. This creates a smoother surface that, as a result, is more snag and chip-resistant. Energy efficiency is also improved with tighter fittings that let in less cold air from the subfloors. BROWSE THE ENGINEERED WOOD FLOORING COLLECTIONS
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Do Engineered Wood Floors Need to Acclimatise Before Installation?
How you prepare your space for new flooring, especially engineered wood flooring, is part of the process of installation. Once you have chosen engineered wood flooring from V4, you want to ensure that your home or business is prepared for its arrival. Make sure that all wet trades or decorating have been finished and left to dry prior to installation. Once your engineered wood flooring arrives, we recommend leaving the planks to acclimatise to the humidity level and temperature in your home for between 48 and 72 hours. Your home’s ambient temperature should fall between 18°C and 24°C during this acclimatisation process. Why Does Engineered Wood Flooring Need to Be Acclimatised? As a porous material, wood will naturally expand and contract when humidity and temperature levels fluctuate. This is why we do not recommend engineered wood flooring for bathrooms, where there is constantly running water and a build-up of water vapour. Relative Humidity (RH) is a percentage that measures the amount of humidity present in the air, and the sweet spot for engineered wood flooring is between 45% and 65%. You can use a moisture metre to calculate the humidity percentage in your home – and if levels are too far outside of the recommended range, you can purchase a dehumidifier to balance the moisture content of the space. What Happens if You Do Not Acclimatise Engineered Wood Flooring? Hardwood flooring is known as a hygroscopic material – this means it will absorb water vapour in its environment. Metaphorically speaking, it inhales and exhales moisture, and this natural absorption process results in noticeable dimensional changes. If real wood planks are not naturally acclimatised to an environment before they are fitted, the overall look can be hindered by warping in the wood as it comes away from the subfloor. Rapid depletion of moisture can even cause cracks and imperfections to form on the smooth surface of the wood. Thanks to its flexible multi-ply construction, engineered wood flooring is able to resist hygroscopic dimensional changes, but not entirely. The planks will still need to be left to acclimatise in the space before they can be installed. This is because V4’s engineered wooden flooring is designed to slot together seamlessly using a lock system and tongue & groove fittings, and if even minor hygroscopic absorption occurs, the planks can deform and thus disrupt the smooth exterior surface of the flooring. How Do You Acclimatise Engineered Wood Flooring and How Long Does It Take? For your engineered wood to properly acclimatise, you will need to leave the planks in, or as close to, the room in which they are to be installed. Hardwood flooring can take up to 7 days to fully acclimatise, which can obstruct building and decorating projects, whereas V4’s engineered wood flooring will only take between 48 and 72 hours to reach full acclimatisation. Making it a more efficient and convenient choice for wooden flooring. We also save you more time by delivering all of our engineered wooden planks in breathable, recycled packaging. This means you do not need to worry about laying out or cross-stacking your planks to properly acclimatise them – instead they can be left in their packaging until they are ready to be installed. How Air Conditioning Impacts Acclimatisation A quality air conditioning unit will certainly help the acclimatisation process, especially if you are installing your engineered wood flooring during the summer months when your home is uncharacteristically warm and humid. IN-DEPTH MAINTENANCE GUIDES | ORDER A FREE SAMPLE For more information on how to install and maintain your engineered wood flooring, and where you can find a verified V4 retailer near you, our team will be happy to help. Get in touch with us today.
