Glossary

Hardwood Hardwood generally is wood that originates from trees that shed their leaves in winter, such as oak, beech, silver birch, ash etc. as opposed to trees that do not loose their leaves in winter, such as pine trees. Subfloor The surface lying under a finished floor. The subfloor is usually made of plywood or concrete and it provides a resting place for the top floor - the one that is visible and comes in contact with your feet when you walk across a room Moisture meter Moisture meters are used to measure the percentage of water in a given substance. This information can be used to determine if the material is ready for use, unexpectedly wet or dry, or otherwise in need of further inspection. Nail down installation The oldest and most familiar flooring installation method, nail-down is a type of secure installation which directly attaches the floor to the subfloor material. The nail-down method, as the name implies, involves nailing of a 2" cleat (or nail) into the tongue section of the plank at a 45-degree angle. Floating/Click Installation Floating installation of wood flooring is a technique wherein the floor is not fixed to the subfloor below it. Rather the flooring planks are fitted with each other thru the use of glue or the latest click systems. The click system is extremely easy and not as time consuming as other methods because anyone can do it by following simple installation instructions. You do not need any experience either so everybody wins. This system is very popular today for laminate and engineered hardwood floors though one may find some solid floors also. Glue Down Installation Glue down installation of wood flooring requires the use of strong adhesive or a bonding agent to attach the flooring directly to the wooden or concrete subfloor. With the latter type of subfloor, you must lay a protective damp proof membrane first to ensure that your wood flooring is protected from any moisture that may rise. Glue down installation is extremely effective and ensures stability if it is done properly. However, it is not as popular as floating installation because you do have to close off the room until the glue has fully set. Previous experience is also desirable because it can get extremely messy. Choosing the right glue is also a must because some options are not suitable for flooring of a higher width. Laminate A laminate is a material constructed by uniting two or more layers of material together. The process of creating a laminate is lamination, which in common parlance refers to the placing of something between layers of plastic and sealing them with heat and/or pressure, usually with an adhesive. HDF (High Density Fiberboard) High-density fiberboard, is a type of fiberboard, which is an engineered wood product. It is similar to particleboard and medium-density fiberboard, but is denser and much stronger and harder because it is made out of exploded wood fibers that have been highly compressed. FSC (Forest Stewardship Council) FSC is an independent, non-governmental, not for profit organization established to promote the responsible management of the world's forests. Wood products carrying FSC symbol come from forests that do not harm the environment. PEFC (Programme for the Endorsement of Forest) The PEFC provides an assurance mechanism to purchasers of wood and paper products that they are promoting the sustainable management of forests. PEFC certification is a transparent system of forest inspection plus a means of tracking timber and paper, from harvested tree through to the finished product. Wood products carrying PEFC symbol come from forests that do not harm the environment. EPLF (European Producers of Laminate Flooring) The Association of European Producers of Laminate Flooring (EPLF®), based in Bielefeld, Germany, is an organization which represents the leading producers of laminate flooring in Europe and their suppliers. The Association was established in 1994 in Bonn, Germany, and has its registered headquarters in Bielefeld, also in Germany. CE The letters 'CE' on a product are the manufacturer's claim that the product meets the requirements of all relevant European Directives. AD (Air Dried) 48 Wood is a product of nature that needs a natural finish. Most common urethane finishes cover the wooden surface with a thick chemical layer of coating, taking away the beauty and elegance of the wood grain. By penetrating the surface of the wood, AIR DRIED 48 FINISH protects and saturates your floor for a lifetime while still preserving the original feeling and look of the grain. In other words: AIR DRIED 48 FINISH combines the natural character of european oils with the low maintenance requirements of common urethanes. Abrasion Class An AC (Abrasion Class) rating is applied to every line of laminate flooring by an independent body known as EPLF, or European Producers of Laminate Flooring. A series of tests are designed and carried out in order to test each line of laminate flooring for stress resistance. The tests range from resistance to burning, to scratching, to impact, and even tests for resistance against abrasion caused by castors and other furniture legs. When the tests are concluded, those lines of laminate flooring are assigned an AC rating, which is the measurement of stress as applied to where the laminate flooring is to be installed. Off course, one has to beware if the ratings are being certified by an reputed independent laboratory. Melamine Melamine is an organic compound