The way the expert sees the floor

The wood floor is a timeless floor, not given to fleeting fashions or trends. Floors made of exotic wood species such as badi, merbau or the popular wenge are at a premium.

These floors are characterised by their unusual range of hues of gold-brown (kambala), orange-red (badi, doussie) and dark brown (wenge). However, another common feature shared by these floors is a relatively high price.

An alternative, none the less popular, is a series of stained and heat-treated floors, whose appearance resembles that of exotic floors and the quality is comparable. There is a wide selection of stained beech, oak, ash and maple floors, all available in a wide palette of hues - cream, honey, cinnamon, chocolate, grey, etc.

A floor of dark stain is the most popular with customers, for it resembles the exotic wenge. For the very same reason, the floor that enjoys great popularity is an ash floor, which takes on an intense dark-chocolate hue
if heat-treated.

Before laying the floor, one should make sure that the base is even, dry, smooth and not crumbly. This is a sine qua non if we want to enjoy the beautifully laid floor. The direction of the floor boards should be aligned with the direction of the main light source. In elongated and narrow rooms (e.g. corridors), floor boards should be installed lengthwise.

If you have a floor heating system, you should be careful about the wood species the floor is made of, for not all types are suited to be laid over floor heating. Also, you would be ill-advised to lay a continuous stretch of flooring over the base which only partially has a floor heating system. Such areas should be intersected with an expansion gap.

The floor is ready to be used immediately after it has been laid. However, the places where glue has been applied should be walked round until it dries up. Following the installation, spacers should be removed and the skirting boards can be laid. Bear in mind that they should not press the floor down, nor can they be fixed down to it.

The installation using the Baltic LOC system is straightforward and quick.
It can be accomplished by just anyone, with only a little bit of will.

Expert: Janusz Głowacki, Authorized Fitter, FHU Actiff