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V4 Cube Awards 2022
This year we had the pleasure of welcoming the fabulous, Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen to host the award ceremony, and announce the winners of this year’s Cube Awards. Taking place on Thursday the 22nd of September at our 300 square meter Surrey Design Centre, we welcomed our guests with live music by, a local ukulele band The Ukeaholics and our signature cocktail, the Cube-a-Cubana hand-made by The Gin Inn to join us in celebrating not just a fantastic year of design, but also twenty years of V4 Wood Flooring. New this year, we had an exciting twist on our previous Cube Awards, by adding a second category – Commercial Designs! Which together with our Home Design category offered 20 shortlisted residential designs, each featuring one of our floors. This is where we turned to you for help, as members of the public browsed through each design’s case study before voting for their winners. Before enjoying a tasty bite to eat of handmade sourdough pizzas by the Stonerose Pizza Co., guests were able to browse the large selection of samples boards that are displayed inside the V4 Surrey Design Centre, including the brand-new collection, Heritage, which features 10 brilliant floors each hand finished in the UK to offer you a high-quality finish, never compromising on style. The V4 Surrey Design Centre is the perfect place to view hundreds of flooring options, ranging from plank to herringbone and chevron, in a large variety of colours and finishes. When discussing the use of wooden floors in home designs, Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen reminded us “The last couple of years had seen a massive growth in people wanting to do things that are special to them. So, you’ve got to come somewhere like the V4 Design Centre where you can have an infinity of choice… People are obsessed about bringing the outside in now, the idea of British woodland being part of their home. So, the Heritage collection by V4 which has all of that romance, it has that rusticity, it has that real sense of engagement, it’s absolutely perfect for making a home feel like home”. With the votes counted, it was time for Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen to announce our winners and runners up, starting with the Home Design Categories. In first place we had Ross and Ian from the Fixer Uppers, who used a bespoke herringbone floor to create a rustic yet inviting living room design. In Second place, we had Sophia from the 1894 Home, whose use of Frozen Umber helped create her dream kitchen design. And finally, in third place, we had Sharon from Hornsby Style, who used Tannery Brown in both herringbone and plank to create a rustic, Scandi-Lux style. Moving on to our commercial category, in first place we had Bec Edmunds from Saskia Kate Interiors, who used Seashell Herringbone to create a contrasting design in her client's family home. In second place we had Charlotte Bucciero from Charlotte Bucciero Interiors who used Golden Oak to connect her client's home to its natural surroundings. And last by but no means least, was Charlotte Drinkall from Shere Madness who used a bespoke engineered plank to create a classic design with a mode twist in her client's family home. Thank you to all those who have voted and taken part in this year's V4 Cube Awards. If you have recently completed a design featuring a V4 floor, upload a picture to Instagram and tag your images @v4woodflooring including the hashtag #myv4room, and if we choose to feature your design in one of our case studies, you could be in with a chance of being shortlisted for next years Cube Awards!
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V4 are proud sponsors of The Lightbox’s Raphael exhibition, providing flooring to create a renaissance setting for his works of art
V4 Wood Flooring are proud sponsors of the Raphael: Prince Albert's Passion exhibition taking place at The Lightbox in Woking. Running from 3rd October 2020 until 31st January 2021, the exhibition marks the 500th anniversary of the death of Raphael. To commemorate this significant event exhibitions are being staged around the world to celebrate one of the greatest artists of the Italian Renaissance, and The Lightbox in Woking is the only gallery in the UK to be holding an exhibition about Raphael as part of these celebrations. The Lightbox is an award-winning charitable arts and heritage organisation with a social purpose to improve the well-being and quality of life of its community, and as a neighbouring local business in Woking, with our V4 World design centre being just a five minute drive away, we welcomed the opportunity to show our support and be involved in creating the floor design for the Raphael exhibition space. With a brief to help transform a section of the main gallery making a space that would transport visitors back in time to give the feel of an opulent renaissance setting worthy of his works of art, our Natureffect XXL Inglenook Hearth laminate wood floors were selected for installation. These floors are full of warm rustic charm and earthy tones to give an elegant aged appearance – fitting as a backdrop to his timeless artistry and sketches. The temporary room is a low lit space to protect the ancient sketches or 'cartoons' as they were known 500 year ago, and the floor needed to be both beautiful and robust enough to last the 4 month exhibition. Natureffect Laminate XXL was the perfect solution as it can be installed on an underlay efficiently and with out the need of adhesive whilst still making a solid durable floor which is commercial grade and will stand up to high foot traffic and regular cleaning. The exhibition relays the fascinating story of Prince Albert’s passion for Raphael and his creation of the Raphael Collection at Windsor Castle. It reveals how Raphael caught the imagination of the Prince Consort, who embarked on a pioneering research-based project into the work of the Renaissance master, making copies of his work using the newest technology available - photography. The exhibition will reveal 500 years of reproductive techniques used to emulate Raphael's work, not only in photography, but also in a variety of mediums including engravings, original wood-block printing and lithography. The Raphael drawings from the Royal Collection are at the heart of the exhibition and several of them will be shown in the specially-designed space where our floors have been installed.
