Clean & Contemporary Or Rustic & Traditional Oak Flooring

18th Aug 2016

So you’ve decided you want oak flooring, but are unsure about what kind of look you want. You could opt for the more rustic, traditional look seen in oak flooring of old. Alternatively a clean and contemporary look could be more to your liking. So how can these looks be achieved?

Probably one of the biggest influences in the overall look of your oak flooring is the grade. The grading relates to the amount of character in the boards and how little or how much there is. To achieve a clean and contemporary look, a minimalist look is often required. This is mainly seen in our prime grades and select grades. Prime grade oak flooring boards contain no knots, cracks or shakes whatsoever. They consist completely of clean oak. Select grade oak boards are mainly clean, but with the slightest small section of character. This small section is preferred by some as a way of break up the otherwise uniform look of the boards.

Premier 1 / 1-bis Grade

Alternatively for the more rustic look, our barn or character grades are the preferred option. Barn grade oak flooring contains a high number of knots, burrs, colour streaks, shakes cracks and also the odd hole. Character grade boards don't contain the same level of character as the barn grade, but still include a range of knots combined with areas of clean oak.

Classic Grade Engineered Oak Flooring

The next biggest influence in the look of your oak floor is of course the finish. With so may different finishes available on the market, pretty much whatever look you require can be achieved. A popular, contemporary look is to keep the boards looking as close to their natural colour as possible - with products such as the Blanchon Original Wood Environment and the Blanchon Intensiv designed to do just that. Alternatively for the more traditional look, darker stains as seen in the Blanchon Hard Waxoil - Colours range can be used. One of our most popular finishes for doing this is the Black stain, with the Smoked Oak and Walnut finishes also being a popular look. A finish that often works in both contemporary and rustic settings alike is the standard clear hard wax oil finish from the likes of Blanchon and Osmo. These finishes simply enhance the natural look of the the timber, providing a warm golden look.

Prime Grade Engineered Oak Flooring

The texture of the boards is a further point to consider. As standard the majority of oak flooring is supplied with a sanded surface. For a more aged effect, a popular surface texture is a brushed finish. This is done using a wire brush to add a texture to the surface, and enhances the grain of the oak flooring. There are also a number of different surface textures available on the market, such as a sawn surface, scraped and undulating.

Castle Grade Engineered Oak Flooring

The width of board chosen is a hugely important step that can drastically change the overall look and feel of your room. Choosing the right width of board to suit your room is very much dependent on how large or how small your room is. Of course the point to remember is that the wider the boards chosen, the less boards will be laid across the room. The narrower the boards, the greater amount of boards will be laid across the room.

If you would like to discuss how to achieve the best style of oak flooring for you, please give us a call on 01538 304584.

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