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Usually, the choice of a timber/wooden floor is based on aesthetic criteria (color, texture, treatments) and on the kind of use the floor is supposed to be exposed to.

Before choosing the color, however, it is advisable to reflect on where (i.e. in what kind of environment) the floor will be installed as well as on how the floor will “live and breathe” in that environment.
It should not be forgotten that the climatic conditions, the humidity and the temperature of the environment a timber/wooden floor is installed in have a big impact on the stability of the wood and on its adhesion on the underlying substrate. Therefore, it is often advisable to choose medium hard woody species
with good stability.

FAQs

Why choose a wooden floor?

Good thermal insulation and perfect suitability for underfloor heating
Good acoustic insulation.
Resistance to abrasion and scratches, depending on the intensity and frequency of “floor traffic” (treads). The floors of the most famous museums and theaters in the world, such as the Louvre in Paris and the National Gallery in London, the Scala in Milan and the Metropolitan Opera in New York, are made of wood.
In addition, the intrinsic qualities of its hardness and elasticity make wood flooring the preferred choice for all types of sports facilities: gyms, sports halls, velodromes and bowling lanes.
Cheapness. Considering their longevity and the ease with which they can be restored and repaired, timber/wooden floors, in comparison to other floor types, are certainly the ones that, over time, allow the maximum amortization of the acquisition cost.
Low maintenance. Surface treatments with special products allow for perfect preservation and excellent, easy and fast cleaning.

What are the characteristics of “multi-layer parquets”?

“Multi-layer parquets” are made of a series of wood layers that have undergone various treatments: calibration, smoothing, the adaptation of the plank sides in order to create male/female joints /tongue and groove) as well as the final coating or finish. The various layers of a multi-layer floor are: the top layer, i.e. the visible, touchable and “walkable” surface of the parquet and the floor’s lower layers, which have the task of keeping the floor stable by countering the wood’s natural reaction to different environmental conditions. This special kind of composition makes the “prefinished” or “multi-layer” parquet ideal in terms of quality and durability, but also allows extremely quick and easy the installation.

What are the methods for the installation of parquet floors?

As far as the installation of parquet floors is concerned, we can distinguish three different installation methods used to affix the single floor elements to the subfloor.

Gluing
Gluing is by far the most used method. Thanks to the continuous evolution of glues (and adhesives in general), both in terms of technique and efficiency, the gluing method guarantees excellent results when it comes to laying not only the most common timber/wooden floor formats, but also formats of larger dimensions.

Floating
Floating is practically an alternative version of the superimposition method: the elements that make up the floor are simply placed on a subfloor of any type. To make sure that the single elements are connected, they must have male and female joints. It is, however, advisable to put a tiny amount of glue along the joints during installation. In order for the planks to be self-supporting and stable the prefinished multi-layer parquet must come in large-sized planks.

Nailing
The nailing method is used to affix heavy planks and solid wood elements (with male and female joints) that generally have a thickness of over 18mm. It is quite an expensive installation method, not only because of the high amount of labor involved, but also because it requires a wooden subfloor framework. Nonetheless, the nailing method warrants long durability and high reliability for all solid wood floors of considerable thickness and large dimensions.

What is the difference between “traditional parquets” and “prefinished parquets”?

“Traditional parquet floors”, or “solid wood floors”, are floors that consist of elements made from the same type of wood. Usually, the thickness of this floor type varies from 10 to 22 mm. “Prefinished parquet floors”, on the other hand, are made of two or more layers of different lumbers, the most common being spruce and birch wood. The thickness of the “walkable” top layer of prefinished timber floors must not be less than 2.5 mm.

What is the moisture content of the wood?

Wood always contains a certain amount of water (moisture), unless it has been completely dried and is thus “anhydrous” (free from water). Wood, whatever moisture content it may contain, always tends to adapt this content to the degree of moisture present in the environment the wood is located in. The moisture content of wood is very important, since variations in moisture can cause the wood to “move” (if it loses moisture, the wood may shrink, if the moisture increases, the wood may swell).
The moisture level below which wood begins to shrink is called the saturation point of the cell walls. It is at around 30% of the wood’s dry weight.
If the wood maintains a moisture content of over 30%, it does not show any dimensional variations. Yet, it begins to shrink as soon as the moisture content drops below 30%.

What is the installation procedure on screed heatings?

The heating elements must be turned off at least 5/6 days before installing the floor, and the surface temperature of the screed (at the time of installation) must be about 15/20°C with a maximum air moisture of 65%.
The humidity of the parquet floor must be checked carefully before installation to make sure that temperatures do not exceed the admissible maximum. When installing floating floors, the thermal resistance of the soundproof layer (about 2.5 mm thick) placed under the floor must be considered.
For solid wood parquet, in case the floor has been attached with glue, it is advisable to turn on the heating for a few days before smoothing the floor: this will allow the floor to settle before grouting.

The various laying patterns.

The laying patterns of timber/wooden floors depend on the structure and shape of the floor’s wooden elements: long planks or longer elements in general lend themselves to rather uniform layouts, such as the “regular brickwork pattern” in which the planks are laid in horizontal or diagonal strips, or the “irregular brickwork pattern”, also called “shipdeck pattern” with its more irregular layout.
One of the most popular linear designs is the so-called “herringbone pattern“. The smaller-sized panels used for this kind of pattern can give rise to more complex designs and also allow for the combination of different types of wood, shades and colors.

Irregular brickwork pattern / Shipdeck pattern.

The “irregular brickwork pattern” or ”shipdeck pattern” is also called the ”staggered pattern” or ”random pattern”. It is made of single elements that can be of different lengths, laid in a way for the head joints of the single strips to be in completely irregular (random) positions. This pattern can be carried out in two ways:

Planks laid parallel to each other along the width or length of the room (parallel to the wall)
Planks laid parallel to each other, but diagonally to the wall

Regular brickwork pattern.

Elements are laid by arranging them in the direction of their length so that the butt joints occur in the same center line or in any case in a constant position with respect to each element constituting the previous row.

Herringbone pattern / Fish bone pattern.

The single elements of the herringbone pattern are rectangular in shape and equal in size. They are laid with an angle of 45 degrees to the wall. The name of this type of pattern derives from the arrangement of bones in fish. Hence, the pattern is also called “fish bone pattern”.

Hungarian herringbone pattern.

In the Hungarian herringbone pattern, each element has its two short sides cut with an inclination of 45 degrees or 60 degrees in relation to the long sides. The installation methods are the same as those used for the herringbone pattern. It is possible to choose different types of wood to visually highlight different parts of the parquet.

The choice of the timber/woody species.

Usually, the choice of a wood floor is made on the basis of aesthetic criteria like color, texture (also called wood grain) and treatment, but also in view of the type of use envisaged for the floor.

Given the wide range of timbers/woody species, one is spoilt for choice when it comes to the selection of a wood floor. There are lumbers with more or with less distinct texture. And color treatments as well as finishes can be very different, too, ranging from rather opaque (matt) to very glossy or from smooth to brushed.

There are types of timber/woody species whose color changes only slightly over time, like for example European and South American lumbers. Others types of wood, however, especially African lumbers (like for example Iroko, Doussié and Afrormosia) become darker over time due to oxidation, a process that causes colors to change as a consequence of exposure to ultraviolet rays.