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Local antiques shop helps V4 launch Panneau Peel & Stick wooden wall panels
Our V4 World showroom was awash with activity in preparation for the full launch of a beautiful range of wooden wall panels that has just arrived in the V4 collection. Panneau Peel & Stick delivers contemporary wood wall panels, available in a choice of finishes so you can get creative and add natural wood design to your feature walls. Produced from American Pine, wood is precision cut into thin slices creating lightweight planks which feature a simple self adhesive backing for quick and easy installation. The boards undergo various treatments which age and accentuate the rustic character of the timber, bringing walls to life. How better to showcase the rustic and engaging character of these wooden panels than inviting local antiques firm Arse Antiques to the showroom to provide some quirky dressings for our launch photo shoot. Based in nearby Chobham, Arse Antiques are about antiques with flair, selling beautiful, quirky and unusual items that start conversations - and the combination of Panneau Peel & Stick and beautiful home dressings will certainly start a conversation in your home. A big thank-you to Amy and Suzie for helping out, you've helped bring our panels to life with your beautiful antique collections. Design Inspiration Created with PS3 Dark Brown & Distressed Dark Grey Created with PS1 - Dark Grey Created with PS5D - Distressed Light Brown Created with PS2 - Light Grey About Peel & Stick Panels Produced from American Pine, precision cut into thin slices, the lightweight planks are brushed, cross sawn and distressed to accentuate the rustic character of the timber to bring walls to life. The textured surface is then stained and sealed in a range of rich earthen tones. The result is a collection of wooden wall cladding which gives a beautifully weathered and aged aesthetic. Measuring 12.8 x 118 cm these easy to install wall panels can be cut to any size or simply installed straight from the box with unrivalled simplicity as the boards are backed with self adhesive 3M tape. You simply peel and stick. Why not get creative and mix and match panel colours, or choose from a myriad of installation patte s. You could go vertical, horizontal, herringbone or however you choose. And caring for your new wooden feature walls is easy. All the panels need is an occasional dusting and trickier marks can be cleaned with a damp cloth. View the full collection and why not order free sample swatches. The collection is also available to view in large wall installation format inside our Woking Design Centre, V4 World.
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The V4 Colour Series Issue 1 | Dark Wood Flooring Ideas
Dark wood floors are a bold and rewarding design choice within a home, bringing warmth and depth to your interior spaces. From shady walnuts to rich oak, our dark wood flooring can add an air of sophistication to any room you might be decorating, be that a bedroom or a hallway, bringing out every feature, from the wallpaper and paintwork to the furniture and rugs, and making them truly pop. To help you pick the right style and shade for your project, we have put together a complete guide to not only our dark wood flooring, but our design range, including parquet, planks, and reclaimed looks. Types of Dark Wood Floors Dark Wood Planks When you think of hardwood floors, planks are probably what comes to mind first. They are a classic style that has stood the test of time, offering a timeless and reliable solution to flooring whether installed residentially or commercially. Though much simpler in its arrangement than other styles of wood flooring, the classic plank is a perfect choice for darker timber options as the colour alone pulls more than enough visual weight, and the paired back planks allow those colours to fully take the stage. Dark Wood Parquet This range pulls its inspiration from 17th-century France, and when paired with a darker shade of hardwood, their unique arrangements are truly eye-catching. If you are someone who is looking to conjure an o ate aesthetic in an interior, our selection of parquet floors is the way to go. The range includes two core styles: Chevron Most parquet arrangements feature short-cut battens of wood, joined into sharp V-shapes to create a variety of zig-zag patte ing. Chevron is the neatest among them, with clean Vs and sharp lines separating each row, creating a unique look that still maintains its class. Herringbone Herringbone takes stylish geometry to the next level with its V-shaped arrangements. Similar to chevron, but rather than clean-cut Vs, the herringbone battens form interlocked Ws. Dark herringbone floors are the perfect option for design-savvy individuals looking for a twist on a classic look. Advantages of Our Dark Wood Floors A Sustainable Option No matter the shade or finish, our engineered wood flooring is crafted from 100% FSC® certified oak and walnut timber, sourced from managed woodlands in North America and Europe. These forests are carefully tended to and produce excellent hardwoods that not only yield more than the average tree, but also support the surrounding ecosystem. If you want real wood floors but are worried about the environmental impact, or want to know if there is a more ethical option that achieves the same end, then engineered wood flooring could be the perfect alte ative to explore. Our dark engineered wood floors have all the same benefits as hardwood, including its ability to age well, hold its own against everyday wear and tear, and handle refinishing, but their production puts considerably