Types of massive boards for the floor and selection rules

Wooden flooring has always been considered the best flooring option. Solid wood floors create comfort, coziness, and it is pleasant to walk on them. In addition, this coating is distinguished by beauty and sophistication. The solid board for a floor is still in the lead among all types of floor coverings. Especially it wins in comparison with synthetic materials with which our market is saturated. A feature of a massive board is that it is made from a single piece of wood. Depending on the type of wood, dimensions and other characteristics of the product, the floor covering acquires certain qualities that affect the scope of the material and the features of its use.

Criterias of choice

Before choosing a massive board for the floor, you need to figure out what characteristics of the product you should pay attention to. The choice of solid wood flooring should be based on the following criteria:

From the density of the wood depends on the scope of the product. The denser the rock, the greater the load allowed on the floor. Such boards are allowed to be laid in areas with heavy traffic. The most dense are oak, wenge, larch, ash. Soft cherry and birch wood is suitable for rooms with minimal loads, such as a nursery or bedroom.
The size of the product varies from manufacturer to manufacturer. Thus, the thickness of the array ranges from 15-50 mm. The most demanded boards up to 22 mm thick. The thicker the product, the stronger the floor and the higher its service life. The width of the element is in the range of 60-450 mm. The most commonly used products are up to 120 mm wide. The covering from narrow boards is less subject to deformations. The length of the array ranges from 500-3000 mm, but sometimes it reaches 9 m. It is more convenient to transport, operate and lay boards up to 2 m long.
wood selection- this is its sorting by texture, pattern and color. This criterion also takes into account the presence of knots, spots and other defects. Since the tree trunk is sawn in different ways during the preparation of the material, products of different selection classes are obtained in the manufacture of the board.
Boards from different manufacturers subjected to various factory treatments. Most often, the manufacturer cuts chamfers at the ends. Brushing the board allows you to artificially age it. Metal styling and tinting should also be attributed to factory processing.
wood species affects not only the color of the future coating, but also its hardness, strength, durability and resistance to changes in environmental characteristics.

wood selection

We will separately consider the selection of wood, since this is a very important point. There are two options for cutting a tree trunk:

radial cut performed in the central part along the length of the trunk, such wood is the most durable, high-quality and expensive, the color of the board is uniform, the pattern is plain without knots and spots;
tangential sawing is carried out along the edges from the central part, as a result, the resulting products will differ significantly in color, the texture of the material is saturated, there will be knots on the board (these boards are less durable and more prone to deformation, but they are valued for a beautiful varied pattern).

Different manufacturers sort wood according to different criteria. In addition, each company gives its own names and descriptions of varieties. We will look at the most common:

Extra or Radial- this is the highest quality board without knots and sapwood. The coating pattern is monophonic with longitudinal lines along the board.
Variety select differs in a small spread in colors between elements of the same batch. On the surface, the presence of small rays is permissible, but there are no knots and sapwood. The fibers are arranged along the element.
The variety of natures is characterized by a slight discrepancy in color. Knots up to 2 mm in diameter are allowed. There may also be a small white sapwood.
Rustic is characterized by a complete range of colors. On the boards, knots with a diameter of up to 0.6 cm are allowed. White sapwood is allowed, which occupies no more than a fifth of the width of the element.

Surface treatment and coating

The massive board can be covered with protective layers in the factory:

Lacquer coating done using special UV varnishes (see video). This allows you to speed up the drying of the product and make a thin transparent layer of varnish. Despite the strength and durability of such a coating, it can wear out, resulting in the need for grinding and varnishing the entire floor.
oil coating impregnates the top layer and does not create such protection as varnish. Such boards are very similar to raw products, lend themselves well to local repair. The coating is very short-lived, it needs to be updated at least once a year.
wax coating performed with a mixture of natural oil and paraffin. The coating is not very durable, but it performs a certain protection of wood. The layer is easy to renew when worn.

A modern solid board is often sold with factory decorative processing. Most of them are aimed at creating a coating with history (of the old floor). For this, it is most often used:

Toning - covering the product with the thinnest layer or layers of paint. Usually such processing is used together with brushing. As a result, the protruding parts of the surface pattern have one color, and the recesses have another.
Brushing is the processing of a product with metal brushes, which allow you to select soft fibers and create a relief surface. As a result, the massive board takes on an aged look, its texture and naturalness are emphasized (see video).
Planing will allow you to give the surface an unevenness, as from working with a planer.
Sawing is the coating of the surface of the product with shallow transverse cuts.
Sandblasting allows you to get a polished relief surface.
Aging. Sometimes a massive board is aged by applying serifs on the surface of the product.

wood species

Depending on the type of wood, a massive floor board differs in price. The cost of the array ranges from $20.5-520. Next, we list the main characteristics of flooring made of different types of wood.

Solid board oak

This is a hardwood, so the coating is resistant to mechanical stress, it is strong and durable. The color scheme is quite extensive - from almost white boards with a yellowish tint to elements with splashes of green and gray. Annual rings, light lines and brighter areas are clearly visible. Over time, the solid oak darkens, but the operational characteristics of the material do not change.

Important! The main advantage of oak is its high strength and hardness. The coating is suitable for areas with high traffic, including in public institutions.

On sale there are products with a varnish covering and without it. The only drawback of oak is its high price. For a square meter of such coverage, you will have to pay $ 50-120.

Massive teak board

The photo shows examples of interiors using solid teak boards.