that is often combined with formaldehyde to produce melamine resin, a synthetic polymer which is fire resistant and heat tolerant. Melamine resin is a very versatile material with a highly stable structure. V groove A beveled edge along the sides of a flooring plank. When 2 planks are joined together, they give an apperence of a groove in V shape at the joints. IC 2 IC stands for impact classification. Normally used for testing the ability of a laminate flooring plank to withstand an impact (falling object etc). IC 2 would mean that the flooring plank can take a certain amount of impact without being damaged. Brushed surface A wood floor surface where the grains of the wood have a strong texture that can be seen and felt with a touch. Bevel A bevel is quite simply an angle made by the meeting of two surfaces. By definition, a bevel cannot be at a 90 degree angle, although all other angles are perfectly acceptable. Tongue & Groove Tongue and groove or T&G is a method of fitting similar objects together, edge to edge, used mainly with wood: flooring, parquetry, panelling, and similar constructions. Tongue and groove joints allow two flat pieces to be joined strongly together to make a single flat surface. Before plywood became common, tongue and groove boards were also used for sheathing buildings and to construct concrete formwork. Each piece has a slot (the groove) cut all along one edge, and a thin, deep ridge (the tongue) on the opposite edge. The tongue projects a little less than the groove is deep. Two or more pieces thus fit together closely. The joint is not normally glued, as shrinkage would then pull the tongue off. For many uses, tongue and groove boards have been rendered obsolete by the introduction of plywood and later composite wood boards, but the method is still used in good-quality flooring. Plywood may also be tongued all round to fit it flush into a framed structure, and plywood for sub-floors used in platform framing is often supplied with tongue and groove edges. Underside grooves The grooves below solidwood floors. Created to absorb the normal expansion or contraction in wood floor planks and help avoid warping. White oak Quercus alba, the White Oak, is one of the pre-eminent hardwoods of eastern North America. It is a long-lived oak in the family Fagaceae, native to eastern North America, from southern Quebec west to eastern Minnesota, and south to northern Florida and eastern Texas. Specimens are known to have lived over 600 years. Although called the white oak it is very unusual to find an individual with white bark; the usual color is an ashen gray. In the forest it reaches a magnificent height. In the open it develops into a massive broad-topped tree with great limbs striking out at wide angles. Gloss level The degree of shineness or mattness of a surface. Lower % levels of gloss indicate a matt surface and vice versa. Embossed in register (EIR) Embossed-in-Register technology precisely matches texture with the underlying decorative pattern on each flooring plank, creating a stunning level of realism. This is a patented technology by Faus group and is used mainly by laminate flooring producers to make their laminate floors look as close to a real hardwood brushed surface. Core layer The centre layer of laminate/engineered hardwood floor. This is the thickest layer and in laminate floors, is generally made of HDF (see glossary) while in engineered it could be various softwoods (Fir/Spruce etc) or even HDF. Top layer The top most layer of a laminate/engineered hardwood floor. This is the first layer which we see and walk on. In laminate floors, is made of decorative paper and an scratch resistant overlay while in engineered it would any of the various wood species(Oak, Merbau etc) Back layer Generally also known as the balancing layer. This is the layer on the underside of a flooring plank (Laminate/Engineered) which helps is keeping the plank in correct shape. Formaldehyde Formaldehyde is an important chemical used widely by industry to manufacture building materials and numerous household products. It is also a by-product of combustion and certain other natural processes. Thus, it may be present in substantial concentrations both indoors and outdoors. Sources of formaldehyde in the home include building materials, smoking, household products, and the use of un-vented, fuel-burning appliances, like gas stoves or kerosene space heaters. Formaldehyde, by itself or in combination with other chemicals, serves a number of purposes in manufactured products. For example, it is used to add permanent-press qualities to clothing and draperies, as a component of glues and adhesives, and as a preservative in some paints and coating products. E1 E stands for “emission”. Many building and other products contain Formaldehyde (chemical). Exposure to this beyond a certain limit can be damaging to health. Products carrying E 1 rating can be considered to be safe for use as the emissions are within guidelines. E 0 The latest advancement in the emission standards! This is the most stringent standard there is all over the world today. NWFA (National Wood Floor Association) The NWFA is a non-profit trade association representing all segments of the hardwood flooring industry, from manufacturers, to distributors, to retailers, to installers. Members are given various technical data that are crucial for successful installation & have access to the expertise of professionals which help in their training & development.