less strain on the environment. OUR ECO PROMISE Simple to Maintain Long-Term Hardwood is generally simple to look after. It resists the most common stressors that flooring is subjected to, including heavy foot traffic, messes and spills, and general deterioration over time. Engineered wood also has a little more resilience than regular hardwood thanks to its composition. Engineered wood floors, like our dark wood range, are crafted by layering several pieces of high-strength plywood and then topping them with the ‘lamella’ of your chosen hardwood. This layered approach to wood flooring allows for more flexibility and durability in the long-term, and also helps the floor to last well in a number of environments (including those with mode underfloor heating systems). When engineered wood floors do eventually show their age, they can be sanded and refinished to tu back the clock and revert them to their original state, adding an extra decade or two to their overall lifespan. IN-DEPTH MAINTENANCE GUIDES Suits Most Interiors One of the best advantages to choosing dark wood flooring for your home or business is that you can guarantee a gorgeous aesthetic. Dark wood flooring is a surefire way to level up the interior design of any room, adding class and natural beauty, and playing off both rustic and professional aesthetics. Browse our collections and find the right colour wood floor for you
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The natural choice for flooring - the latest wood floor trends emerging this year
When we talk about trends in flooring it’s with a different focus than say clothing trends, where a trend may change with the seasons and last summer’s big thing is ready for the charity shop when the season comes around again. Today’s discerning homeowners want flooring which is stylish, hardwearing and long-lasting, featuring design innovations that will still be as fashionable in ten years as it is today. The resurgence continues in people opting for real wood floors, and in particular engineered wood floors. Engineered wood flooring offers excellent value, stability and, if treated correctly, a long-lasting floor. One of the reasons for the resurgence of real wood is people’s motivation to move back to choosing natural products as the environmental agenda gathers pace and we all look to play a role in reducing the impact waste products are having on our environment, especially our oceans and landfill resources. Homeowners want to know where their floors came from, what they are made from and how sustainable they are. Choosing a wood floor that has been sustainably sourced from well-managed forests where only mature trees are selected for harvest and several fast growing saplings are planted for the next generation means you have selected a natural, renewable and recyclable material – free from plastic and non-recyclable qualities. Today’s engineered wood floors can also be resurfaced and retreated, just like solid wood floors, giving your floors an even longer life. You can even change their colour with the application of coloured oils, reinstating and reinventing your wood floors to give them a fresh new look. So with more people choosing the natural qualities of real wood floors, there are some key trends at the moment when it comes to styling. The first is the renaissance of parquet style wood floors. While maintaining the original 17th Century approach of creating a beautifully patterned, low maintenance wood floor, parquet floors in the 21st century offer more choice and versatility. Today’s mode parquet has seen a shift towards larger oak blocks which offer complete adaptability both in terms of installation patterns – everything from traditional herringbone and chevron to basketweave and multiple block formations – and a much easier installation with tongue and groove profiles on engineered oak blocks making install simpler and allowing the floors to work over different subfloor types and under floor heating. Adding the intricate geometry of a parquet style pattern will work in harmony with any interior style and the choice of colours and tones available now is endless. At the other end of the spectrum, playing to the appeal of wood floors for their natural qualities, there is a growing demand for larger, wider plank styles full of oak character and rustic appeal. This style really does bring nature inside on an impressive scale, and opting for a rustic, almost aged appearance the floors are more forgiving to natural wear and will give your home a timeless feel. Larger boards are also a great choice for creating a feeling of space, and by choosing a more authentic and rustic finish you add extra texture and a more tactile sensation where light will reflect across different grains and angles and the floor becomes a little more intriguing. And finally, let there be light. Mode colouring techniques have allowed wood floors to enter a wider spectrum of colour choice than ever, and white, grey and muted tones are proving popular. They deliver understated tones that are the perfect choice if you don’t want your flooring to dominate your home. Lighter shades naturally create a smooth and calming backdrop that will work with any interior style. They are an ideal choice to make smaller spaces feel bigger, but are just as at home in large open plan design, promoting light and bringing together all the elements of a room without competing against them. Introducing a muted foundation can also let you be a little more expressive and bold with the rest of your interior colour palette. View our collections and take a look at some of our featured installations for more wood floor inspiration.