Teak wood is valued for its resistance to decay, which is why it is often used for decks, terraces and pool areas. Teak does not turn black from exposure to water and does not lose its qualities. The structure and shade of wood are different. Most often, the products have a golden brown hue with a light sapwood and a darker heartwood.

Teak is a representative of the tropical forests of Vietnam, India, the Philippines, Laos. Teak also grows in East and Central Africa, the forests of Burma and Thailand. The tree is unpretentious to soil and climatic conditions, which is why it is so common. Most of the wood, especially from Burma, has a uniform color. Indian teak is famous for its beautiful colors. In general, the color of wood can be different - from a light golden hue to brown with dark saturated patches.

Under the influence of the external environment, teak wood darkens. Although experts consider this a delusion, arguing that the material only levels out in color. The large grain of wood has a clear, pronounced pattern. Each board has its own original pattern. The characteristic differences of this material are stripes, dark areas, whitish-gray elements of the pattern. The direction of the fibers can be even or slightly wavy.

The durability of wood is due to the high content of oily substances. Because of this, the material is not subject to decay. It is easy to process. The main feature of wood is a specific aroma, reminiscent of the smell of natural leather.

Each floor covering has its own characteristics. A massive teak board compares favorably with its counterparts from other types of wood in a number of characteristics:

Although the drying process of wood is quite long, teak dries well and gives minimal shrinkage. Long-term high-quality drying will allow you to get floor products with high stability and excellent cutting geometry.
A board made of this material lends itself well to processing, cutting (you need to use only thin and sharp blades). It can be impregnated with dyes, covered with oil or varnish.
When laying teak flooring, it is allowed to use parquet adhesive.
To increase the strength and durability of the front layer of the floor during laying, the material can be fixed with screws and nails. This will ensure a reliable connection.
This wood flooring can be installed in any way suitable for solid wood products.
Teak massive board withstands shock loads worse than oak.
A plank of this wood can be broken along the grain growth. But its main advantage is high bending strength.

Massive larch board

There is an external similarity of this wood with pine species. However, its hardness is much higher and comparable only to oak. Larch is different:

a variety of light shades;
due to antiseptic qualities, wood is not subject to mold and decay;
the material is suitable for arranging open terraces, loggias and balconies, since it does not deteriorate and does not deform from moisture;
larch is very durable and hard, so the boards are used for the floors of gyms, restaurants and libraries;
the rock retains its color and size geometry throughout its entire service life;
wood is characterized by a stable pattern and texture.

Solid board ash

The wood has a characteristic texture pattern and a rich spectrum of sunny tones. The breed is even stronger than oak, but it is characterized by high elasticity. As a result, ash is suitable for both residential flooring and flooring in gyms and other high-traffic public spaces.

Ash is actively used for the manufacture of products for the floor. Floor coverings made of this material have high performance characteristics due to the strength, density, viscosity and beautiful wood texture. Such qualities as ease of processing, lack of cracking during the drying process, contribute to the fact that solid ash parquet is one of the best flooring.

In addition, the massive ash board has the following features:

Increased wear resistance of the front layer of the floor made of this wood is achieved due to the high hardness of the rock. Lacquer coating allows additional protection of wood and increase the wear resistance of the floor.
The high performance characteristics of solid ash are explained by the fact that the wood belongs to heavy grades. The strength characteristics of wood are directly related to the width of the growth rings. The wider the rings, the higher the strength.
Due to the good elasticity of wood, solid parquet board bends well, which is important for flooring. By this quality, it is very similar to beech.
Floor coverings made of this material are durable. Confirmation of this - numerous reviews. If varnish is applied to the surface of the product, then the service life of the floor can reach several tens of years.
The most beautiful wood pattern is very reminiscent of valuable exotic species. But the price of an ash floor will be more acceptable than that of tropical varieties.
The massive ash board is stable - it does not warp, practically does not shrink and retains the correct geometric shape.

Solid birch board

The product has a shade from white to pale brown. The texture of the wood is fine, the fibers are located along the board. This material has no characteristic features and features. In many mechanical characteristics, birch is similar to beech. The disadvantages of the breed include the following:

wood is very capricious;
the floor needs careful maintenance;
subject to deformation with a change in humidity and temperature.

Massive board walnut

Products are made from different types of wood, such as American or European walnut. The array has a wide range of colors. So, you can find boards from light gray or beige to finishes with a dark brown tint. The wood has a very beautiful structure, consisting of purple, brown and gray blotches.

Important! A massive board made of American walnut is characterized by increased resistance to temperature changes and changes in the humidity regime in the room. The product is not subject to cracks and deformations.

The main difference between American walnut wood and other species is the beauty and complexity of the pattern. The heartwood of the tree has a beautiful greyish-brown hue. But after processing, the wood acquires a rich dark brown color, cast in multi-color stains. The beautiful shade and unique pattern of this breed allow you to get original floor coverings. Using them, designers can easily embody any idea in interior design. That is why other types of flooring are made from such wood, for example, walnut parquet board, laminate or walnut parquet.

The special properties of American walnut wood make it possible to obtain strong and durable floor coverings with high performance characteristics. This wood is:

resistance to temperature changes;
moisture resistance;
geometric stability (the coating does not warp, does not shrink, forming cracks);
American walnut is easy to process (products from it can be polished, scraped, glued, sanded and varnished);
wood density is 600-650 kg / m³;
rock hardness - 5 kg / m³.