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Engineered Wood Floors for Modern Kitchens
Real wood floors in kitchen design add a natural warmth, texture and style to your kitchen space – and with such a wide range of colours, tones and styles available it is now far easier to choose a wood floor that is an integral part of your overall kitchen design – and not just an afterthought. There has been a tendency in the past to shy away from wood floors in the kitchen, with concerns about the impact of heat, water and general spillages. This is only a concern where solid or poor-quality wood is used. Properly cared for it is the only natural surface that can be used in kitchens. And with our focus on only the highest quality engineered wood floors, our floors are ideal for installation in the kitchen – treated with care you’ll have beautiful floors, made from a natural material, which will last for years. Won’t the floors expand from heat and moisture in the kitchen? Our engineered wood floors are all built on an ultra-stable hardwood multi-ply tongue & grooved base – giving a feeling as robust as solid wood – but significantly reducing the amount of expanding or contracting in response to conditions. Any impact will be so minimal it will go unnoticed when installed with the correct expansion gaps along the wall. What about spills and splashes? Whatever type of flooring you have, you will always be advised to quickly clean up spillages. Our wood floors all have durable surface treatments applied over the oak top surfaces, so just be diligent and quickly wipe up any spills and the wood floors will remain unaffected. What about underfloor heating? Good news again, all of our floors can be used with underfloor heating. Installed correctly, and ensuring the surface temperature never exceeds 27C, you can design your space more effectively by removing the need for radiator space. Will there be ongoing maintenance? Depending on the surface finish of your chosen wood floors maintenance needs vary. Our durable lacquered surfaces make them the ideal low-maintenance kitchen choice. Each plank has coats of UV-cured lacquer applied, leaving very little to do in the way of maintenance apart from keeping them clean. You will find lacquered options in our Alpine, Alpine Lock, Eiger, Zigzag and Home collections. If you do decide to choose a UV-oiled or hard wax oiled surface finish in the kitchen these need a little more maintenance, but with the right products and care they also make a great natural floor choice for kitchens. We recommend an initial coat of Woods Good Natural Floor Care Refresher is applied to the floors once installed, and then occasionally treat them with Wood’s Good Natural Floor Care soap spray which will help keep the protective layer on the floors, making spills easier to deal with. What about everyday cleaning? On top of any maintenance requirements, a regular sweep and gentle wet wash weekly will keep the floors clean. Only use a very slightly damp mop for wet cleaning, or we recommend using the Wood’s Good Natural Floor Care spray cleaning kit. A safe pH-neutral cleaning solution that is extremely effective and simple to use with no risk you might be damaging your floors. Our Modern Flooring Styles for Kitchens If we’ve not already convinced you that our engineered wood floors make ideal kitchen floors, be inspired by some real-life customer installation pictures featuring our wood floors. Zigzag Natural Oak Zigzag Brushed and Lacquered Natural Oak. Keeping things natural wood surfaces collide effortlessly in this country-style kitchen. Urban Nature Foundry Steel Urban Nature Foundry Steel. Rustic dark oak tones that look perfect against traditional kitchen styles and mode touches. Zigzag Frozen Umber Zigzag Frozen Umber adds a final layer of texture to this stunning kitchen design, which fuses modern and classic elements. Alpine Fjordic Shore Alpine Lock Fjordic Shore. The beautiful light oak tones create a stylish contrast to the dark grey tones in this modern kitchen design. Zigzag Nordic Beach Here, Zigzag Nordic Breach embraces a muted pastel palette to create a calming and light atmosphere Urban Nature Fired Brick Urban Nature Fired Brick delivering mode oak charm with a unique warm tone that enhances the feeling of space Urban Nature Weathered Beam The classic aged character of Urban Nature Weathered Beam is an ideal blend with this traditional country-styled kitchen Start the search for your perfect wood floors here.
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Bring Nature Inside - The Animation Story
Watch the full animation. At the heart of everything we do at V4 Wood Flooring is a core value; to deliver real wood products that Bring Nature Inside. We wanted to find a way to bring this ethos to life. Create a story that engages our audiences with the beauty of nature and strip it back to the essence of how our natural environment, full of organic wonder, has such an effortless place in our surroundings. And so the origination of creating a captivating animation began. Working with animation director Effie Pappa, a London based award-winning freelance film and advertising Director, Animator and Artist - a story board unfolded where we would take our ‘inside world’ outside - back into nature to reconnect with the origins and organic surroundings that inspire our products. The child that features captures the child in all of us – where the desire to explore and discover never ends. Creating a scaled forest set; intricately dressed with natural elements, we created the scene of a sublime and magical wood where our leading character is drawn into the outside world, curious and captivated in discovering how we effortlessly connect with nature. Elements of the home uncovered in the wood are a reminder of nature’s natural synergy with our own homes and interiors – and how V4’s relationship with Bring Nature Inside inspires our range of beautiful real wood products. The animation is a prelude into our contemporary real wood floor and wall solutions. Designed with nature in mind, and sustainably sourced, our extensive palette of wood floor and wall surfaces can be discovered in our latest brochure. We hope our new website will enable you, just like our animation character, to explore and discover an extensive spectrum of natural wood products that will enhance any interior space and bring nature inside with stunning results.
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Why a Hardwood Floor can be a best choice of flooring
If you are looking for quality, a classic feel and a timeless beauty, then a real hardwood floor is an affordable choice for your home. It’s an easy way to add charm and elegance to any setting adding beauty, warmth, value and good ambiance to your home. Though it offers so many benefits, many homeowners often find themselves comparing hardwood floors to other types of flooring. But with its alluring appearance and unbeatable sturdiness, here are some of the reasons why it is such a popular and sustainable option for so many homeowners. Value - Cost is often the first thing that buyers consider while making a decision in choosing the best floor that suits their home. Though hardwood can be more expensive than other flooring options, installing one in your home increases its value and typically they to sell faster than homes with wall to wall carpeting. Upkeep on the floor is inexpensive and it will also last a lot longer. Longevity - Hardwood floors will last years, V4 Woodflooring comes with a 35 year guarantee. The floors can be refinished to bring out their natural beauty if it starts to fade. However carpeting needs to be replaced on average once every seven to ten years, and one of the big differences between laminate and real wood floors is the life span of the floor. Laminate floors last a few years longer than carpet but does not last nearly as long as hardwood. Cleanliness - Wood is a better choice for people with allergic reactions. Installing carpets can trap in dust, dirt and allergens but with hardwood that won’t be a problem. Stinky odors from carpets may become part of your home, introducing themselves to everyone who walks through your door. But with a real wood floor they do not hang onto odors, or hide dust, dirt, hair and other particles as a carpet does. And they are great if you have pets or children. Appearance - Unlike carpeting, tile, and vinyl, hardwood floors do not go out of style and are naturally beautiful adding an attractive look to your interior décor. And with an array of patte s and finishes you can be as creative as you like and install a unique style that suits your own personal design aspirations Installation - Hardwood takes little more effort than laminate or carpets when it comes to installation and done well, and with the sturdiness and lasting quality of a real wood floor, the end results are worth the work of installing these quality boards. Overall, if you’re thinking about installing a real wood floor you should consider the expense as an investment in your home since it will add a lot of value if you ever decide to sell, but is a lasting and beautiful finish for the years you do live there. Though hardwood can be a bit more expensive than some other floor options, it will also add more value to your home than many other types of flooring.
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Responsibly Sourced Hardwood Flooring - FSC®
In 1990 a group of timber traders, users and members from human rights and environmental movements met in Califo ia. The group met due to their shared conce s regarding the increase in deforestation, social exclusion and environmental degradation. During the meeting the assembled group agreed on the importance of establishing a system which could successfully identify well-managed forests as the source for ethically and responsibly produced timber and wood products. As a result of the Califo ia meeting in 1990, the concept of FSC® was created. However, it was a further two years before changes began as part of the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development was held in Rio de Janeiro. The event has since been termed the “Earth Summit”. Although the summit produced no legally binding obligations for sustainable forest management, it did produce Agenda 21 and the Forest Principles. However the major victory of the summit was that for the first time it produced a forum where non-gove mental organisations and bodies were able to discuss and create support for the creation of a non-gove mental, independent and inte ational forest certifications scheme. This forum met at ten separate occasions in the following year. The discussions held at these meetings led to the establishment in 1993 of the FSC Founding Assembly, which was held in Toronto. In February 1994 the FSC became a legal entity. Following its origins the FSC has grown and developed. This growth is quantified by the substantial rise of certificates which have been issued for both chain of custody and forest management. By 2011 a total of 20,000 certificates had been awarded to organisations globally. The FSC have three main objectives, these are as follows: Socially Beneficial: Forest management which is socially beneficial helps both the local community and the global society. Providing local populations with incentives in order to provide sustainable forest management solutions both long term and short term. Environmentally Appropriate: This approach to forest management ensures that the harvesting of timber and non-timber products from forests maintains the natural bio-diversity and ecological processes. Economically Viable: FSC are committed to ensuring that their forest management efforts remain sufficiently profitable, without profiting at the expense of the forest’s biodiversity or the local indigenous inhabitants. For more information about the FSC visit the FSC Forest Stewardship Council for the United Kingdom at https://www.fsc-uk.org.
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What Is FSC? An Explanation from V4 Woodflooring®
In 1990 a group of timber traders, users and members from human rights and environmental movements met in Califo ia. The group met due to their shared conce s regarding the increase in deforestation, social exclusion and environmental degradation. During the meeting the assembled group agreed on the importance of establishing a system which could successfully identify well-managed forests as the source for ethically and responsibly produced timber and wood products. As a result of the Califo ia meeting in 1990, the concept of FSC® was created. However, it was a further two years before changes began as part of the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development was held in Rio de Janeiro. The event has since been termed the “Earth Summit”. Although the summit produced no legally binding obligations for sustainable forest management, it did produce Agenda 21 and the Forest Principles. However the major victory of the summit was that for the first time it produced a forum where non-gove mental organisations and bodies were able to discuss and create support for the creation of a non-gove mental, independent and inte ational forest certifications scheme. This forum met at ten separate occasions in the following year. The discussions held at these meetings led to the establishment in 1993 of the FSC Founding Assembly, which was held in Toronto. In February 1994 the FSC became a legal entity. Following its origins the FSC has grown and developed. This growth is quantified by the substantial rise of certificates which have been issued for both chain of custody and forest management. By 2011 a total of 20,000 certificates had been awarded to organisations globally. The FSC have three main objectives, these are as follows: Socially Beneficial: Forest management which is socially beneficial helps both the local community and the global society. Providing local populations with incentives in order to provide sustainable forest management solutions both long term and short term. Environmentally Appropriate: This approach to forest management ensures that the harvesting of timber and non-timber products from forests maintains the natural bio-diversity and ecological processes. Economically Viable: FSC are committed to ensuring that their forest management efforts remain sufficiently profitable, without profiting at the expense of the forest’s biodiversity or the local indigenous inhabitants. Currently, six of the hardwood flooring planks contained within our product range proudly bear the FSC label. However we are currently exploring means by which we can increase this figure. For more information about the FSC visit the FSC Forest Stewardship Council for the United Kingdom at https://www.fsc-uk.org.
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